I think that this certainly is true of the USA too.
A Letter to the Editor :
So many letter writers have explained how this land is made up of immigrants. Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people why today's Canadian is not willing to accept the new kind of immigrant any longer.
Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to Canada, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in Halifax and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new Canadian households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home. They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture.
Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labour laws to protect them. All they had were the skills, craftsmanship and desire they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. Canadians fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany, Italy, France, Japan, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Sweden, and so many other places. None of these first generation Canadians ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from.
They were Canadians fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the Freedom as one people. When we liberated France, no one in those villages was looking for the Ukrainian-Canadian or the German-Canadian or the Irish-Canadian. The people of France saw only Canadians.
And we carried one flag that represented our country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be a Canadian.
And here we are in 2006 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes a Canadian passport and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being a Canadian is all about. Canadians have been very open hearted and open minded regarding immigrants, whether they were fleeing poverty, dictatorship, persecution, or whatever else makes a person adopt a foreign country. And, I suppose when we say adopt, we think of those aforementioned immigrants who truly did ADOPT our country, and our flag and our morals and our customs. And left their wars, hatred, and divisions behind. I believe that the immigrants who landed in Canada in the early 1900s deserve better than that for the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags, fighting foreign battles on our soil, making Canadians change to suit their religions and cultures, and wanting to change our countries fabric by claiming discrimination when we do not give in to their demands.
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7 comments:
An excellent post, Biking2006! I don't think there would be too many people who would disagree with what you've written. Whatever happened to those old-time values we were brought up with? Congrats again! Jack a.k.a. bombog2004
Yes Bill, Interesting that our new Liberal Leader refuses to give up his alliance to France. It does not occur to him that the Tory's will use that against them in an election. Some leader. The thinking of many new immigrants is similar to the 'Francopone convoluted thinking' that drives people nuts. The Sikh who wants his teen son to carry a sharp knife in school and thanks to convoluted thinking won. Arar. - A man who flies back and forth to countries we are at war with. Is deported by the U. S. and holds Canada responsible. I'm sick of hearing about him. In Quebec we have cross walks where cars are not required to stop. There are so many cases where the police charged the witness or the complaintant and ignored the perpetrator of the crime. Ed
Thanks Jack. Where are the old time values?
"Arar. - A man who flies back and forth to countries we are at war with. Is deported by the U. S. and holds Canada responsible. I'm sick of hearing about him."
Ed who is this guy anyway and what is his problem? This story slipped by me somehow.
S.A.
Maher Arar, born in Syria in 1970. Came to Canada for an education in Computer Engineering. Returning from the mideast to New York customs officials claimed he was tied to Al Qheda and deported him to Syria where he was born even though he had a Canadian passport.. He returned a year later claiming he was tortured and the fault was Canada's for telling the U.S. they did not know him. Now he is sueing Canada saying the RCMP made a mistake on purpose. He ignores the fact that if he had got rid of the Syrian passport they would have sent him to Canada. He ignores that his name is one of the most common in Syria but still claims the RCMP could not have been mistaken. The worst part is this:- Arar and his family are seeking compensation from the federal government for his abrupt deportation and imprisonment in Syria. Judge Dennis O'Connor, who conducted the inquiry into the matter, recommended in his report dated Sept. 18, 2006 that Ottawa pay up. Ed
AND over which scandal the head of the RCMP Guliano Zaccardelli was forced to resign - a kid who arrived in Canada when he was 7 with his parents, grandmother older and younger brother and who lived in the West End and went to Belmont School and St. Thomas Aquinas Highschool - who delivered our groceries as did his older brother. His sister was born in Montreal.
Ed. How many types of crime can you think of. I bet we can think of so many of them, and not remember them all. But you know what ticks me off. The language police. What the hell is that. They don't have enough to do. Don't have enough money for health care and so many other things....Yet they have enough money for "LANGUAGE POLICE"....What a screwed up government.....
Dave vs. Carl: The Insignificant Championship Series. Who will win?
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