In Canada we have entered a new age of political discourse. It has become increasingly clear on certain political issues that if you disagree with the government's policy or with what is considered the popular "political stance" you may be considered a racist. This is no more clearly apparent than the discourse surrounding the issue of Syrian migrants.
In Canada, the new Liberal government has decided that they are going to try and bring 25,000 Syrian migrants to Canada by the end of the calandar year. There is a broad consensus across the country that this is not only the right thing to do, it is the best thing that Canada can do to aid Syrians in their plight as they flee from their war torn homeland. The problem that has arisen however, is that if you disagree with this program, you are labeled a racist. It doesn't really matter what basis you base your opposition to the program on, you are simply labeled an islamophobe.
Across the country since the attack in Paris, there have been several blatantly racist attacks against muslims, mostly against women. A mosque in Peterborough ON, was destroyed by arson, a muslim woman was attacked outside a school, and there have been incidents of racist behaviour on Toronto subways. These incidents of racism are abhorrent, and blatantly unCanadian. However, it must also be noted, that denying a person their right to free speech, and their right to disagree with their government is equally as abhorrent. Canadian rights apply to everyone, not just those who agree with the majority (or apparent majority) opinion.
There are several reasons why I think that bringing 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the calandar year is irresponsible, and I will outline them below., but first I feel that before I do, I have to defend myself, and even though I have the right to my opinion and the right to free speech, I need to state unequivocably that I am not a racist, and that I believe in the concept of multiculturalism and immigration. This is not about immigration or multiculturalism, it is about a policy that is irresponsible on several different levels.
First, there is the question of security. The Liberal government cannot guarantee the security of Canada in allowing the 25,000 Syrians into Canada on such a quick schedule. The government of Canada is not conducting the security screenings of these individuals but is relying on the screening process of the UNHCR. The unfortunate thing about this is that where the migrants are being processed, there are so many people being processed that it is fairly easy for a terrorist to slip through posing as a migrant. One of the attackers in Paris apparently slipped through into Europe via Greece as a Syrian refugee. Another of the attackers in Paris has apparently been able to slip in and out of Europe quite easily, and nobody knows how. Did he pose as a migrant?
The Government of Canada continuously says that it is safe and that we have nothing to worry about. The chances of a jihadist slipping through is next to zero. I don't buy that for an instant. A jihadist was able to slip through become one of the attackers in Paris. If it can happen in Paris, it can happen in Toronto or Montreal, or Vancouver.
My second argument is based on the number of migrants that Justin Trudeau has decided that Canada can absorb. The previous government under Stephen Harper had a plan to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees. This number was based on reasoned approach to the problem. The number that Justin Trudeau decided upon was simply a number that he threw out during the election campaign. The Harper government would bring 10,000 Syrians to Canada, so he would bring 25,000. It was simply a political tool used to get his party elected to government.
Even the United States with a population of over 300 million and an economy astronomicallyn larger than that of Canada feels that they can only absorb 10,000, yet somehow, Justin Trudeau thinks that Canada with only 33 million people and a much smaller economy can absorb more than twice as many refugees than the United States. Many other western countries are taking Syrian refugees at numbers around 10,000.
My third argument is both economic and social. The Liberal government inherited a 3 billion dollar plus deficit from the previous Conservative government, not the surplus that the previous government indicated. The estimated cost of bringing the 25,000 refugees to Canada is now aproximately 1.3 billion dollars. The argument here is not that we cannot afford it, because we can always afford to help, but there are some unspoken issues that nobody is talking about.
The refugees that come to Canada will be given access to healthcare, housing, and education. That is true for all immigrants to Canada. There is a counter arguement here. We have a homeless problem in Canada with people who have no access to housing. Many of or First Nations reservations do not have access to adequate education, housing, healthcare, and in some cases even clean drinking water. The Government of Canada will spend 1.3 billion dollars on the refugee crisis, but there is nothing being done to alleviate some of the problems for our own Canadian Family. Is it right to spend such vast sums of monies on bringing so many refugees to Canada, while ignoring other social issues affecting Canadians. Where is the money for social services, clean drinking water initiatives, First Nations education and healthcare? Where is the money for low income housing initiatives? When I was growing up, I was taught that even when you couldn't stand each other, family came first, and in Canada we are not doing that.
Canadians are also being quite hypocritical on the issue of the Syrian refugee crisis. As the crisis has moved forward there have been offers of housing and some companies are even holding jobs, and in some cases even creating jobs for the refugees that will soon be arriving in Canada. Exuse me? Where was this housing when low income Canadians were trying to find it? Where were these jobs when Canadians were seeking employment? In some cases, they didn't exist. The were simply created out of thin air. I know several first generation immigrants who cannot find work, yet there are jobs being created for Syrian refugees? It is laudible that people want to help with the refugee crisis, and every little thing can make a difference, but Canadians must come first. This is true for both the government, and for the citizens of Canada.
Finally, why are we not creating safe zones in the middle east? We could use the militaries of many countries to protect the refugees in these zones. Why are Arab nations not taking Arab refugees? In many cases some of these countries hate us one minute and then they flock to us the next. A different approach is needed to deal with this crisis than to simply allow 3 million people to migrate from the middle east. Western countries cannot handle the inflow of 3 million refugees either economically or politically. A different approach is needed, but for the moment, we need to take some refugees to alleviate the situation, but 25,000 in less than 40 days? That is totally irresponsible.
It is the duty of the government to put Canadians first. The mosaic of the Canadian family is mulit-leveled and multi-cultural. It doesn't matter whether a person is a member of our First Nations community, a white canadian, or an immigrant from Sudan, Haiti, or Korea, they are all part of our Canadian Family and it is the duty of the government to put us first.
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