Simon Ducatel’s article on the Yellow Vests on page 7 in the Jan. 8 Round Up was generally fair and balanced, showing both sides of the arguments. Simon states that immigrants are known to bring economic value to Canada. This is true, for economic immigrants, but not true for refugees that are not privately sponsored.
Statistics Canada says that more than 90 per cent of refugees that are not privately sponsored are still collecting government assistance after seven years. Privately sponsored refugees do much, much better, and economic immigrants do very well.
Unfortunately, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has changed Canada's focus by tweeting that all immigrants are welcome — not true, Canada has criteria — and that Canada has open borders and is the world's first postnational state (also not true). Canada has been, in my opinion, flooded by illegal border crossers.
The United Nations (UN) compact forbids calling illegal border crossers, illegal border crossers, and encourages governments to make the term illegal. Once they approach a border agent, they become legal asylum seekers, but they still crossed the border illegally.
If Canada follows the compact, it will be illegal to call someone who illegally crossed the border an illegal border crosser. Making the truth illegal sounds just like the novels 1984 and Brave New World. Canada has held the number of economic immigrants constant and increased all other classes. Canada had what was probably the world's best immigration system and most Canadians got along.
Now that Trudeau has encouraged people to jump the queue, Canadians, who include recent immigrants, are upset that people who don’t meet the standards are getting into Canada while we restrict economic immigrants.
Trudeau’s actions have threatened to upset our peaceful, well-integrated system. In the past, polls showed that the majority of Canadians supported immigration. But Trudeau’s focus has changed that and now the polls show the opposite.
All the prime minister has to do to fix this is, first issue a speech to the UN saying he wasn’t accurate when he said Canada welcomes all immigrants, and that it is not the case. Then, he needs to declare the entire Canadian border an official entry point so refugees from a safe third country are not accepted. Finally, he needs to adjust his immigration figures to bring in more economic immigrants and fewer in the other classes.
Under Trudeau, the number of privately-sponsored refugees has been limited. This needs to be corrected.
Bob Wilson
Calgary
