Do we really want more refugees?

[OverseasConservative]

I keep hearing about how good Minister Kenny's Immigration/Refugee reforms are, but from what I can see, the reforms will result in an increase in the number of refugees we let into Canada.
Below is a letter I sent to some papers:

Less is More: A New Immigration Policy.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenny’s proposed refugee reform Bill (Bill C-11) is a prime example of how political correctness and ethnic vote jockeying can derail meaningful immigration reform. While the initial objective of Bill C-11 was to streamline the refugee process and crack down on fraudulent immigration consultants, Minister Kenny is now on record as stating that one of his main goals is to “increase the numbers of refugees we re-settle into Canada”. In fact, if the Minister has his way, Canada will import nearly 15,000 refugees annually, up from the present figure of 10,000. And though 15,000 is certainly a larger number than 10,000, the Liberal party is balking at supporting the Bill because they want – you guessed it, even more refugees!

The current and largely unquestioned dogma which has made Canada the largest recipient of immigrants and refugees, is anchored upon a naïve assumption that we live in a vast country in which everyone in the world is entitled to live in. Yet this is a false and unsustainable assumption.

The drive for mass-immigration has remained unquestioned for such a long time that the justification for it has become irrational and instinctual rather than based upon reason. Surely it is time to bring some sanity and common sense to our immigration system. The current and largely unquestioned dogma, which has made Canada the largest recipient of immigrants and refugees, must be looked at with a critical eye. We have to understand that more immigration does not mean better immigration. If we are to maintain our living standards and keep Canada, Canadian, we must embrace a quality over quantity approach to immigration policy. Canada can benefit from modest numbers of educated people who share our values and customs and are willing to embrace the Canadian way of life. Yet on the flip side, it is equally true that Canada gains nothing by the urban ethnic enclaves that are created as a result of mass-immigration and official multiculturalism.

Minister Kenney should be applauded for some of the measures he has taken, but his latest endeavor to garner opposition support for his Bill C-11, by dangling the irresistible carrot of more refugees and more immigrants, is a bribe that will end up costing Canadians. Canada already lets in proportionally more immigrants and refugees than any other country in the world. With so much of their political fortunes tied to ethnic voting blocks, it can be expected that the Liberal party would push for increased immigration and refugee numbers. The Conservative Party on the other hand, should know better than to emulate this crude form of tribal politics. Just like with taxes, debt levels and regulation, when it comes to immigration, less might actually be more.

[styky]

From what I have read what it will do is aid "genuine asylum seekers" and keep out “bogus claimants.” If it does increase the the numbers it's only because they are cutting the stumbling blocks on people who were to come here anyway but cut number of roadblocks in order to do so. Many of these people who are to come here wait in limbo for years.

[styky]

Here's the link to the thread where I've been following the bill http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/v ... p?t=129647

[fourhorses]

why don't we encourage and let more americans into the country ?

they speak the same language
can cook burgers and steaks as well as anyone
they love our beer

[PoliticallyIncorrect]

why don't we encourage and let more americans into the country ?

Do we really need more hippies and draft dodgers?

[Edward Kennedy]

why don't we encourage and let more americans into the country ?

they speak the same language
can cook burgers and steaks as well as anyone
they love our beer

...or real refugees form south afreaka and the former rhodesia who are in danger of being murdererd.

[styky]

why don't we encourage and let more americans into the country ?

they speak the same language
can cook burgers and steaks as well as anyone
they love our beer

...or real refugees form south afreaka and the former rhodesia who are in danger of being murdererd.

It's difficult for me to understand how up till now a women who lived in an abusive relationship in the UK or draft dodgers could actually get in the same line as a women with children who has just escaped from the horrors of Rwanda.

[OverseasConservative]

What I find most jarring about our refugee/immigration system is the lack of genuine debate. It is evident that politicians only look at the topic through the prism of "more".

It is virtually impossible to imagine that the words "less" and "immigration" would ever be uttered in the same sentence within the halls of Parliament.

[Hodgson]

15,000 refugees is fine by me. This accounts for about 5% of all immigrants to Canada.

Refugee acceptance is basically rescueing people's lives.

I think overall immigration should be lowered for the next few years for sure, but refugees need to be admitted.

I sometimes think how much better off Canada could've been if we accepted every single Jew that wanted to flee Germany.

By this time we'd probably have an extra 100 billion dollars added to our GDP.

[Edward Kennedy]

15,000 refugees is fine by me. This accounts for about 5% of all immigrants to Canada.

Refugee acceptance is basically rescueing people's lives.

I think overall immigration should be lowered for the next few years for sure, but refugees need to be admitted.

I sometimes think how much better off Canada could've been if we accepted every single Jew that wanted to flee Germany.

By this time we'd probably have an extra 100 billion dollars added to our GDP.

Your point is definably tenable, it si not the number that we bring in, it is who and what they are and in that appication quality is dependent on their country of origin for sure.

[bulldog905]

Regardless how one feels about 'refugees'(the majority of the current claimants are dubious), no immigration 'lawyer' or 'consultant' should benefir by their entry.

Once that law is passed, the problem will take care of itself.

[hoarydragon]

My family were refugees. True refugees become true Canadians.

[homeandnativeland]

My family were refugees. True refugees become true Canadians.

I remember a so called refugee telling me he applied to the US and stated he wanted to come to the US so he could get to Canada. The same subhuman sack of cockroache shyte also explained how Jesus was portrayed as white because Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. I would take a Muslim over this Atheist commie puke anyday. If they issued a fatwa against him, I would be overjoyed.

He also had much to say about how we should get rid of the Queen. I'd rather get rid of him.

[hoarydragon]

My family were refugees. True refugees become true Canadians.

I remember a so called refugee telling me he applied to the US and stated he wanted to come to the US so he could get to Canada. The same subhuman sack of cockroache shyte also explained how Jesus was portrayed as white because Mary was raped by a Roman soldier. I would take a Muslim over this Atheist commie puke anyday. If they issued a fatwa against him, I would be overjoyed.

He also had much to say about how we should get rid of the Queen. I'd rather get rid of him.

My family fled from the communists and their slaughter, not from some one who gave them a wet willy.

[styky]

John Carpay: Canada’s broken policies puts real refugees last

*

National Post May 16, 2011 – 7:34 AM ET | Last Updated: May 15, 2011 10:37 PM ET

By John Carpay

Once again, Canada’s broken refugee system has made the headlines, this time due to criticism of the RCMP investigation into the MV Ocean Lady, a freighter which arrived in British Columbia in 2009 carrying 76 illegal migrants. A year later, no criminal charges have been laid in connection with the human smuggling operation. The botched investigation only serves to highlight the more general problems plaguing Canada’s refugee system, and our country’s reputation as an easy target for bogus “refugees” and smugglers alike.

In the past 25 years, over 750,000 refugee claimants have entered Canada, with a backlog of over 50,000 claims now waiting to be heard. While the Immigration and Refugee Board eventually finds the majority of claims to be invalid, human smugglers and traffickers can still truthfully promise their victims guaranteed entry into our country, access to “free” food, clothing, shelter, medical care and legal representation, for at least several years while claimants exhaust all avenues of appeal.

Canadians want to ensure that no refugee is returned to a country where she or he will be tortured or murdered. At the same time, Canadians do not want to see our refugee claims process abused by those with false tales of persecution, or by economic migrants seeking to bypass Canadian immigration laws.

Our refugee system is fundamentally flawed in its inability to distinguish quickly between those who genuinely need protection from persecution and those who abuse our system by avoiding normal immigration rules. As a result, Canada’s current system undermines respect for the rule of law, encourages human smuggling and trafficking, costs taxpayers billions of dollars and reduces public support for assisting genuine refugees.

Unfortunately, whenever governments contemplate policy changes, Canada’s refugee lobby groups quickly denounce reforms as violating the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the United Nations Refugee Convention, or both. In particular, the refugee lobby always refers to the 1985 Supreme Court of Canada Singh decision, claiming that this ruling entitles every refugee claimant to a full oral hearing under the Charter. This narrow interpretation has created a seemingly permanent backlog of tens of thousands of refugee claims, as these oral hearings are costly in terms of both time and resources.

But these time-consuming oral hearings are not always necessary. The Singh ruling merely requires an adequate opportunity for a refugee claimant to put forward his or her case, and to know the case to be met; oral hearings are required only when the credibility of the claimant is going to determine whether or not the claim succeeds. Canada could therefore streamline its processing of refugee claims by dispensing with a full oral hearing where documents and other evidence make it clear that the claimant is — or is not — a bona fide refugee.

Canada should replicate the practices of European Union countries, which are also signatories to the Refugee Convention. EU countries do not accept refugee claims from designated “safe countries” that respect human rights. Refugee claimants providing no obvious or credible reasons for fearing persecution, or whose stories contain inconsistencies and contradictions, who arrive without documents or use false documents, or who do not co-operate with officials, see their claims quickly rejected as “manifestly unfounded.” Further, when a refugee appeals an unfavourable ruling, this does not suspend an order for that refugee’s removal.

There is nothing illegal about helping real refugees by creating a system that quickly and effectively identifies unfounded refugee claims, thereby freeing up limited resources to help those most in need of Canada’s help and protection. Neither the Charter nor the Refugee Convention requires Canada to provide a lengthy appeals process to every person claiming refugee status, nor is Canada obligated to house, clothe, feed and care for tens of thousands of refugee claimants for years while they exhaust all appeals. Nor do they prevent Canada from quickly deporting non-citizens whose refugee claims clearly lack merit.

Canada can choose to grant only temporary protection status to refugees, returning them to their country of origin when circumstances there have changed. The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in Singh and numerous other cases that only Canadians have a right to enter, move within and remain in Canada. This well-established legal principle empowers the federal government to detain non-citizens at the border or elsewhere, and to process refugee claims off-shore, in order to protect Canada’s sovereignty and borders.

The greatest beneficiaries of these reforms will be genuine refugees, whose claims can be processed expediently in the absence of backlogs caused by so many unfounded claims and the lengthy appeals of those unfounded claims. The time has come for Canada to create a compassionate and humanitarian system for processing refugee claims — one which helps genuine refugees, not imposters.

National Post

Calgary lawyer John Carpay authored the report Helping Refugees While Protecting Canadian Sovereignty, published May 13 by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, Fcpp.org.
http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/201 ... gees-last/