Racism issues in Canada and a view of Muslim Hate in England

 Erika: 

Link: for Muslim Hate in England: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFGt4_Efv6Y

Muslim Hate in England is a video I found on YouTube. This video studies how society in immigrants and refugees are facing issues of racism and prejudice in England.  Tammanna Rahman goes under covers as a housewife who speaks very little English In England to investigate the racism in England. Tammanna was born in England but her family is from Bangladesh and she is Muslim. Tammanna goes to Southmead where the majority is white working class and racism tensions are high. The results Tammanna find are shocking, when Tammanna goes out to go shopping she is harassed by citizens by having rocks thrown at her and being called a ‘Paki.’ Tammanna is scared within a couple of days at her stay in Southmead, Tammanna and is reduced to tears. Tammanna is a victim for radicalized insults and being accused of being a terrorist. I think it is sad that Tammanna can not feel safe in this neighborhood and is a subject to radicalized abuse. It would horrifying if an immigrant from south Asian descent had to move to this community and would be in shock by the cruelty of people and the racism played out in society.  There are some individuals that Tammanna interacts with that are not judgment towards her and help her with directions in the city. This shows how we may perceive society as being multicultural that racism is deeply rooted inside individuals.  There are citizens who do show compassion for Tammanna when she asks for directions. As Canadians we have to decide if we are going to judge people based on their appearance or are we going to accept them for who they are?

We may feel we are living in a multicultural society that is accepting towards immigration but often that is not case. Anishnawbek people are still the victims of racism in society and are facing intolerance for their religious beliefs.  In our society we lacked programs for religious organizations and multiculturalism.  Anishnawbek leaders who have promoted multiculturalism have been looked down upon with suspicion and have not have their voices heard.  We need to examine our media for stereotypes of people that enforces misconceptions about the group as a whole. Vulnerable groups need to be studied for the purpose that are at risk for facing discrimination and prejudice within media and the work place. Minority Women are facing barriers of language, gender equally in the workplace and having active roles in making political decisions.

There are some positive aspects of Canada’s multiculturalism for example was that Canadians are less likely to believe immigrants are criminals and eight-five percent of Canadian say that multiculturalism is important to society.  Focus in Canada survey results were that eighty-three of Canadians believe that Muslims make a positive contribution to society. Children of immigrants have better education results than any other Western countries.  (The Current State of Multiculturalism in Canada and research themes on Canadian Multiculturalism 2008-2010. 2012. Pgs. 1-4).

Canadian’s Conservative view of racism is that race does not matter. This ignores white violence in history and does let the victim heal from becoming oppression from authority. I feel we should not deny in our history that there was white violence because we cannot understand the victim’s perspective if we believe the problem never existed.  In the article “Conservative Definition of Racism,’ I have quoted, “Conservative rightly say blacks kill more blacks than white kill blacks.” (The Conservative Definition of Racism: aka How Not to Deal with The Problem, 2012. Pg.1). I found this statement appalling considering there was black slavery, blacks not having the right to vote or even use the same washroom as white people. We cannot simply erase what we do not like in history and try to replace with something fictional.

“The Current State of Multiculturalism in Canada and research themes on Canadian Multiculturalism 2008-2010.”  Citizenship and Immigration Canada. 01, 12, 2012. http://www.cic.gc.ca.

“The Conservative Definition of Racism: aka How Not to Deal with The Problem.”  April 18, 2012. http://deadwildroses.wordpress.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFGt4_Efv6Y

Mental Health of Refugees at Risk with New Detention Laws

Refugees hope to arrive in Canada for a new chance at life and an escape from the troubles that face them back home. However, some of Canada’s new immigration policies can add to a refugee’s already troubled life. In June of 2012 the Canadian government passed Bill C-31. “The new law made amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Balanced Refugee Reform Act, including allowing Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to designate groups of refugees who have come to Canada as "irregular arrivals." (CBC.ca) This bill also allows these people to be separated from their families and detained until they are cleared.

One of the biggest issues with this bill is its effect on young children. The bill states “Children aged 16 to 18 would be incarcerated as if they were adults, and children under 16 will either be taken away from their parents and put in foster care or kept with their mothers and separated from their fathers.” (CBC.ca) These kinds of actions can have a devastating effect on a child’s mental health. With the number of immigrants and refugees coming into Canada every year the length of time a family can be detained and separated from each other will continue to grow.

Canada is not the first country to implement a bill like this. “Australia has had rules similar to the ones in Canada since 1992.” (Thestar.com) Studies in Australia have shown “high levels of self-harm among detainees and a suicide rate 10 times higher than in the country’s general population.” (Thestar.com) With studies and results from Australia it would seem that this bill should not be allowed to continue in Canada. The facts about how this bill can damage the lives of refugees and immigrants are another indicator that Canada is not as fair to its immigrants as it presents itself to the world. 

-John

References:

CBC News (July 2012). Refugees face metal health risk from new law. Retrieved from.

 http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/07/09/pol-cmaj-refugee-health.html

TheStar.com (July 2012). Refugees suffer metal health problems under new Canadian detention        rules. Retrieved from: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1223572--refugees-suffer-mental-health-problems-under-new-canadian-detention-rules

The Treatment of Migrant Seasonal Workers

Canada has been allowing more people to come in to the country on an annual basis, under temporary employment authorization instead of as a permanent resident. Yet the Canadian population continues to diminish.  We currently have two means of sustaining our population. The first being child births, which we currently have a rate of 1.1 children per woman, and would need at least 2.1 children per woman to sustain our current population, let alone increase it. (Nichols, R. 2012)

Migrant worker are coming here on temporary statuses through different programs such as agriculture. Although the terms in which these workers have to abide by are rather unfair because they are completely tied to the employers who need them here for work and sometimes take advantage or exploit these workers based on their situation.  Some of the issues that migrant workers may face by being tied to an employer include, low wages (often below the official minimum), long hours and no overtime, unsafe working conditions, accommodations that do not meet health standards, denied access to public health care and employment insurance (even though they pay in to it), forced to give up their identification documents to their employers.  Migrant workers are vulnerable to being taken advantage of or abused by their employers due to their temporary legal status, if they were to take a stand against them, this most likely would lead to contract termination as well as deportation. (Walia, H. 2010)

 (Alfredo Barahona on Migrant workers rights)

When looking through the lens of an employer who would consider treating an employee like this; technically the exploitation of the worker would be a win win situation.  They are exploitable because they need the work and although the conditions do not meet Canadian standards they may be better than the conditions in which they are coming from. Flexible for long hours because of the amount of time they have in Canada to earn money, although they should be paid overtime. And expendable, because if one employee talks about worker rights and starts to “disturb the heard” then the employer can have them terminated, deported and replaced by the following week. (Walia, H. 2010)

Unfortunately this has become, as I see it, a vicious cycle. Due to the global market and international trade, Canada has made it virtually impossible for some farmers to sustain themselves through their own work. Therefore it seems as though we are causing a forced migration, so that these once self-sustaining farmers are coming here on a temporary basis to do the same work for much less money.

This is not true of all employers but I would hope that new laws would be put in place to better monitor the treatment of seasonal workers, be they Canadian citizens or temporary immigrants.

 

- Denise

References

Nichols, R. (2012). A Canadian Priorities Agenda: Securing the Fundamentals of Canada’s Prosperity. University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Goverance, 1-15.

Walia, H. (2010). Transient servitude: migrant labour in Canada and the apartheid of citizenship. Institute of Race Relations, 52,71-84.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxkmkmS6DgQ

Discrimination Against People Wanting to Immigrate

                I had recently found an article about a family wanting to immigrate to Canada, but with the health issues of one son, the entire family is not allowed to stay living in Canada. I had then researched how the family may be able to bring the son into Canada with them, but the concluding answer was no. It is a struggle for any family to come into Canada, there are many health tests that need to be taken, an abundance of paper work to fill out and not everyone in your family will be able to join you in this big move in your life.

                The article I chose was called “Family Ripped Apart, Immigration Says Son With Asperger’s ‘Inadmissible.’ I was immediately intrigued by this article just by the title alone. How can we as citizens not allow someone to come into our country, just because of a physical or mental illness? Coming to Canada may be to their benefit, in order to help them get more knowledge on their disease and to get some help for it. Why are we discriminating other people with disabilities, where as Canada is estimated to have over a quarter million of its families to have been touched by someone in their lives who is on the autism spectrum (Ontario Adult Autism Research and Support Network)? How does any of this make sense?

                To go on with what the article is talking about; Chris Reynolds wants to stay in Canada with his father and brother, but the only way his family’s application would be approved for permanent residency is if he is not on it. The Immigration officials say Reynolds will be too big of a drain on the health care system because he himself has Asperger’s syndrome and Tourette’s syndrome. His father and brother are torn between living in Canada permanently without Chris or staying where they are as a family. An early medical assessment by Citizenship and Immigration Canada was done and concluded that Chris would be deemed “medically inadmissible” and estimated his care could cost Canadians $7,000 a year. Chris’ father has been paying for Chris’ care out of his own pocket and his employer’s insurance plan covers the five medications that Chris has through a co-payment plan. Chris’ father says “even if Chris ends up needing continual care, is there nothing my family offers Canada to help offset the public cost of Chris?” The family withdrew their immigration application under the skilled worker program and has not opted to apply under the humanitarian and compassionate stream, based on advice given to them by their immigration lawyer. But unfortunately time is running out for the Reynolds’s because Chris is turning 22 soon and when he does he will be considered too old to be included on his father’s application if he were to apply again (Keung 2011). It is bad enough that grandparents of the family are not allowed to join the family for immigration, but now saying that your own child cannot accompany you, that is just ridiculous!

                How sad is it that Canada turns down people because of what they have, in this case a disorder, instead of what they could bring and the opportunities that this country can give them. Immigrating to Canada should be a happy and joyous time, knowing that new and better opportunities will come. But with all of the rules and regulations that are being put in place, many families are being turned away by the new experiences they could have, because of the things that could and has happened to many families in Canada. This is clearly an example of how many people are being discriminated before they come to Canada and because of the scrutiny they suffer,  most families are not able to come into Canada, due to some of the mental/physical disorders someone in their family suffers from.

-Alannah

References:

Keung, Nicholas (2011). Family Ripped Apart, Immigration Says Son with Asperger’s ‘Inadmissable. Retrieved from: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1008827--family-ripped-apart-immigration-says-son-with-asperger-s-inadmissible

Ontario Adult Autism Research and Support Network. How Many People Have Autism? Retrieved from: http://www.ont-autism.uoguelph.ca/how_many_people.shtml 

               

Algoma University and the WUSC Program

In searching for an article that was a positive portrayal of the reception of immigrants and refugees, I remembered that my family hosted a refugee student for a week last summer before he moved into residence.  I then searched the Algoma University website and found a very encouraging article about the vast majority of students here that agreed to a five dollar increase in student fees to support the Student Refugee Program that is through the World University Service Canada (WUSC).

"Making refugee education a top priority" (WUSC, 2012).

This wonderful program sponsors a refugee each year to come to Algoma University, covering all living and educational costs for the first year they are here (Woldanski, 2009). I believe it is very hard for some of us, who have never had our homes and lives torn away from us, to understand the kinds of situations these students are coming from. In order for refugees to be selected to come to Algoma University, they have to have high grades. I can not imagine maintaining any sort of academic standard while living in some of the situations that are all too common in refugee camps.

The fact that most students support refugees coming to Algoma brings a sense of hope that this generation will soon be setting out into the world and having strong voices to support programs like WUSC. This program "helps to resettle approximately 50 refugee students from around the world each year as permanent residents of Canada" (Woldanski, 2008). When I went to the WUSC website to do more research, the subtitle on the home page is "education changes the world" (WUSC, 2012). The philosophy of the World University Service Canada includes believing in the potential of each and every person. They trust that with the right opportunities, training, and education, people can make changes to improve their families, communities, and economies as well as to foster equality and strengthen the most vulnerable (WUSC, 2012).

"Helping International Students Succeed!" (WUSC, 2012).

With programs like WUSC that are flourishing in Canada, and this overwhelming support of students to welcome refugees, perhaps Canada can become more socially democratic in regard to immigrants and refugees. We need to protect these vulnerable people and ease their transition into a new and hopefully brighter future, not do things like cut health care and deport them to other countries.


-Selina

References

Woldanski, D. (2008, September 15). WUSC Program Offers Refugee Student a New Start in Life. Algoma University - Small University. Big Education.. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from http://www.algomau.ca/news/2008/09/15/131

Woldanski, D. (2009, February 4). Algoma U Students Vote Overwhelmingly to Support Student Refugee Program. Algoma University - Small University. Big Education.. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from http://www.algomau.ca/news/2009/02/04/167

World University Service of Canada | Our Philosophy. (n.d.). World University Service of Canada |. Retrieved November 14, 2012, from http://wusc.ca/en/our-philosophy

New Canada/US Border Deal from a Socialist Perspective

      The article I chose for this post pertains to the new Canada/US border deal, as discussed in the Socialist Worker newspaper (Wood, 2012). This newspaper is anti-capitalist, and has a very different take on the stories we normally see in the news. Basically, this article states that from this new deal, both Canadian and American governments will tack when people leave or enter the country (Wood, 2012). The government states that this would actually decrease delays at the border, but from a socialist view, this is seen as an infringement of rights, as citizens will be watched whenever they decide to leave the country by land, air, or sea (Wood, 2012). Socialists also see this move as "harassment, especially for immigrants, refugees, and radicalized groups" (Wood, 2012).

The International Bridge: SSM, ON & SSM, MI

     Greg Watson, from CBC news (2011), says that as Canada has lost 40,000 failed refugee claimants, and there are 300,000 foreign students, workers, and visitors in Canada at any given time, our problem is that we do not have an exit monitoring system . Also, while there are 40,815 deportation warrants out for failed refugees, it is extremely difficult to determine which have left on their own (Watson, 2011). Alternatively, the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations has "denounced the legislation for its failure to protect civil liberties" (Watson, 2011).
     Socialists believe that the motivation behind this deal is to benefit businesses, as this deal will target people, and not corporations (Wood, 2012). Overall, they see the US and Canada as banding together to promote the flow of capital, while cracking down on the civil liberties of immigrants and refugees (Wood, 2011). The evidence they use to support this belief is that when the process for this new deal started, the only sector present was the business sector; groups involved with healthcare, labour rights, environmental protection, and security and privacy issues were not even consulted (Wood, 2012).
       An article I found in a Socialism and Democracy journal corroborates this belief in that because the immigration policies are so restrictive, they don't work to restrict migration, but end up restricting access to rights and protections once they are living and working in Canada (Sharma, as cited in Shantz, 2006). Also, socialists believe that there is an unequal distribution of rights as a result of the state's definitions of an immigrant, (illegal, or not), or refugee, and ends up serving the interests of the capital rather than immigrants and refugees themselves (Shantz, 2006). These issues end up branching out into poverty, unemployment, and exploitation by means of cheap labour, all of which are plaguing Canada's immigrant and refugee population.
   What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you think Canada should tighten it's grip on border controls, or do you think that this is another veiled attempt for the state to control new Canadians?

Shannon


                                                      References

Shantz, J.A. (2006). No one is illegal: Organizing beyond left nationalism in Fortress North America.  
Socialism and Democracy, 19(2). doi: 10.1080/08854300500122449    

Weston, G (2011). Canada-U.S. border deal will track departing travellers. CBC News. Retrieved from
 http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2011/12/06/weston-border-deal-exit.html

Wood, A (2012, January 11). Canada/US border deal threatens rights and freedom. Socialist Worker.
Retrieved from http://socialistworkercanada.com/2011/12/16/canadaus-border-deal-a-threat-to-rights-and-freedom// 

Refugees who are students and challenges they face

Erika

The article resistance to deportation talks about the growing concerns of refugees who chose to come Canada and the barriers they face in society.  Refugees are facing issues of racism, prejudices and stereotypes within the Canadian society.  Patience Umerewenza discusses how she left her home country because her life was in danger. Patience explains because she was fleeing and was not thinking about access to free health care in Canada. Syed Moazsam finds it sad that our own government is not supporting refugees and does acknowledge the amount of sacrifices the refugees have made to come to Canada. (Elliot n.d.)There are refugees who still lived in refugees’ camp which consists of living in tents, unhygienic, and are only given the basic survival needs.  I feel as Canadians we should not judge refugees, just as we should not judge holocaust survivals. I feel our Canadian government and Canadians should be supported towards refugees who have lost some much because of tragedy.

                There is a program called WUSC which stands for World University Service of Canada. This organization sponsor students who are refugees to come to Canada and to gain a permit residence. I’m a part of this organization, and I have learned at the conference at Ottawa about the different cultures and how human dignity is not being fulfilled. A twelve year boy was sold into slavery and was chained in the loom at the carpet factory (Craig and Kielburger, Marc). We have acknowledged the injustice actions happening in our world even if it’s not happening in our own country.

 Students who are refugees have been threatened with deportation for gaining employment. We are subjecting students to a life of poverty and financial debut, by not allowing them to find employment in our communities. We believe in the stereotype that by allowing refugees finding jobs, it will prevent the Canadians from finding jobs in their community. Canadians need to understand that Canada has a low birth rate and we need immigrants to fill in the generation gap and the infertility rates among women. Students who are refugees are at risked for exposing their privacy needs without issuing a warrant. If a student declined access to their privacy to authorities they are at risk for suspension of their study permit. I feel students who are refugees should be treated the same as international students and Canadian students. Authorities do not threaten Canadian students about sending them back to their home town and so why is it okay for authorities to threaten refugees sending them back to their native land?

Students who are refugees are facing cutbacks by the community. The citizen and Immigration Canada had announced that would stop paying for student refugees in their first year of study. The $0.59 cent campaign is the amount that every Canadian would have to pay in order to support health care for students who are refugees. Compare this to the cost of billions of dollars that is spent on candy, junk food and television. Canadian are working together to stop this bill from being passed by the parliament,  (Refugee Health-Care Benefit Cuts: Winnipeg Student Launch Campagin against prime minister n.d.)

                                                       

 

Elliot, Patricia W. "Resistance to Deportation Growing: Teach-in held at University of Regina." The media Co-op: Local independent news .

keilburger, Craig and Marc. "Can a horrific act inspire a new generation to act." The Vancouver Sun, October 2012.

"Refugee Health-Care Benefit Cuts: Winnipeg Student Launch Campagin against prime minister." The Canadian Press .

Educated Immigrants Coming to Canada

            Workers around the world see Canada as a chance to use their education and start a new and better life for themselves and their families. However in recent years this has not been true. Over the past few years educated immigrants have not been able to utilize their education and their skills. Some of this has been a result of the current economic recession.

             

             Even though the economy is not in a good state it is not the only reason “70% of newcomers said they had encountered problems or barriers in the job finding process” (CLBC Immigration Handbook). Some examples of issues that immigrants have to face when trying to find a job that matches their education and skill set are;  “Lack of Canadian work experience, transferability of foreign credentials, and lack of official language skills were the most critical hurdles to employment” (CLBC Immigration Handbook). The chart below shows the main problems that immigrants and employers face when looking for a job and when hiring new employees.

(CLBC Immigration Handbook)

 Instead of coming over before securing a job some choose to apply for jobs before they come to Canada. “Canada's Conservative government says a backlog of skilled immigrant applications, which has clogged the system for years, is declining rapidly and will be eliminated by the end of next year” (CBC News). With this type of action the Harper government has set back hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their plans to move to Canada and work. Acts by our government like this are making Canada a less desirable destination for work in the eyes of educated immigrants and refugees.

-John

References:

Canadian Labour and Business Centre. Immigration Handbook. Retrieved from:

http://www.clbc.ca/files/reports/immigration_handbook.pdf

CBC News. Canada's Skilled Immigrants Backlog to be Eliminated soon. Retrieved from:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/11/02/pol-kenney-backlog-skilled-workers.html

Health Comparison: Canadian Born vs. Canadian Immigrants

Immigrants as well as Canadians are well aware of their own personal health. We become aware of ourselves and are able to determine if we are not operating at our normal function. This sense is something I believe that we naturally develop from a young age. We are able to train our mind and bodies to work together and give us a heads up if something is not quite right within our system. This process of identifying that we need medical attention has been taught to us by parents, doctors, and siblings, through previous personal experiences, regular check ups, and witnessing the symptoms of our siblings when they are ill.

If Canadian's are so consistent with getting regular check ups and seeking medical attention when feeling ill, why is it that we are still less healthy than our fellow immigrant citizens? 

Contributing factors may be that most of those who choose to immigrate won't do so if they are ill. Therefore the quantity of healthy immigrants coming to Canada is higher than the quantity of ill immigrants. Also an immigrant must be of a certain standard of health, before being granted permission to come to Canada. An immigrant must be of good health to be employable once in Canada. Finally, there is a screening process that all potential immigrants must undergo. This screening process is done to identify any chronic or serious medical conditions that may be pre-exciting, and could affect their likelihood of being accepted for canadian citizenship. This is all taken into consideration when reviewing applications for Canadian citizenship (immigration and refugee protection act).

According to the 1996 Statistics Canada Health report, chronic illnesses were more common among the Canadian born (all persons born in Canada) population (57%), then among the European immigrant (those born in Europe, the United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand) population (50%). The prevalence of these illnesses were even lower when looking at more recent non-European (all other countries of birth) immigrants (37%). Although as time went on and recent immigrants (meaning having lived in Canada for less than 10 years) turned into long-term immigrants (meaning lived in Canada for more than 10 years), there were more chronic illnesses reported (Chen, J., Ng, E., Wilkins, R., 1996).

There are many factors that come into to play with each category, such as age, lifestyle, genetics, education, household income, as well as others. For example, smoking is much more common among the Canadian born population, and even higher when comparing Canadian born women to European and non-European female immigrants. Although as with chronic illnesses the gap between these groups becomes smaller once immigrants have spent more than 10 years in Canada (Chen, J., Ng, E., Wilkins, R., 1996) 

A possibility for the Canadian born population being less healthy than the immigrant population could be due to the required health standards to be granted entry to Canada, and the high amount of Canadians who smoke or who have smoked in comparison to the immigrant population (Chen, J., Ng, E., Wilkins, R., 1996). This being said, I believe that immigrants also have a longer life expectancy than canadian born people, partially due to the factors listed above. 

With all the promotion towards quitting smoking, being more active, and maintaining a healthier lifestyle, I would hope that in the future all canadian citizens will be of equal good health. 

- Denise

References

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, S.C. 2001 c. 27, section 16, (2 (b)). Retrieved October 29th                           2012 from: 

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/I-2.5/page-7.html#h-13

Chen, J., Ng, E., Wilkins, R. (1996). The Health of Canada's Immigrants in 1994-95, Statistics Canada: Health Reports, Spring 1996, 7(4), 33-45. 

Immigrants Coming to Canada

            Canada has a population of approximately 30 million people. Many people decide to immigrate to Canada because no matter where you come from, once you have landed in Canada, you have the right to become a Canadian citizen. These rights come from and are protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. You are eligible to become a Canadian citizen as long as you have lived in the country for three years. After being in the country for that long and after becoming a Canadian citizen you are eligible to vote and can apply for a Canadian passport. Canada is a highly developed country that has good working conditions, an education system and a very high standard of living and a health care system that is ranked one of the best in the world. The United Nations has ranked Canada the best place to live based on the quality of life, educational opportunities, unemployment and crime rates and life expectancy (Canadian Overseas Immigration and Business Services Inc., 2001).

“Canada’s number of immigrants in 2011-2012 would be 262,332 people, an average increase of one immigrant every 2 minutes and 1 second” (Stats Canada, 2012). As a result of the growing population in Canada, Stats Canada now has reported that there are more than 200 languages now being used throughout Canada. Along with English and French, the other popular languages being spoken are variations of Chinese dialects, Arabic, Persian, Spanish and Punjabi. But despite all of the different languages being spoken in Canada, English and French still remain dominant (Kennedy, 2012). In Canada’s growing diversity, some benefits come, like helping others start a new life, but there are also down falls, as some people believe they can take advantage of living in Canada.

According to the Globe and Mail, over 260 illegal immigrants have come into Canada this year through a feebly guarded border between Quebec and Vermont. They hop over unguarded entry points or drive through guarded crossings on the outbound lanes. A large number of the migrants are from Roma communities in Europe, who, once in Canada instigate refugee claims. An intelligence report that was completed last year by the CBSA (Canada Border Service Agency), warned of a growing number of Hungarian refugees claimants “taking advantage of Canada’s refugee processing system, social assistance and other benefits.” Because of this, the Harper government has taken action against illegal immigrants. Significant changes to the refugee act speeding up processing times and placing restrictions on claimants from countries unlikely to produce legitimate refugees (Radia, 2012).  

Canada is an open, democratic and progressive society where newcomers are welcome to share the country’s prosperity and community life. Many jobs and business opportunities are available along with skilled workers and businesspersons are required to meet the demand in Canada. Many people who come to Canada bring their skills and capacity for hard work, which helps the cultural life in Canada. The Canadian government accepts businesspersons and skilled workers from every part of the world (Knize). Immigrants and refugees come to Canada in search for a new and better life with many opportunities. Canada has a lot of beneficial things to offer including health care, education and employment. Canada is truly a great place to live.

-Alannah

References:

Kennedy, Mark (2012). Canada’s Language Landscape Altering with Increasing Immigrants. Retrieved From:http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Census+Canada+language+landscape+altering+with+increasing+immigrants+with+video/7438755/story.html

Radia, Andy (2012). Quebec-Vermont Border Seeing Growing Number of Illegal Migrants Coming to Canada. Retrieved From: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/canada-politics/quebec-vermont-border-seeing-growing-number-illegal-migrants-192510337.html

Statistics Canada (2012). Canada’s Population Clock. Retrieved From: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/ig-gi/pop-ca-eng.htm

Canadian Overseas Immigration and Business Services Inc. Why Immigrate to Canada? Retrieved From: http://www.coibs.com/english/why.html

Knize, Katerina. Canadian Advantage. Retrieved From: http://www.canada-law.com/

Is Canada Really so Wonderful for Diversity?

Recently, I came across a news article in the Toronto Star that told the sad tale of a torture victim, Adel Benhmuda. Canadian officials in court have been refusing to led Adel and his family, made up of his wife and four sons, return to Canada. It seems to me that the courts are taking a very neo-conservative or neo-liberal approach to dealing with the welfare of the family and their refugee status.

In 2008, Canada had refused Adel's application for refugee status and had him and his family deported to Libya. Unfortunately, Libya was then under the control of Moammer Gadhafi. Benhmuda was put in jail for six months at different times. In jail, Adel describes the way he was mistreated. He says the guards frequently “bound his bare feet, strung him up in the air and beat his soles with batons and electrical wires (Contenta, Toronto Star).” To escape this torture, the Benhmuda family escaped to the island of Malta. There they lived for most of year in a shipping container before finally being given refugee status for Malta. Then, the UN requested that Canada take them as refugees. 

When courts in Canada in 2011 looked at, and refused, the case once again, it was discovered that the rejection was based on false information.

For one thing, it was believed that the Benhmuda family stayed in Canada for eight years, while waiting for refugee status, while exploiting the generosity of the Canadian government. Secondly, the courts stated that Adel should not even be getting this chance at another look at their case because he had already exhausted his supply of appeals in the eight years they spent in Canada, waiting. Thirdly, the court states that, since the family already had refugee status in Malta, there was really no reason for them to be merely looking about for a nicer place to get status. Finally, the court rejection statement clearly states: “It is likely that this family will be in need of social assistance and other social services" (Contenta, Toronto Star).

Adel Benhmuda and his family (Bernard Weil, Toronto Star).

All of these ground for refusal are based on misinformation. The idea that they had used up all their appeals was completely false and made up. To combat the first and last accusations, it was brought forward that Adel had actually worked two jobs while he lived in Canada. In addition, in his application for his family's return to Canada, there was a letter from his employer at an optical lab that guaranteed him a job upon his return. 

 

Just the fact that the Canadian courts did not even mention the way Adel Benhmuda was treated in Libya, his imprisonment and torture, is ridiculous and embarrassing. 

Also, it is not as if just anyone asked Canada to reconsider the Benhmuda case. It was the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and they had good reason to suggest that the Benhmuda family try to resettle in Canada. Malta is not some paradise that everyone can feel warm and welcome in. In fact, it is brimming with refugees from Africa. It has no system to help refugees settle in, and there are major problems caused by racism. It is not and environment suitable to raise four sons in.

Due to the fact that I had never learned much about Malta, and I was not aware that it was a popular destination for refugees, I decided to look into it a little more.

In a journal called “Small Frontier Island: Malta and the Challenge of Irregular Immigration,” the integration policy of Malta is outlined. Most of what Malta has for a policy for immigrants is that they are often detained in order to separate them from the general population to protect them. The only policy Malta has in place to help integrate immigrants and refugees are some rudimentary English courses. Malta is also known for being very unreceptive towards newcomers, and the immigrants are not participating well in Maltese society (Lutterbeck, 137-140).

Also, as irregular immigration has grown in Malta, so too have anti-immigration movements. Recently, there has been quite a rise in violence against immigrants. Even more than direct acts against immigrants themselves are crimes against organization designed to help these newcomers, like the Jesuit Refugee Service in Malta (Lutterbeck, 140-142). 

These facts make me very sad, and almost embarrassed of the way that Canada has treated this family. I understand that this is only one article on the matter, and that I need some further education, but still. This neo-liberal or neo-conserrvative approach seems to imply that the social welfare system is unnecessary. Clearly, this family really needed help from the government to give them refugee status and opportunities, not just welfare.I hope that Canada takes a closer look at each one of these cases, not just as another number to deport to make some other country's problem, but as individual people that matter. Individual people with their own pasts, stories and skills. Perhaps then Canada can boast of our diversity and welcoming nature we claim to have now. 

- Selina

References

Lutterbeck, D. (2009). Small Frontier Island: Malta and the Challenge of Irregular Immigration. (pp. 137-142). Mediterranean Quarterly. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://mq.dukejournals.org/content/20/1/119.full.pdf+html

Map of Malta. (n.d.). Lonely Planet Travel Guides and Travel Information. Retrieved November 1, 2012, from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe/malta/

Contenta, S. (2012, October 22). ‘Biased’ immigration officials kept Libyan torture victim from returning to Canada - thestar.com. thestar.com. Retrieved October 25, 2012