Why are we surprised that (some of the) evacuees from Lebanon are upset with our government? After all, the ships weren't air conditioned. Some people had to sleep on deck. The food was substandard. There were delays. It was, all in all, a horrible experience for many.
(I'm sure being bombed would have been preferable...)
Even though some of these Lebanese-"Canadian"s haven't darkened our shores for decades, they've learned well from a distance just what it means to be Canadian. In one word: entitlement.
It's all about the rights, isn't it? Apparantly somewhere in our Constitution it says the government is duty-bound to save our asses free of charge should we blunder into a war zone. Or should we decide to go live in a war zone, you know, just for the hell of it.
I'm actually happy that these evacuees are speaking up. A debate on what it means to be Canadian is long overdue in this country.
This Lebanese situation is far from the only abuse of Canadian citizenship. According to numerous sources, there is a real and growing problem with people "falling in love", wooing, and marrying Canadians for the sole purpose of getting to Canada. Once they're here, they leave their loves in the lurch--emotionally devastated and financially drained (not to mention the jilted partner's on the hook for any social assistance the cad gets).
Then there are the refugees, many from countries known to harbour terrorists, who show up at Pearson with no papers of any kind, claiming they'll be killed if they go back home. They're actually allowed to stay in Canada until their cases are heard...and that can be a long time coming. The longer they stay, the harder it is to evict them--assuming we can even find them.
Ontario was actually this close to allowing Sharia law. Had that actually happened, I would have seriously considered immigrating myself.
With all this going on, is it any wonder that so many Canadians are two-faced when it comes to immigration? In public, we claim tolerance and diversity are foundational values, but we rail against the second-generation Canadians who haven't bothered to learn English yet, the groups of immigrants who shun contact with native-born Canadians wherever possible, the dual citizens who are mightily upset at the audacity of our government not to simply teleport them out of Lebanon.
We're barking up the wrong tree, people. No sense taking all this out on the immigrants. First of all, most of them are in Canada legitimately, contributing more to the Canadian dream than many who were born and bred here. Concerning the opportunists who are out to scam us--hell, can you blame them? Our government's been playing patsy for years.
Consider: merely setting foot in Canada bestows rights most of the world can only dream of...chief among them free health care. As noted above, once you've been granted Canadian citizenship--which is as simple as marrying a Canadian--you're in like Flynn: your spouse is even responsible for your welfare payments. There are no obligations: you don't need to learn English (although, should you foolishly choose to make your residence in Quebec, French will be all but forced on you). We've made it possible, even somewhat easy, to live your life ignorant of the wider world around you. (Check out Markham, Ontario or Richmond, British Columbia...if you didn't know better, you'd swear you were in China.)
Some people will undoubtedly call me a bigot for voicing this opinion. That is, of course, their prerogative. My short response is an invitation to immigrate to any other country on Earth. See how long you can get by without learning the local language, following the local customs, worshipping the local god...
A country that stands for everything, stands for nothing. Think on that.
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