Winnipeggers slam Bernier for tweet about city park named for Pakistani leader

Winnipeggers are condemning Conservative MP MaximeBernierfor using the naming of a community parkin SouthPointeas a way to criticize "extreme multiculturalism."

In a tweet, the former party leadership contender suggested it was an odd dichotomy that Victoria recently removed a statue of Canada's founder, and Winnipeg recently dedicated apark to Muhammad Ali Jinnah,the founder of the modern state of Pakistan.

Bernier also arguedthe partition of India, which led to the creation of Pakistan in 1947, killed nearly one million people.

His remarks came Tuesday night, after Bernier's initial series oftweets on the weekend were roundly disparagedfor stoking racist and xenophobic tensions.

RashidAhmed, a Pakistani university professor in Winnipeg, scoffedat the suggestion that more diversity and multiculturalism is somehow a form of extremism.

If "being loved by each other is extreme, that's fine," said Ahmed, who campaigned for the new name to city officials. "I'm happy with that word as extremism."

He saidBernierappears to beexploiting Islamophobia to rile up anti-immigrant sentiment.

"Why do they only choose this name, this park, as the symbol for the division or the multiculturalism? Why not other parks all over Canada?"

In a followup tweet sent Monday, Berniersaid his controversial tweets were not meant totrash diversity itself, but rather "ever more of it." Members of his party have tried to distance themselves from his remarks since the weekend.

"Something infinitely diverse has no core identity and ceases to exist," he tweeted.

Conservative Ontario Sen.Salma Ataullahjan,who is Pakistani-Canadian, told CBCNews that Bernier'sremarks arenot merely offensive it's an attempt to divide Canadians of Pakistani originfrom other Canadians.

"A lot of [Pakistani-Canadians] supported his leadership bid and instead of wishing them well on Pakistan Independence Day he tweets this out ... He's just poking us in the eye for no reason."

The City of Winnipeg held a naming ceremony for the park in the city's southend thisMay. It is in honour of a revered figurein Pakistan who is called "Quaid-e-Azam," Urdu for "great leader."

Jinnah Park lies alongside a pond and includes acricket field, play structure, swing set and benches. Itis located south of Tim SaleDrive at Northern Lights Drive.

Local MP TerryDuguidwas among those Wednesdayto ask Conservative Leader AndrewScheerto dismissBernierfrom caucus.

This new multicultural reality is reflected in our parks, our streets, our buildings, and I view that as a very, very positive thing.- Liberal MP Terry Duguid

"It's really unfortunate, these tweets and these comments byMaximeBernier. They're very divisive. They're not helpful."

Duguid said Winnipeg has a history of naming places in support of their cultural communities, such asDr.JosRizal Park, named after a Filipino hero, and Manila Road, based on the Philippines' capital city.

"This new multicultural reality is reflected in our parks, our streets, our buildings, and I view that as a very, very positive thing."

Scheer said in a statementlate Wednesdaythat Bernier doesn't speak for hisparty on any issue.

"I disagree with politicians on the left and the right when they use identity politics to divide Canadians. I will not engage in this type of politics."

Scheer did not elaborate specifically on the tweet. A requestfrom CBC News to both Scheer and Bernier about the Winnipeg tweet was not returned.

Coun. Janice Lukes(South Winnipeg-St. Norbert) said she was approached by the city's Pakistani community to name the park after one of their leaders.

She said the new name creates a broader understanding of Pakistan for other Canadians, while acknowledging the contributions of the Pakistanis already making a life in the city.

Winnipeg has more than 5,000 people of Pakistani origin, according to the 2016 census. A large contingent resides in the city's southern reaches.