Being Canadian

"Being solicitous of diversity risks generating silo-societies, tolerance emphasizes the negative leave-them-alone kind of virtue, and multiculturalism further works at maintaining and enhancing cultural differences."
"Public officials boast of having no concern about defining any ... set of expectations in terms of integration for newcomers on the grounds that one does not require explicitly from the native born. Making any additional demands from newcomers is automatically branded as intolerance, chauvinism or racism."

Gilles Paquet, Moderato Cantabile: Toward Principled Governance for Canada's Immigration Regime (professor emeritus, University of Ottawa)

Canada has a reputation, many in fact, but this one in particular is cited as being generous and imprudent, both. Generous in that Canada is the single-most immigration-friendly country in the world. Lack of prudence comes into the picture, with Canada's low expectation of potential immigrants becoming permanent residents, having to understand that in exchange for the privilege of finding their future in Canada, they must also reciprocate with obligations to Canada.

The first and foremost being obedience to Canadian laws. Followed by respect for others within this pluralist society with people from all across the Globe, with their various ethnic origins, cultural attributes, heritage and religions making it their home. Respect for minorities, and a recognition of equality among all Canada's people, irrespective of origin, of gender or ideology. The 'silos' mentioned above, referring to ghettos where people tend to cluster, keeping themselves apart from the assimilating effects of joining society.

During 2012, no fewer than 257,515 permanent residents came to Canada, a slight increase over 2011. An additional quarter-of-a-million temporary workers, 100,000 foreign students and about 20,000 refugee claimants also arrived in the country. The total number closer to three-quarters of a million people, with a like count meant to reach these North American shores year after year. What, then, happens to Canadian culture, values and mores?

Without a meaningful commitment to leave behind social mores that conflict with Canadian ones, and laws recognized in the country of origin that defy Canadian laws, the continual influx of strangers to Canada to join those who have flooded in year after year is destined to overtake in numbers the indigenous population and those who have been Canadian citizens for many decades who have adjusted to life in Canada.

Canadians don't like to impose conditions and expectations upon others. But it is culturally and politically imprudent not to introduce conditions and expectations unconditionally at the outset to ensure that those who aspire to permanently reside in Canada and become citizens also understand that they are expected to honour what is already here.

Ontario's minister of community and social services in 2008 publicly pointed out how disturbed she felt upon learning that Toronto hosts several hundred Muslim immigrants with polygamous marriages, receiving social welfare benefits for the multiple wives, clarifying them as nieces, aunts or cousins, to qualify, since polygamy, multiple marriages, is illegal in Canada. Those involved in this scheme seek out entitlements with no obligation to respecting Canadian law and customs.

The issue of Chinese women visiting the country while pregnant to overstay their visas until their child is born, to attain the valuable automatic citizenship is a bonus that will serve them well in later years when the child is able to sponsor family members for immigration to Canada.  Canada's vaunted multiculturalism program where immigrants are made to feel right at home, importing heritage, custom, along with homeland strife and bigotry makes for a dysfunctional mix.

The immigration system, although it has undergone latterly a number of changes to make it more attune to the needs of Canada, badly requires further reforms. For one thing, the number of immigrants expected to land in Canada should be hugely reduced. Experience shows that immigrants, despite all manner of government-funded programs structured toward adaptation and language, are  finding it difficult to acquire good quality jobs.

Fewer people brought into the country, rather than the flood that come in yearly would result in a more leisurely and productive integration into the workforce. With fewer applicants to vet, it will be more possible to detect those who do not present as capable of adjusting to Canadian lifestyles. Those who seek to claim a right to replicate the politics, social attitudes and moral values of their home country should be discouraged from arriving in Canada.

New poll results indicate that Canadians in general are favourable to a reduced number of immigrants, by 70% of responding adults. And among Canadians born outside of Canada that average in agreement of restricting immigrant numbers into the country stands at 58%; significant agreement. Government should be listening, discussing and planning accordingly.