Send this page to someone via email

CALGARY – Canada’s Minister of National Defence and Minister for Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, caused an uproar Monday after praising an 11-year-old Iraqi refugee who “already speaks perfect, unaccented English” after arriving from Syria last year.

Kenney posted various tweets (below), describing the refugees he met with Monday afternoon, but the above tweet was quickly deleted.

Story continues below advertisement

1/ Met the Kreshat family, who were forced to flee Mosul following ISIL's invasion last year. They arrived in CDA pic.twitter.com/Q1XCnF1ZLV — Jason Kenney (@jkenney) October 5, 2015

2/ in March, & got refugee status from the IRB in July, thanks to our reform of the asylum system:wait times for claimants used to be ~2 yrs — Jason Kenney (@jkenney) October 5, 2015

3/ Young Senta & Carlos Kreshat told me they hope to be doctors when they grow up! pic.twitter.com/nZS9MvBdww — Jason Kenney (@jkenney) October 5, 2015

Met Shamoun family,Iraqi refugees who arrived last wk, amongst ~25,000 who've come through our resettlement program pic.twitter.com/m4F2WfJiqM — Jason Kenney (@jkenney) October 5, 2015

Canadian voters reacted with varying degrees of disdain and good humour, questioning what his public comments might imply for other Canadians.

“unaccented English” …What? Does that imply those with an accent are lesser Canadians or less deserving of praise? https://t.co/P3WLUnAATC — Layla Mashkoor (@layla_maria) October 5, 2015

What does "unaccented English" even mean? Canadians sound different from coast to coast to coast. That's what makes us Canada. — Mike Morrison (@mikesbloggity) October 5, 2015

.@jkenney I have a gay lisp. Does this count as unaccented English? #elxn42 — Shawn Hitchins (@ShawnHitchins) October 5, 2015

When I arrived in Canada from South Africa at age 10 I was bullied into switching to “unaccented English.” Thanks? https://t.co/PHr3o0rMhO — Daniel Bader (@journeydan) October 5, 2015

I'm sure all the French Canadians in Canada speak "perfect, unaccented English" as well https://t.co/3W0gqOZLP1 — amazing amy (@rashaaaa12) October 5, 2015

As a teacher, as a human being, this is insulting on so many layers. What is perfect, unaccented English? #elexn42 https://t.co/ZlDCFzsVhF — Daniel Buchanan (@danielbuchanan) October 5, 2015

LRT: "unaccented English" How a new Canadian speaks English doesn't matter. My family speaks w/ accents, citizens for years! #serenitynow — Andrea Micieli (@AndreaMicieli) October 5, 2015

TERRIFIC old boy! Next a CPC tax credit to push Newfoundlanders into speaking UNACCENTED ENGLISH! #elxn42 #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/liPa7KF4Qg — My Name Is Earl! (@xoBabers) October 5, 2015

A request to Kenney’s office for comment was not immediately returned, but the defence minister answered one Twitter user who asked, “So, anyone with an accent isn’t a real Canadian?”

In a series of four tweets, Kenney replied:

“Of course not. I have a serious accent when I speak French! I simply found it remarkable that a youngster who did not speak a word of English a year ago has learned so quickly that he sounds like he grew up in Canada. I meant it as a harmless observation about how quickly a refugee child has taken to living in Canada. I have deleted the tweet as some people were misconstruing it, and I don’t want the boy to be subject of any controversy.” Tweet This

Story continues below advertisement

The incident comes four days after Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s tweets turned another of Kenney’s comments into a trending hashtag.

Kenney said in an interview last Thursday it’s “unfortunate that some politically correct liberals have rushed to the defence” of the niqab.

READ MORE: Nenshi fires back at Kenney for comments on niqab ban

“It seems to me that it’s the mayor and people like him who are politicizing it,” Kenney is quoted as saying.

Nenshi replied on Twitter, posting, “‘People like me,’ eh? Let’s just assume (Jason Kenney) means ‘thoughtful people,’ shall we?”

The Tories were also slammed Friday, after Immigration Minister Chris Alexander reminded people about last November’s “Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act,” and announced a proposed RCMP tip line where people would be able to report any “incidents of barbaric cultural practices in Canada.”

A few social media users took it as an opportunity to sarcastically call out the government for anything they deemed “barbaric” using the hashtag #BarbaricCulturalPractices.

Some poked fun at the prime minister himself, but many used the hashtag to criticize the attention drawn to aboriginal rights and the high numbers of missing and murdered aboriginal women.

Story continues below advertisement

Aiming your media machine at 1 niqabi woman while remaining silent on 1200 missing and murdered indigenous women. #BarbaricCulturalPractices — Shannon Dea (@ShannonDea1) October 3, 2015

Hey @pmharper do residential schools, Islamophobia, and race-baiting count as #BarbaricCulturalPractices? Asking for a friend. — Ben Powless (@BenPowless) October 2, 2015

With files from Global’s Rebecca Joseph