Oulu city council rejects Finns Party bid to strip welfare plan of individual words

The Oulu city council voted down a series of word-removal proposals from the Finns Party at its Monday meeting, according to Yle. The party had demanded 12 changes to the city’s newly drafted welfare plan, targeting specific terms it found objectionable.

Finns Party councillor Jani Törmi led the push, seeking to remove the word “multilingual” from a passage describing services for immigrants. The original sentence stated that the city’s multi-sector service system supports immigrants’ integration into society by offering guidance, multilingual communication, and smooth service pathways in cooperation with the wellbeing services county.

Finns Party members argued during the debate that immigrants should learn to conduct their affairs in Finnish. SDP councillor Pirjo Sirviö responded sarcastically, asking whether immigrants were expected to learn Finnish on the plane over.

Törmi also proposed removing references to gender diversity, including a sentence stating that “the city takes gender diversity into account and dismantles structures that create inequality.” Fellow Finns Party councillor Jukka Huotari said in his speech that there are two genders, calling it a biological and legal fact, and argued the city’s welfare plan should reflect that.

The speeches drew visible irritation in the council chamber, with other councillors questioning their relevance to the welfare plan.

Finns Party outside the council agreement

The Finns Party is the only party in Oulu that chose not to sign the council agreement at the start of the current term, a document in which councillors agree on shared goals, working methods, and ground rules for the term ahead. The party withdrew on the grounds that too many of the agreement’s provisions conflicted with its own positions.

The party also suffered a significant loss in the most recent local elections in Oulu, losing four council seats.

SDP council group chair Joni Meriläinen criticised the Finns Party speeches for diverting attention away from what he described as a strong welfare plan.

The welfare plan was developed through cooperation between multiple authorities, drawing on a wellbeing report covering 2021 to 2025, as well as current statistics, surveys, and studies. It aims to promote the health and wellbeing of Oulu’s residents, with analysis broken down both city-wide and by age group.

The council voted on each of the proposed amendments separately. The original proposal won every vote by a clear margin, meaning none of Törmi’s changes were adopted.