However, an anonymous reader suggested the following:
What is a big issue that needs to be looked at? Well, frankly, I still think that immigration needs a big overhaul. I hope that the Lebanese/Canadians-rescue-return to Lebanon issue isn't forgotten. It's that old dual citizenship thing that needs to be looked at, so that we don't get "used" again by people who play a race/refugee card when they need it, and then their Canadian card when they need that.
Lorne Gunter must have been listening. In today's National Post column, Commit to Canada if you expect it to commit to you, he vents about "Canadians of convenience" who hold dual-citizenship but reside outside of the country. He wants even more stringent commitment than what Citizenship and Immigration Minister Monte Solberg is proposing with a passport increase to $500 for non-resident Canadians:
Citizenship is not just about privileges, it is about obligations, too. And if you are not prepared to make at least a semi- permanent commitment to Canada, I don't see where this country has any responsibility to stand by you, even if you've slipped the foreign affairs department a little something extra once in a while.
There is an undercurrent of resentment here. While I don't think it's our first priority, this issue definitely needs to be addressed in the not-too-distant future.
25 comments:
I am with you Joanne - It will be up to those of us who see inaccuracies in reporting to challenge these inaccuracies by writing, e-mailing, blogging or whatever means necessary to make the "biggest bang for the buck" so to speak. Complaining in numbers does work (Christina Lawand). I believe that the media will become even more blantant in their support for the Liberals as they sniff an election in the air.
Aside from following the tax laws and indeed all laws in general, what other obligations does one have to a nation-state? The answer is none.
Aside from following the tax laws and indeed all laws in general, what other obligations does one have to a nation-state?
Loyalty and integrity.
Loyalty and integrity? Should we strip the Bloc of their citizenship because they are so disloyal to Canada that they dream of it split in two? On that note what is it that we are being loyal to? Canadians are split on all issues and all values. There is no one thing that defines Canadians other than a land mass... and being loyal to property sounds silly. People like to say the constitution, but that is and remains to be one of the biggest compromises in history.
Interesting point, Paul. And thus is the legacy of multiculturalism vs. the melting pot concept. We have nothing left to define us because we are just a bunch of solitudes jealously guarding our respective turf.
Joanne - there it is, the root of the entire problem. My folks came from Holland some 50 years ago, and their focus was that we become Canadian, with no hyphen.
(I only found recently that he couldn't get into his trained line of work - bookkeeping - because he wasn't Canadian, which might have been partly behind their focus, but nevertheless).
I grew up in Quebec, not realizing the French kids were any different from the rest of us. They went to a different church but beyond that, ?
Then Trudeau came along and screwed up the whole notion of being (proud to be) just Canadian. and the Liberal party hasn't got off that train, first looking for his second coming, and second, lending credence to what his idiot son thinks.
Sad, sad state of affairs.
Sad, sad state of affairs. Indeed.
And now we almost lost Christmas in the bargain. The PC crowd would like to have all symbols wiped clean, so as not to offend - unless of course, you're a very vocal minority.
"And now we almost lost Christmas in the bargain. The PC crowd would like to have all symbols wiped clean, so as not to offend - unless of course, you're a very vocal minority."
Don't you think that horse would be glad to be sent to the glue factory by now?
Don't you think that horse would be glad to be sent to the glue factory by now?
And here you see an example of the tactics that got us to this point - crush dissent and ridicule! Make anyone daring to use their freedom of speech cower in the corner as they hurl words like "bigot" at them. It's worked for a long time. Some folks are waking up though.
Although there is light here and there.
My two sons attend LB Pearson High School in Burlington, ON; in the past month the presented a stage version of Footloose (which blew me away because it's a very Christian-based story), and then followed that up with school band and choirs presenting a "Christmas Cabaret". I couldn't believe it.
and BTW, LBPearson HS is Public, not Seperate.
Thank you for another victim card!
Where can I trade them in? I'll soon have a full deck of them...
John, that's quite amazing. Were there any complaints?
L.S. - Cute.
LS -- Where can I trade them in? I'll soon have a full deck of them...
I think that if we pool them we've pretty much got a complete set.
As I said, ridicule and sarcasm are the weapons of choice.
I mainly ridicule the ridiculous, such as your statement "we almost lost Christmas".
The very calendar I am looking at on the wall numbers the years from the birth of Jesus. Even when there was concern our computers would stop working in 2000, did we ever consider scrapping the Christ based calendar? Nope.
Christmas is still a statutory holiday here and in many other countries.
Everywhere I go there are Christmas lights on homes, stores and public buildings.
Every store I entered had trees, plastic Santas, Christmas cards - some with baby Jesus themes, others with Santas, others with carolers, others with shepherds seeing a bright star.
Every sales clerk was cheerful, some in Santa hats, others with various sprigs of holly or stars.
Every one of them responded in kind when I wished them a Merry Christmas.
Almost lost Christmas? Give me a break!
Leave the faux indignation to the NDPers. At least they are humourous when we see them doing it.
Joanne - not at all.
I thought it was fitting that a school named for LBP shows the local LS's what the word "liberal" really means.
Victim cards
The right long ago got a full deck of victim cards played by the left. Don't you want some of them back?
I am disappointed. I did my straight man routine and nobody took the line.
Someone's got to say something about supporters of Party A or supporters of Party B playing (or not playing) with a full deck...
Aargh! Apparently blogger is not playing with a full deck, or I would have seen swift's comment...
lol! Yeah, blogger's been a pain today.
It was a good routine, L.S. even if Swift did pre-empt it a bit. Here.. I'll supply the finish. Ta-dum!
For every right there needs to be a responsibility. I don't think that anyone likes to be used, to be made a fool of, and that is what Canada is thought of in terms of countries who know that our immigration laws are really lax, and that you can get all kinds of benefits and rights when you land on this shore. Responsibility? You don't need to be responsible for your own financial well-being. The rest of Canadians (and I include immigrants who are loyal Canadians), pay through their noses by tax to foot the bill for free-loafers. Bring it close to home. Just imagine that your neighbor has come here and sits around, goes back home for visits, even though there was a claim of refugee status, while you get up early every day and work so that said person can do what they do. I speak from personal experience.
My grand-parents were immigrants (thank you God that they came to this land)....but, they never looked back. They helped build this country, paid their taxes, were loyal to this country, and passed that on to my parents and thus down to me.
I just think that Canada is known as a laughing-stock in terms of immigration around the world. It's as if we wanted to be "liked" rather than "respected."
Someone stated that we don't have an obligation to the nation we live in. I disagree, because I think it's a fundamental part of being a human being that we are loyal to something. And, if you aren't loyal to the country where you live, then what or who are you loyal to? It would like being part of a family, but not really part of a family....part of the work environment, but not really part of the work environment.
I think that it's easy to sit on the fence, (although it hurts like hell :-)...but, an adult needs to make a decision and work towards something.
I heard once..."If you don't stand for something, then you will fall for anything."
Does this make sense? Maybe not, and there might be loop-holes in my thinking, but one thing that I am sure of....it's that this issue really needs to be looked at. It's also a core issue of Canadians looking at their country, and getting it back. We're strong united, but divided we will fall.
Does this make sense? Maybe not, and there might be loop-holes in my thinking, but one thing that I am sure of....it's that this issue really needs to be looked at.
Anon, you make perfect sense to me.
It's not just the immigrants that are free loading, we've got plenty of the home grown variety.
It's not just the immigrants that are free loading, we've got plenty of the home grown variety.
Yep. That's for sure. And just to clarify, nobody is saying that "all" immigrants are free-loaders.
My particular beef is with the non-resident dual-citizenship problem. I don't even mind that we had to bail out the folks that were stranded in the Middle East in the summer. JUST PLEASE DON'T COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SERVICE!!!!!
Thank you. That was my rant for the day.
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