Immigration policy in Canada has often operated like an invite list to an exclusive club. Canada has its select guest list, and often those who are viewed as “unacceptable” are not allowed access into the country. We let those in who have money, and those who have an established family here, but for those who are on their own or for those with disabilities the wait in line is often a long one.
Often the immigration laws in Canada reflect prevailing attitudes of the time. In 1939 Canada refused entry of the M.S. St. Louis, a ship filled with Jewish refugees from Europe. The ship had previously attempted to dock in Cuba, and America before turning to Canada as its last hope for asylum. However, due to the prevailing anti-Semitism attitudes of the time hundreds of Jewish passengers had no where else to go except back to Europe. As a result, 254 of the 620 passengers died unnecessarily in the Holocaust, and the remaining endured 6 long years of war (M.S. St. Louis, 2010).
This isn’t the only instance where Canada has denied entry for those who clearly need it most. The Canadian Council for Refugees (2000) noted that in 1923 Canada enacted the “Chinese Immigration Act”, which essentially led to the prohibition of those with Chinese origin into the country, as well as charging a head tax on those immigrants who could least afford it.
And so, the exclusive guest list continues. Thousands have applied for access into Canada on refugee status, many from war torn countries like Afghanistan, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Somalia, Iraq, or the Democratic Republic of Congo. Often, many of these claimants suffer from physical disabilities, largely as a consequence of war. As Canada’s immigration policy stands now, Canada has the right to refuse entry into the country based on physical and mental disabilities of the applicants. The reasoning being, people with physical disabilities are believed to place an “excessive burden on the country's health-care system”, and thus deemed undesirable members of society. (Kondro, 2002, p.240)
But then what is the fate for these people in their home countries? Often the infrastructure of war torn nations is ill-equipped to deal with the demands of a physical disability. I understand that Canada is attempting to protect a drain from it’s social services by barring those with physical disabilities entry, but at the same time, can this country in good conscious allow these people to be condemned?
-Erin R.
Bibliography
Canadian Council for Refugees. (2000). Report on Systemic Racism and Discrimination
in Canadian Refugee and Immigration Policies. Canada: Canadian Council for
Refugees (CCR). Retrieved from http://www.ccrweb.ca/arreport.PDF
Kondro, Wayne. (2002). Canadian prohibition against immigrants with disabilities is
challenged. Lancet, 359, 240.
M.S. St. Louis. (2010). Retrieved November 27, 2010, from
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ReplyDeleteChinese immigrants who built the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia, and what did they receive for their work efforts. The government of Canada passed The Chinese Immigration Act, 1885 levying a "Head Tax" of $50 on any Chinese coming to Canada. They were seen as "undesirable members of society" then, over time we've realized that was wrong. I wish that the government would come to that same conclusion now in regards to immigrants with disabilities. Though, I won't argue that they won't benefit from our health care system, I believe that we as a country would benefit from the skill sets they have to offer. A person with a disability still contributes to the betterment of Canadian society and economy.
ReplyDeleteHolly L
In a Winnipeg Free Press article "Public Safety Minister's Refugee Parents Came to Canada Just Before Doors Shut" the author talks about how Mennonites seeking asylum in Canada had to pay $140 per each man, woman and child for transportation via CPR ships. This was between 1929 and 1930 and CPR transported 21,000 refugees. That's alot of money that the CPR made. 1.7 million. Canada has made alot of money off of refugees and immigrants.
ReplyDeleteRachel Ryan-Dorn
I think those people who are suffering from war are not deserve to suffer those events. Especially when you stated the example of a group of Jewish got denied to enter countries in North America then suffered from holocaust. I feel like we should help cilivians from those war-torn nations to get away from warfire in order to stop letting the history replays itself again. Your post got me debating between our benefits or helping others....good job Erin!
ReplyDeleteSarah Poon
Great post. As I have the immigrant and refugee blog, I to found this "Exclusive Guest list." Although, immigrants can get in even if they have no family here and no money, becuase with without all of these qualities the immigrant might posses working skills needed to fufill a need in the country. These are knowns as "guest workers" however, they do return home after the demand has been filled. Hope most of them have a little money now and can file to stay.
ReplyDelete- Samantha G
Good post! I am glad that you made it aware that people with disabilities do have a harder time immigrating. This immigration issue that many people with disabilities face is a really hard thing to deal with. It does seem like Canada has this exclusive guest list and the lower one is on it the chance of them coming to into Canada gets slimmer and slimmer. It is definitely harder for a person with a disability to enter Canada then it is for a person with out a disability.Good job! - Brittany L
ReplyDeleteGood Post-
ReplyDeleteI liked how you mentioned historical discrimination. I remember reading about the refusal to take in Jewish people prior to the outbreak of WW2. The one quote that stuck in my mind was from the Canadian Immigration Minister, who was asked at a conference "how many Jews would Canada be willing to take?" The Ministers shameful response was "None is too many!" It is a very valid point to link to the current discrimination against persons who are disabled, which has been Canada's longstanding criteria for "NO ADMISSION."
D.Hayward
Erin,
ReplyDeleteCountries are run by people and people make mistakes. This has been seen with the “Chinese Immigration Act” and the refusal of Jewish immigrants into Canada in the past, as you described. Regrettably, the refusal of people based on their ethnic backgrounds was a product of the times and we, as a country, now know it was the wrong decision. Even so there are still inequalities that need to be addressed in the immigration laws today. Canadian policies still reflect these immoral choices of historical discrimination; people with disabilities are currently being refused entry into Canada based on their condition which is not rational. Disabled people deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. People looking for asylum in Canada are queued like a phone system, unfortunately, against logic, you quiet often find “privileged” people surpass them, delaying their application for enter into our country. Considering the way disabled applicants are treated by our immigration policies, it is amazing they even pursue entry into Canada. I suppose they must feel that they have limited options given that their home country is often in a state of disarray. In order to move forward, Canada needs to recognize that disabled people deserve equality and should not be discriminated against because of their circumstances. Eventually Chinese and Jewish people were allowed into Canada through positive policy changes and have become productive thriving members of society. Hopefully, in the near future, people with disabilities will be accepted as well.
-Darcie B.