There seem to be basically two schools of thought about Canada letting refugees into our country:
1. No. We have our own hungry, jobless, and homeless to take care of first.
2. Yes. They are human beings....human beings.....that need help.
And wow, people get extremely vitriolic about it. I actually get an upset stomach when I read some of the comments and then I get angry and I try to voice my own opinion, but I'm just so...so....angry and upset that I can't speak in a calm and sensible manner. I just want to shout "What is wrong with people? When did we become so cruel? So greedy? So uncaring?" But, having said that, I can also understand the opposing views....a little bit. But wait, read the rest of this before you judge me.
What do I mean by that last statement? It's hard to look at news reports of Canadian citizens that are going hungry, children that are going to school without breakfast. Kids without dental care and decent medical care. Elderly people who are doing without the necessities of life. The thing that upsets me the most: veterans who can't survive on their meager pension. Not enough homes. Not enough food. Not enough....not enough....not enough....
"We need to take care of our own first."
I get that. I do. But the thing is, if the government doesn't let any refugees in, will they spend that money that they "just saved" on the above mentioned problems? No. They won't. It's not like we have to choose: "hmmm....a few million dollars on Canada's issues, or a few million dollars on refugees?" It's not an "either or" situation. I think a lot of people who are against letting refugees in are not fully cognizant of that fact. If we do not let the refugees in, the money that would have been spent on them will not go towards the issues that Canada is having with their own citizens. It's not Sophie's Choice. (Google that if you don't get my reference)
And I know that this is an old and tired argument, but it's still valid: Almost every one of us is here in Canada because our ancestors came from somewhere else. Some of us have been here 200 years (and yeah, some have been here 10,000 years, but I'm not getting into that argument) but that does not give us the right to consider ourselves owners of the land. "My family has been here x amount of years, so it doesn't count that we originally came from somewhere else at one time, the point is we don't want you here at all." Where is the logic in that? And I don't care if your family were immigrants (mine were immigrants from Ireland), not refugees. The point is, they came from another country to make a better life for themselves in Canada.
And you know what? I agree that it's not Canada's responsibility to save the world. But you know what else? No one is asking us to. Why is everyone saying that? People that are desperate for help are asking us to help them. No one is asking us to "bring them all...bring everyone...open the doors and let the masses in." Stop saying that it's not our responsibility to Save the World. No one said that it was. But you can still help save some.
The general consensus in the reports I've read today is seem to be using the amount of 10,000 refugees. The naysayers seem to think that that is an amount that is going to ruin our country. This is a simplistic breakdown, and I get that it's not statistically sound, but think about it. There are approximately 4000 cities and towns in Canada. I actually thought there would be more than that, but regardless, letting in 10,000 refugees is less than 40 people per town. That's a drop in the bucket. And yes, I know it wouldn't work that way, but it lets you see what a tiny amount of people that is. A few hundred new people in Vancouver? Toronto? Montreal? Ottawa? Calgary? Regina? Winnipeg? That's nothing. In a country of +35 million, ten thousand is a paltry amount.
So what is everyone so afraid of?
1. It's going to overcrowd our already broken system.
~Not true. That amount of people is not enough to make a difference.
2. They won't assimilate.
~How do you know that? Some will, some wont. I know an awful lot of people who have lived here for years and years and still speak poor English and celebrate their own culture. So what? They work hard and are proud of living here. Hopefully any refugees who are lucky enough to be able to live in Canada will feel the same. You can't not let someone have a safe life because there are others who have taken advantage of the system.
3. They will take our jobs.
~Which jobs do you mean? Oh, the doctors, teachers, engineers, bankers, scientists? The university educated white collar jobs? Those ones? Oh, no, you mean the tradesmen....all the journeymen carpenters, mechanics, electricians, computer techs. Those ones? Oh, I see, you are referring to the menial jobs that Canadians are clamouring for...the hotel cleaners, chambermaids, fast food workers. Yeah, there are so many Canadians that are just dying to have those jobs. That's why no one is on welfare anymore, everyone is scrambling for those jobs. I hope you hear the heavy sarcasm in my voice.
Face it. Most, most, I'm not naive enough to say all, but most of the refugees who will be allowed in will happily work hard at many low paying, crummy jobs, simply to be able to live a free life. The majority of them will be, as the saying goes, productive members of society. They will be no more of a drain on our society than the tens upon tens of thousands of "real" Canadians who are already sucking the system dry.
Why wouldn't you be willing to give them a chance? And you do understand don't you, that our government doesn't just send a plane over and let them run willy-nilly to wherever they want to. Nor do they toss them a Care Card and keys to a furnished apartment along with a pre-paid Visa card. There are steps to take.
How does Citizenship and Immigration Canada decide whether a refugee can be sponsored and resettled?
The decisions are based on:
- documents sent by the sponsoring group, showing that it can adequately support the refugee,
- supporting documents sent by the refugee about the claim for refugee protection,
- other information available to the officer (such as details of conditions in the country the refugee is fleeing and in the country the refugee has taken temporary asylum), and/or
- an interview with the applicant.
To be accepted for resettlement in Canada, the refugee must also pass medical and security checks. In addition, a visa officer will assess the refugee based on whether he or she:
- is likely to establish themselves successfully in Canada,
- has relatives or a sponsor in Canada,
- is able to learn English or French, and
- is likely to get a job.
When a family unit is applying, the officer assesses these factors for the family as a unit.
In some cases, the officer may decide that refugees urgently need protection. In that case, they are not assessed on their ability to establish themselves in Canada.
For sure, it's a possibility that a criminal might get in....someone evil and nefarious...but I don't believe we should ban everyone because of a "what if?". I mean, what if your next door neighbour is right now making a bomb? Planning to go on a mass shooting? Looking at child porn? What if?
My opinion is, we should not turn everyone away. I think we have a moral obligation to help people who are in such dire straights. Everyone? Of course not, that's foolish. Ten thousand? Why not? Seriously, why not?
I've been asking lots of my friends and acquaintances about this, and again, it saddens me to hear so many of them say "Dont let them in" and yet these are the same people who pretend to be so globally aware, eco-friendly, "it takes a village", and Karma, everyone blathers on and on about Karma and "what goes around...", anti-bullying proponents, eat organic to save the planet, save the whales, save the dolphins, save the burrowing owl, save the fucking sea turtles, but save a fellow human being? "Hell no, it's not our responsibility to save the world......"
It's just sad.
