The Warpfish Chronicles

"27 years on the planet, and I still haven't figured out what's going on."

Why I Hate Canada Sometimes -- May 19th, 2001

We're hypocrites.

I don't understand why we're in such a hurry to deport people who come to this country. Granted, you have to do some sort of filtering -- you have to make sure they have some sort of job lined up, or, at the every least they're employable. It's hard to determine motives, but, that's the key thing -- do they want to build a new life here, or just hang on, taking advantage of the rest of us?

However, when we start deporting people who have jobs, have lives in our own self interest, then the concept of Canada turns sour. I've been following the Sklarzyk case recently -- this, if nothing else, is a case where the family should be allowed to stay. Granted, their timing is pretty bad, but, timing is hardly a jailable offense. However, with immigration minister Elinor Caplan's apparent vendetta against them (taking a page from Jean Chretien), she destroys the high horse that Canada attempts to take with human rights.

They're here, they're established here -- let them prove to us, to all Canadians, how good Canadians they can be.

My parents came here in 1970, trying to build a better life for their children. They came here for me, giving up everything they ever knew and had. That's a hell of a legacy to try and live up to, but, I like to think that I give back to Canada everything Canada gave to my family when they came here. Why shouldn't we give this opportunity to them? Or to Robert Charley?

Is Canada only for Canadians? If so, then we have a problem. Because if that's true, we should all leave, and let the Native Americans have back their homeland.

While we're mentioning things that require compassion and mercy to appreciate -- another wonderful case of the Harris Welfare system screwing somebody out of an education was reported in the Globe and Mail. Has it occured to anybody that, if the person got student loans and welfare at the same time, it's because welfare isn't enough to pay for tuition these days? *sigh* Workfare is a damned joke. Welfare is about giving people the time and opportunity to get back on their feet, to give them a chance to improve their lives -- NOT about having them justify it.

What unifies these two? Mercy and compassion. How odd that a country that supposedly is a champion of human rights -- a country that is steeped in the Christian tradition -- how odd that such a country seems to have so much trouble with those two simple things. How pathetic our society, when we publicly defend these two values, but, in private, all we worry about is our share of the tax cut and the surplus, and our health care. Me. Me. Me. The generation of Woodstock has proven that Woodstock and the 60's meant nothing -- that every thing said meant nothing.

So, as much as I love this country, sometimes, I hate Canada.

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