Posted on 12/05/2003 7:50:58 AM PST by knighthawk
If Canadians needed further proof that their country has lost control of its borders, it was provided by Immigration Minister Denis Coderre's announcement of plans to permit illegal aliens to be granted work permits and apply for permanent resident status. Of course, the Minister was quick to point out that his amnesty was not a "general amnesty for all illegal immigrants." Presumably it will be a selective process with the mandatory "humanitarian component." The Minister also assured us that criminals and security risks would not be accepted. After all, said the Minister, "We must send a message that illegal activities will not be tolerated."
If the message is that illegal activities will not be tolerated then granting an amnesty to illegal migrants is not the way to deliver it. This is Orwellian doublespeak at its best.
Amnesties for illegal immigrants are in reality an admission on the part of the government that it has lost control of its borders and is incapable of managing its immigration program. Amnesties for illegal entrants only guarantee that thousands more illegal migrants will come to Canada anticipating another amnesty a few years down the road. If the illegal people who are here want to remain permanently then they should leave and apply like other immigrants. Why should queue jumpers be rewarded?
The decision of who can be admitted into a country and who is to be kept out is the very essence of a nation's sovereignty. But for a number of years now Canada has been unable to exercise its sovereign right to make these decisions. Our asylum system, which allows anyone from any country to apply for refugee status, has made a mockery of our immigration policy. Since the mid-'80s, more than half a million people have entered Canada claiming to be refugees. They are all allowed entry, they are permitted to work, they receive generous social welfare benefits. Only if they are found not to be genuine refugees are a few forced to leave.
At last count, the Auditor-General reported there were 36,000 outstanding arrest warrants for people in violation of immigration laws. Curiously Immigration Minister Coderre seems unconcerned about this. Anyone managing to get into Canada by whatever means is in little danger of being removed. No wonder Canada has become the country of choice for human traffickers. And now on top of this our government's priority in immigration matters is to declare an amnesty for illegal immigrants! There is something wrong with this picture.
Canada accepts, on a per capita basis, more immigrants than any other country in the world. We take twice the number of immigrants as a proportion of our population as does the United States and Australia. If, as Minister Coderre claims, there is a shortage of workers in the construction, textile and service industries then why doesn't he change the current selection criteria for immigrants so that more of these workers might be selected and come to Canada legally.
The quarter of a million immigrants who come to Canada each year are required to pass tough selection criteria. They must meet rigid medical, criminal and security standards. Many of them wait for years to finally receive their visas. Once here, they must often wait years for their close relatives to join them. The immigrants who come are grateful and proud that they have entered a country that follows the rule of law, is democratic and where people are treated equally. These are the people who are betrayed by an amnesty that rewards illegal behaviour and cheapens respect for the law.
Since the events of 9/11, border control and national security are at the top of the West's policy agenda. Serious concern has been expressed by our southern neighbour that Canada has not taken the terrorist threat seriously. Our government has refused to reform the wide-open and dysfunctional asylum system. We tolerate those who enter fraudulently. We detain very few of those who arrive without documents. We are unable to remove serious criminals. We have no tracking system for visitors or students, and no way of knowing who has left the country at the end of their stay. There is no priority given to control or enforcement activities and even serious war criminals remain at large. The immigration system is a mess. This is not the time for our government to be declaring an amnesty. It sends the wrong message at the wrong time.
James Bissett is a former Canadian ambassador and head of the Canadian Immigration Service from 1985-90.
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