Immigration
by Brian C. Stiller
Boatloads of people from foreign countries, arriving unannounced and uninvited on our western coasts, make for a nasty and messy business. Their very presence triggers conflicting feelings, views and analyses.
Most Canadians have been raised in a society in which lining up respectfully in queue waiting for a bus, ticket agent, or grocery check-out clerk is standard and expected. The very idea of someone jumping line or, even worse, trying to sneak past regulations violates our sense of fairness.
The latest episode of a boat load of 131 wet, thirsty and hungry people trying to avoid Immigration, who landed on the shores of the Queen Charlotte Islands in B.C., is the second such arrival of summer ’99. After 58 desperate days at sea, this group, which had slipped out of China’s Fujian province after paying exorbitant fees of up to $57,000 to smugglers, arrived with no papers, no one to meet them, and no apparent preparation for landing in Canada except that they were advised that if caught they should claim refugee status.
Of the earlier boat load this summer of 123 people, the government reports that 37 are being held, suspected of smuggling. The rest were set free to live in Canada, of course with the typical generous Canadian offerings of weekly welfare cheques, and health and social benefits. By now we can assume that many may have slipped into the United States.
As Christians we must first resist any racist impulse. Not only is it a sin – violating the very nature of Christ as creator and redeemer of all – but it sets up polarities that work at cross purposes to kingdom life and our witness of Jesus.
Second, Canada, subsequent to our aboriginal foreparents, is essentially a nation of immigrants. Grandpa Stiller – like millions from various countries and in various circumstances – set sail from Sweden, arriving in Winnipeg in 1892. This country has been enriched by its many immigrants who have come in various waves, often triggered by desperate conditions in their homelands.
We also need a reminder that we need a steady flow of immigrants. Our birth rate is so low that it will cause serious social crisis by 2025. The issue is this: Our commitment to support seniors in the form of pensions and benefits requires enough people to pay taxes to support the costs of providing these ongoing services. With the aging of the Baby Boomers, this is becoming a serious issue. In Germany abortion is seen as an ethical/moral issue, not the issue of taking life but of taking so many lives that their birth rate is plummeting. Without a continuing population, they argue, they will simply run out of money with which to finance their growing senior population.
In Canada – though we haven't awakened to that aspect of the abortion debate – social scientists are warning of the same scenario. Currently the federal government allows immigration of up to 250,000 per year. However, this number simply is not sufficient to meet our burgeoning social needs. Current discussion suggests pushing that figure up to a half million. We simply need – as it is argued – that many to keep our economic base intact.
With these realities in mind, how do I process this business?
The government is responsible to manage the country with moral orderliness, which in turn will ensure social stability. In short, good government – assuming justice, fairness and mercy – is the call of Ottawa. They are not mandated with the task of rescuing every person in need from the world. Yes, it is right to be generous with peoples in need. And that we do too little! However, the government has set guidelines to help refugees whose lives are in jeopardy. And I believe we can do more than we’re doing.
This summer’s boat “refugees” are of a different sort. They would probably make very good Canadians. But to ignore the underlying realities of this criminal escapade by supposing Canadian (some may say “Christian”) generosity is naïve and in the end unfair to those whose lives are at risk and who need a safe haven. It encourages the criminal enterprise and raises hopes among those wanting to emigrate that if they do an end run around our rules, in the end we'll blink and let them in.
Is it Christian to be tough? Yes, it is. There is a foolish assumption that because I, as a Christian, feel sorry for those who have been hoodwinked by the crime gangs of Asia, it would be unfair for Canadian Immigration to ship them home. As much as I might want to say, “Sure, since you’re here and because you already have been violated back home, we’ll let you in,” the government has a responsibility to affirm those principles that work to maintain integrity in our policies and with our values – that is, what we do and what we say we are.
My own sense of this ongoing dilemma is that we all should celebrate this blending of races in our country as a gift from God: Canada needs more people to come legitimately to this country; immigrants and refugees are good in many ways for Canada; Ottawa needs to be more proactive in opening our doors to bona fide refugees; Ottawa needs to clean up its floundering immigration operation – the horror stories of its mismanagement are an ongoing embarrassment; we need consistent enforcement of our national policies; and we need to help diffuse crime trading off of human misery.
Christian grace is all about helpfulness and goodness. At times goodness is suckered into going the extra mile. I'm all for that. But we don't operate alone in the world. We are called to be good people, supporting good government so that in the end our society can believe that what government does overcomes cynicism in its citizens and supports government initiatives in providing a secure haven for freedom and life.
Most Canadians have been raised in a society in which lining up respectfully in queue waiting for a bus, ticket agent, or grocery check-out clerk is standard and expected. The very idea of someone jumping line or, even worse, trying to sneak past regulations violates our sense of fairness.
The latest episode of a boat load of 131 wet, thirsty and hungry people trying to avoid Immigration, who landed on the shores of the Queen Charlotte Islands in B.C., is the second such arrival of summer ’99. After 58 desperate days at sea, this group, which had slipped out of China’s Fujian province after paying exorbitant fees of up to $57,000 to smugglers, arrived with no papers, no one to meet them, and no apparent preparation for landing in Canada except that they were advised that if caught they should claim refugee status.
Of the earlier boat load this summer of 123 people, the government reports that 37 are being held, suspected of smuggling. The rest were set free to live in Canada, of course with the typical generous Canadian offerings of weekly welfare cheques, and health and social benefits. By now we can assume that many may have slipped into the United States.
As Christians we must first resist any racist impulse. Not only is it a sin – violating the very nature of Christ as creator and redeemer of all – but it sets up polarities that work at cross purposes to kingdom life and our witness of Jesus.
Second, Canada, subsequent to our aboriginal foreparents, is essentially a nation of immigrants. Grandpa Stiller – like millions from various countries and in various circumstances – set sail from Sweden, arriving in Winnipeg in 1892. This country has been enriched by its many immigrants who have come in various waves, often triggered by desperate conditions in their homelands.
We also need a reminder that we need a steady flow of immigrants. Our birth rate is so low that it will cause serious social crisis by 2025. The issue is this: Our commitment to support seniors in the form of pensions and benefits requires enough people to pay taxes to support the costs of providing these ongoing services. With the aging of the Baby Boomers, this is becoming a serious issue. In Germany abortion is seen as an ethical/moral issue, not the issue of taking life but of taking so many lives that their birth rate is plummeting. Without a continuing population, they argue, they will simply run out of money with which to finance their growing senior population.
In Canada – though we haven't awakened to that aspect of the abortion debate – social scientists are warning of the same scenario. Currently the federal government allows immigration of up to 250,000 per year. However, this number simply is not sufficient to meet our burgeoning social needs. Current discussion suggests pushing that figure up to a half million. We simply need – as it is argued – that many to keep our economic base intact.
With these realities in mind, how do I process this business?
The government is responsible to manage the country with moral orderliness, which in turn will ensure social stability. In short, good government – assuming justice, fairness and mercy – is the call of Ottawa. They are not mandated with the task of rescuing every person in need from the world. Yes, it is right to be generous with peoples in need. And that we do too little! However, the government has set guidelines to help refugees whose lives are in jeopardy. And I believe we can do more than we’re doing.
This summer’s boat “refugees” are of a different sort. They would probably make very good Canadians. But to ignore the underlying realities of this criminal escapade by supposing Canadian (some may say “Christian”) generosity is naïve and in the end unfair to those whose lives are at risk and who need a safe haven. It encourages the criminal enterprise and raises hopes among those wanting to emigrate that if they do an end run around our rules, in the end we'll blink and let them in.
Is it Christian to be tough? Yes, it is. There is a foolish assumption that because I, as a Christian, feel sorry for those who have been hoodwinked by the crime gangs of Asia, it would be unfair for Canadian Immigration to ship them home. As much as I might want to say, “Sure, since you’re here and because you already have been violated back home, we’ll let you in,” the government has a responsibility to affirm those principles that work to maintain integrity in our policies and with our values – that is, what we do and what we say we are.
My own sense of this ongoing dilemma is that we all should celebrate this blending of races in our country as a gift from God: Canada needs more people to come legitimately to this country; immigrants and refugees are good in many ways for Canada; Ottawa needs to be more proactive in opening our doors to bona fide refugees; Ottawa needs to clean up its floundering immigration operation – the horror stories of its mismanagement are an ongoing embarrassment; we need consistent enforcement of our national policies; and we need to help diffuse crime trading off of human misery.
Christian grace is all about helpfulness and goodness. At times goodness is suckered into going the extra mile. I'm all for that. But we don't operate alone in the world. We are called to be good people, supporting good government so that in the end our society can believe that what government does overcomes cynicism in its citizens and supports government initiatives in providing a secure haven for freedom and life.