Listening to the Conservatives you would think that past governments – Liberal ones anyway -- have horribly bungled the immigration issue. This is simply not true. Canada is rare among Western countries in that there is no large segment of society is calling on the government to close the doors to immigration. As a result, there is no Canadian Le Pen, Joerg Haider or SVP. Indeed, the main Conservative criticism thus far is that Canada is not processing the large number of people wanting to immigrate to Canada fast enough. Faced with a looming demographic crunch, European politicians must be asking themselves why they are not as lucky.
Still there are problems. Canada lets in far more refugees and humanitarian cases than it needs to and should, rules governing family unification are ridiculously stupid, the points system favors older immigrants over younger ones, the government needs to do a better job ensuring that foreign credentials are recognized and yes skilled worker applications need to be processed faster.
Conservative reforms might help, but no one really knows and that is the problem. Rather than tackling the more nettlesome issues head on the Conservatives have thrown out the rules and have instead said they make them up as the go along. It is hard to imagine a worse way of approaching the issue. The cure is promises to be far worse than what currently ails the patient.
Incidentally, the only thing that will speed up the rate at which current applications, some 926,000, are processed is to increase the number immigration officials and Conservatives have been cutting the number of officials and not adding more. Cherry picking a small segment of those already in line is hardly what your average Canadian imagines when they hear the Conservatives claim that they are going to reduce the current backlog, but that is all that Conservatives are doing.
Even more troublesome than the Conservative’s just trust us approach to immigration is their willingness to let in more guest workers. There is ample evidence that armies of disenfranchised workers, whether they be illegal or guest, are a recipe of disaster. It is great way to, create an underclass, suppress wages, encourage black marketing, increase xenophobia and racism.
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5 comments:
Looks like the libs voted with the cons on defeating the Dipper motion against it.
I guess your not in line with your party in regards to this post.
Two points: one, I have said repeatedly that if the Liberals go now they will loose. Two, the Liberals did not even have any coherent talking points on this issue. They were all over the map. In other words, it looked to me all along like they were not serious about going and where just covering their ass. I would have been shocked if they would went.
That's the thing about the Liberals...it's all about winning; forget ethics, forget integrity.
One reason Canada even needs so many immigrants is that taxes are so high no one can afford kids anymore. We can thank Pierre and his socialist welfare state for that. It's a cycle that probably can never be broken.
Of course it is all about winning William. You can do anything unless you win.
>>>>> One reason Canada even needs so many immigrants is that taxes are so high no one can afford kids anymore. We can thank Pierre and his socialist welfare state for that. It's a cycle that probably can never be broken.
Oh William, this is true of every Western country. The only one that is bucking the trend is the US. Of course if you look at the US numbers the people who can least afford kids are the ones that are having them. Why, no excess to abortion, inadequate sex education, limited excess to birth control.
The current immigration programme already has created an underclass...
" WAR ON POVERTY: RISE OF THE MUSLIM GHETTO
For Muslim poor, a shameful admission
Apr 12, 2008 04:30 AM
Noor Javed
Staff Reporter Toronto Star
The exact number of Muslims in Toronto who live below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off, the country's unofficial poverty line, is difficult to determine, as socio-economic data is rarely gathered through the lens of religion.
[...]
"Already we can see the formation of ghettos in some parts of the city," said Shakir, referring to neighbourhoods where overt race-based poverty is glaringly obvious, and where halal meat stores are in abundance.
The scant data available paints a troubling picture of a growing community of nearly 300,000 Muslims, which includes a mix of refugees, recent immigrants, and those who settled in Canada decades ago.
The four poorest of all ethno-racial groups, with more than 50 per cent of their members living below Statistics Canada's low-income cut-off, were Somalis, Afghans, Ethiopians and Bangladeshi populations – all from predominately Muslim countries. At least 30 per cent of Pakistanis and West Asians also qualified as poor, according to a study done by the Institute for Social Research at York University in 2006, which looked at the demographic and social profiles of ethno-racial groups in the city.
[...]
In 13 neighbourhoods deemed "at-risk" in Toronto by United Way, more than half have significant Muslim populations, including Flemingdon Park, Regent Park, Etobicoke North and Jane-Finch. "Every year, we see more and more poor people coming to the mosque for help," said Omar Farouk, president of the International Muslims Organization, based in Etobicoke, which has opened a food bank and distributes food to shelters once a month. More than 200 people regularly access the food bank."
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