LETTER

Immigration priorities too generous

 

I can no longer not say anything about what I have heard on the media about our new immigrants.  Are the funds coming out of a bottomless pot or is money growing on trees?

(I do not believe) most of the immigrants are as desperate or poor as they seem.  They are well dressed, have smart-phones and beautiful jewelry.  We see them in activities such as snowshoeing, skating, and enjoying Canadian weather.  Obviously they did not bring those items with them, since there is no snow in Syria.  I have been to their homeland.  

Who is paying for all this and how much does it cost for accommodation, specialty foods, and the clothing?  These refugees are not real ones.  They are economic refugees.  The real ones are still trying to cross the ocean to get away from the misery.

I speak from experience since I was one of them.  I am a proud Canadian.  In my case, with many others at that time (1956), my air fare was paid for by the Red Cross (which I have repaid long ago) and I arrived at Malton International Airport, taken to the train station in Toronto and placed on the train to Montreal. I came to Canada with only the clothes on my back!  The Red Cross gave me five dollars, and that was it!  I was 16 years old, all by myself. There was no language training, orientation, or clothes handouts.

Employment was arranged for me in a restaurant as a dishwasher, working 6 days a week for 8 dollars a week. I had to look for a better paying job so I could make ends meet.

I have some friends who immigrated to Canada in 1996.  They were real immigrants who had waited their turn to come to Canada.  There was not much given to them but language training.

Will all these people find jobs?  Families with 8 to 12 children will get a nice bonus ($7,000 each), which they did not get in their country!  It would be nice to get an assessment of these new arrivals in 2 or 3 years to see where they are at.

Keep in mind the other immigrants waiting for months or years to gain entry, in accordance with Canadian Immigration Policy.  They are paying their way. Will they be included in the statement by the Minister for Immigration that Canada will be taking 305,000 immigrants?

I would advise we not be so generous.  It is human nature to ask for more than you are contributing, and I think this is happening now with our new arrivals.

Jim Ihasz
Chelsea