Towards a Rational and Humane Immigration Policy

As the white supremacist regime to the south of us embarks on a policy of ethnic cleansing we should look at our own immigration and citizenship policy.

I have written posts about immigration previously but this post. rather than dealing with specific programs, will deal with the broader philosophy of immigration starting with some basic facts and values.

Firstly, 95% of Canadian residents are either immigrants or descendants of immigrants so, unless they are indigenous, someone claiming that they have more right to be here because their people immigrated here before people that immigrated later is making a baseless argument.

Also claiming that one’s place of birth gives someone more rights to a decent life and human dignity than someone born elsewhere is just as baseless an argument.

As I have written before in On Immigration:

Immigration has traditionally been a matter of consensus within Canada with everyone agreeing the country needs immigrants and has a responsibility to refugees. Political differences have been minor and over implementation rather than broad policy.

Change has come with strategists in the current Conservative Party thinking that the road to power is emulating Trump and cultivating a hard core right wing base. Unfortunately for the Conservatives this path will never lead the party back to the glory days of the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Canada’s immigration policy needs to be shaped by Canadian values.

Canada actively promotes inclusion and respect for diversity at home and abroad. Diversity is a natural characteristic of every society. Canada recognizes diversity as a source of strength and works to champion inclusive attitudes and encourage the adoption of inclusive approaches that lead to the full and meaningful participation of all. (Source: GofC)

The Canadian Multiculturalism Act serves as a legislative framework for promoting diversity, equality and inclusion in Canada, recognizing multiculturalism as a defining characteristic of Canadian identity. (Source: GofC)

Canadians do not fear the other, 95% of us were the other.

There are two major reasons people want to immigrate to Canada.

The most urgent one is fleeing conflict zones where a normal life is impossible or fleeing persecution by the authorities or others because of who they are. This group is known as asylum seekers or refugees. Canada has both a moral and legal requirement under international treaties to accept refugees and asylum seekers.

The second group are those seeking a better life for themselves in Canada. This group is often referred to as economic migrants. This is the group that Canada seeks as refugees as they are needed to fill jobs existing residents are not educated or trained for or simply not interested in doing. They are are also needed to provide demographic balance and support. an aging population. Of course, refugees more often than not, also serve this purpose.

There is another group, family members abroad of those that have already immigrated here and wish to be reunited with their family members in Canada. We could refer to this group as family values immigrants.

All immigrants provide much more than an economic benefit, they help build our communities and contribute to the diversity and multiculturalism that makes up the fabric of Canadian society and the core our value system.

Morally there should be no borders that determine that people deserve a better life based on where they are born and people would be able to move freely globally to try and make a better life for themselves.

But realistically, to maintain the society we have we need to limit immigration to levels our society and infrastructure can accommodate at any particular time, and we need to protect ourselves from those that pose serious criminal and national security threats to the country.

However immigrating is not a crime, so those entering the country without proper documentation or without following proper procedures are not criminals but have committed administrative offences, so while they should face due process they should not be treated as criminals.

I would also argue that anyone who has entered without following proper procedures and has established themselves as contributing members of society should be deemed to have earned their right to be here and provided a path to citizenship like all other immigrants.

I would further add that minor criminal offences should not be an automatic reason to refuse admission or deport people but should be considered within the overall character of the individual and their contributions or potential contributions to Canadian society.

Also “terrorism” should not be used as an excuse to exclude people based on their expressed opinions rather than any actual threat to Canada.

As Canada has only one class of citizen we should also have only one class of immigrant. We currently treat people who come here to do permanent continuing work, such as harvesting crops, differently by calling it temporary employment simply because the work is seasonal, even though the jobs continue from year to year and often the same people do the same jobs from year to year,.

This creates a category of underpaid work with little or no benefits where employees are subject to exploitation and cannot organize to improve their conditions because they can be deported at any time at their employers discretion. It is time to end this practice of exploiting workers then casting them aside till the next year and grant these workers permanent residence status. If we need people to do these jobs they should be able to do them as Canadians.

The only exceptions should be truly temporary jobs, such as foreign workers temporarily working here to install foreign purchased equipment or to train Canadian workers to use the equipment, as well as foreign performers touring Canada.

And it goes without saying that all immigrants should have a path towards full citizenship.

Canada needs to return to being seen as a welcoming society.

Historical Mythology – WWII: The Anti-Fascist War

As we watch the direction the American Trump regime is taking today we are seeing a lot of commentary and memes referencing how the allies went to war against German facism in the Second World War.

While it is true that Hitler’s Nazi Regime was fascist, that is not why the allied countries went to war with Germany. If they opposed fascism they would have acted against the fascist regime in Spain rather than calling those of the anti-fascist International Brigades dangerous communists and worst. They would have opposed Germany when it went fascist.

As to opposing German antisemitism, there was enough antisemitism to go around including within the allies, some of whom sent away Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany during the war. Also it is likely that some, if not most, of the western support for the creation of the State of Israel was to avoid Jewish immigration. The war only became about saving the Jews during the war, particularly when the allies discovered that Germany’s concentration camps were not work camps but extermination camps. It should be noted that the United States and Canada had internment camps of their own for undesirable “foreigners” of the wrong race, that included Canadian and American citizens.

The Second World war was not about fascism but about German expansionism. If Hitler had stopped at The Sudetenland there likely would have not have been World War II.

But post-war, the mythology became useful as a way to portray the western countries as places where fascism or genocide would never be tolerated even as we watch the history currently unfolding before us today.

On Immigration

Canada welcomed the highest number of new immigrants in more than a century last year, opening its doors to 341,180 people from 175 different countries.

That annual total, which exceeded Ottawa’s target of 330,000, was topped only twice before — in 1913, when 401,000 new immigrants arrived in the country, and 1912, when 376,000 settled here. The vast majority back then came from Europe as a result of this country’s campaign for newcomers to settle in Western Canada. (Source: Canada welcomed the most new immigrants in a century last year | The Star)

Immigration has traditionally been a matter of consensus within Canada with everyone agreeing the country needs immigrants and has a responsibility to refugees. Political differences have been minor and over implementation rather than broad policy.

Change has come with strategists in the current Conservative Party thinking that the road to power is emulating Trump and cultivating a hard core right wing base. Unfortunately for the Conservatives this path will never lead the party back to the glory days of the former Progressive Conservative Party of Canada.

Canada's immigration policy has never been aimed at benefiting immigrants but at what Canada needs. The major immigration program, the skilled worker program, uses a point system to attract immigrants with the skills and qualities Canada needs to advance it's economy and build it's society.

Another program, the family reunification program, is not aimed at benefiting new immigrants but at people already living in Canada who want to be reunited with family members, often aging parents.

Perhaps the most controversial program, has been the entrepreneurship program, aimed at people who want to invest in Canada and potentially create jobs here. It has been criticized as a program that allows people to buy their way into Canada, offending some people's concept of fairness.

I do have concerns about one aspect of Canada's immigration policy, the temporary foreign workers program. This is not really an immigration program as it provides no path to permanent residency. If we need to bring people here to do jobs that there are not Canadians available, or willing to do, we should admit them as regular immigrants with a path to permanent residency and citizenship.

Obviously there are some circumstances where the employment truly is temporary such as performing artists on a Canadian tour or workers for foreign corporations on temporary assignments or contracts.

Refugees are a different situation where the policy is aimed at benefiting refugees while fulfilling our international obligations.

The right wing likes to use foreign horror stories, mostly exaggerated or simply made up, to criticize our immigration policy.

The fact is Canada is not Europe, or the United States, where “hordes” of refugees are streaming across the border fleeing war, persecution and turmoil. Refugees admitted to Canada come from foreign refugee camps where they are extensively vetted, including undergoing security checks, before being admitted to Canada.

And while the main purpose of the refugee program is not aimed at benefiting Canada, refugees have a long history of making extensive and important contributions to Canadian society.

There is a small group of refugees who do seek admission from within Canada – asylum seekers. In the past these have most famously been “defectors” from Communist countries, often athletes or performers, who defected while competing or performing in Canada.

More recently these have been refugees from the United States who are fearful of how they will be treated in America under the Trump regime. However these refugees are not sneaking across the border and fleeing into hiding in Canada as “illegal” immigrants but rather are presenting themselves to Canadian officials as soon as they enter Canada. They are seeking asylum in Canada rather than the United States because they believe they will be treated more fairly and humanely in Canada than the United States. They are only allowed to stay in Canada if they meet the strict requirements for asylum seekers.

So no matter how much fear mongering the right wing wishes to spout our immigration and refugee policy is firmly following a proud Canadian tradition.

For a more detailed look at Canada's immigration and refugee policies and programs see:

Immigrate to Canada - Canada.ca