Yes, a serious topic to start and perhaps too much so for a first post. It is a topic I acknowledge raises many questions and hard edged emotions. I have mostly kept my opinions to myself this week as I have heard so many harsh criticisms and judgments on the arrival of 490 souls on the MV Sun Sea. The majority of immigrants try to enter Canada legally and wait many frustrating years before their papers are processed - it is a process that separates lovers and families alike. I have seen the frustrations and efforts some of them face along the way and wish the process was easier for them. I do not claim to know everything about the process of immigration here in Canada, both legal and illegal ~ that is best left for political debate and academic research.
So maybe my heart is too soft and my brain too naive to live in this world I live in. I just think there are things we forget as we decry the criminals and human smugglers who abuse our immigration laws. People who take advantage of other people have no sympathy from me.... when lying cheating and breaking laws and hurting the most innocent is involved... I wish them only to be found, prosecuted and penalized. Hurting others, hurting the innocent, has no place in my life. It is not about these people I write.
It is not too many generations ago that Europeans escaped for a new life to North America on ships - how many without papers or wanting a new chance for their life? how many of those Europeans lied about their ages or stowed away boats or did what ever they could to gain passage be it indentured servant (like my great grandma Jean Sinclair from Scotland or great grandma Beattie from Wales). How many people in the world born today in Eurasia and India are never given birth papers or acknowledged as being legitimate people? How many people in desperate poverty and coming from tragic war circumstances no matter the side they are on are conned into believing they can escape to a better world if they come up with $45 thousand dollars or sell themselves to it. are there criminals aboard this boat that was escorted into our harbour this week. most certainly and I truly hope they are caught and prosecuted - truly I do.
The question I ask though, is how many others have been tricked, are illiterate, believe that they are coming to a better place legitimately, are scared and frightened and who's family have gone into unspeakable circumstances to buy their way onto this chance boat? how many of the people smuggled into the country end up in prostitution and near slavery to pay off the smugglers, the people who sold them this chance. the last two refugee boats Canada turned away ended up with people dying, one from being shot at their next attempted port and the others in a concentration camp during WWII.
I'm not saying these boats are right, I'm not saying that I don't think people should follow due process of trying to come to Canada. I just think people forget that the majority of the people on these boats are not the criminals. They have no idea of the furor, the illegality or the fact they are about to be tossed into prison. I don't know what's going to happen to them, or the boat or if more boats will come or what the government will do. I just think we forget that not so many years ago, it was us 'white' people escaping - sometimes doing whatever the con men, the human smugglers wanted to give ourselves and our future families a better life. Just because we're here now doesn't give us the right to deny other people the chance for a new life too. I hope the immigration laws are changed so people aren't forced to such desperate measures to be given a chance for a new life here like so many before us.
I can't tell you what to think or what opinion to have and I respect that you don't agree with me on this or many other issues I probably come across too soft on. there are two or more sides to ever story and I will be the first to acknowledge that - always. All I know and believe to the core of my soul is that every human deserves a chance to have their story told on it's own individual merit with the same compassion and dignity we would wish for ourselves, our families and our friends.
I have seen the world on my travels where poeple are so desperate for life or freedom or safety or food. Until the world throughout it's many continents and country's becomes a safe place where everyone has food and justice. I will willing except migrants from other parts of the world to canada. Until the day comes when we are not so full of food that we throw it out while children starve to death every day I will welcome migrants from all over. I hate that people are so worried that nearly 500 people show up at once on a boat when each day in canada dozens of people show up at airports on canadian soil and claim refugee status. If you take the 500 poeple and devide it by the 90 days it took for them to get here and look at the many hundreds of people who arrive at airports during that time. the scales don't look so heavily tipped. I wish that all human smugglers be caught and brought to justice but I hope more that they can be put out of buisness by the lives of people all over the world becoming better and so much less desperate. Love you sis
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