A 'Values' Test

It’s a new year and methinks that it’ll be an amazing year for writers with political emotions.  

Unfortunately, for me, I really do wish there was something, other than politics, that was sufficiently interesting to write about, but is there ?

There is the liberal indoctrination of youth education (Nothing new there, it could be said);  International sport and drugs, of which I am quite ignorant;  Electric automobiles (This may absorb one paragraph);  Sustainable food supplies, requiring much research (For later);  etc.  This leaves me with Politics, Religion, or the misunderstood Global Warming.

Therefore, I will choose Immigration which, of course, is political (Smiley to be inserted).

I have just listened to a CBC radio programme about Quebec’s new immigration laws (rules) and discovered a few things that many people are ignorant about . This is a simple introductory Blog explaining those laws, such that you will be encouraged to discuss them with me (Fingers crossed).

Introducing a controversial "values" test that some potential immigrants will have to complete.

1. It is a questionnaire of 20 multiple-choice questions.

1. The Pass level is 75%.

1. An example question is:  In Quebec, women are equal to men —  True or false.

1. Or:  In Quebec the official language is;  English;  Spanish;  French;  English and French.

1. Every immigrant requiring a Quebec Selection Certificate for permission to apply for Permanent Residency will be required to pass the test.  This will usually be taken in their country of origin.

1. It may be available for taking on one’s home computer (Believe it or not).

1. This will ensure that applicants will understand Quebec’s values.

1. This test is related, also, to the controversial Bill-21.

I believe it ironic if, in this land of immigrants, people may be disinterested to engage into some, necessary, discussion.

Over to you, mes amies.

Politics 20 - Put Up, Shut Up, or Get Out

In today's copy of Maclean's magazine, Andrew MacDougall writes the following Opinion; “Bernier’s warning about ‘radical multiculturalism’ has outraged Canadians, including fellow Tories — and will test Scheer’s leadership of the post-Harper Conservative Party” .

In the same edition, Scott Gilmore writes; “In the long list of problems facing Canada, multiculturalism doesn’t even make the top hundred. Let’s give Bernier’s rant a pass.”

Mr. Bernier was, no doubt, referring to the PM’s statement, “Diversity is what makes Canada strong.” A statement that, on its own, may assume some merit but, which, hides a multitude of problems equal to those in Pandora’s box.

Suffice to say that I am enraged by their foolishness in the face of facts, only for political gain, especially when we are referring to a Conservative party.

It is said that, surely, Mr. Bernier would not have criticized the Ukrainians who farmed the Prairies, the Italians and Greeks in Montreal (not to mention the Irish) or the Chinese in Vancouver, but we seem to have a multiculturalism problem today, that is identified by mismanaged immigration. In my view, whether multiculturalism is a curse or not, we need managed immigration (not xenophobia) but we do not need anyone who believes that Sharia laws are inevitable. Thus, Islamophobia is not going away, because we are sensitive to the anger from our great-grandchildren who will curse our souls.

I hope that Mr. Bernier has the courage of his convictions.

Please comment

9,000 Views

It’s always exciting when the Pageviews Total has three zeros at the end of it, especially, I should point out, that my own page views are not computed.

This time, reflects a busy month.

Browsers:  Chrome 23%.  Firefox 18%.  Safari 7%.

Operating Systems:  Mac 53%.  Windows 22%.  Linux 16%.

Viewers:  1st Canada.  2nd U.S.  3rd Russia.  With interestingly lone viewers in Poland and China.

Titles:  Religion 8 - Religion or Cult.

         Immigration 4 - Assimilation.

         Aerospace 11 - Great News.

Of Note;  Percentage Formula has, finally, lost its popularity.

Immigration 4 - Assimilation

I’ve wanted to write this for some time.  Ever since I realized that my posts were becoming rants.

I’m a nice guy.  Really.  And I feel that I know something about fundamental Islam (I’ve lived and worked in Islamic countries).

Fortunately, I am an immigrant who became a citizen ... and I use the word ‘fortunately’, wisely.

It was easier for me to assimilate into Canadian culture, although I don’t usually like to get up on a Sunday morning and drive, half asleep, to a restaurant for ‘brunch’, eh.

But, now, I find myself frustrated by misunderstood Muslims who exacerbate the Islamic Problem.

This isn’t about hate.  Buddhism taught me that ... Christianity too.  It is about assimilation.

Let me conjure up a common scene for you:

A city center on a sunny weekend.  Any large city in Canada (This could also apply, for example, in the U.K. or the U.S.).

Imagine being able to stand in a prominent position overlooking the scene.

Now, scan the crowd and identify a French Canadian.  Possible?  No.

Ok, try to identify an Italian Canadian, a Korean Canadian, or a Mexican Canadian.  Impossible.  Right?

Now, try to identify a Muslim Canadian.  Oh, wow!  That’s easier than eating strawberry ice cream.

But it’s not about numbers.  It doesn’t matter if there are 25 or 25,000, they are identifiable, and it’s got nothing to do with religion.  The Qu’ran demands only that they should dress “modestly”.  Just like my mother, I suppose.

In my opinion, it’s about the Muslims misinterpreted belief that they are different.  That a world defined by Sharia law would be perfection.  Quiet, moderate, Muslims do not loudly decry the Islamic inspired atrocities because they are patiently ... waiting.

Actually, back in the city center, there are a few young Muslims who look like other Canadians but, unfortunately, they are too afraid to be identified by demanding that their imams teach assimilation and not contradistinction ... hopefully, in one of the two official languages.

Is it enough to just simply "hope"?

Immigration 2 - A New Country For Refugees

Today, I listened, on CBC Radio, to a discussion about the possibility of creating a new country solely for refugees, and thought that this would be perfect for my stated “intention to develop this blog to facilitate communication ... and discuss almost any subject ....”  For example;  Should we create a new country solely for refugees (Mentioned twice for affect)?

This week, according to French police, another man has been killed trying to enter the Channel Tunnel to get to England.  Hundreds of attempts to enter the UK, by this method, are made each day, say the tunnel operators.

Almost 2,000 people are believed to have died crossing the Mediterranean to reach Europe this year and, it is estimated that, there are 60 million displaced people throughout the world.

Now, a controversial plan has been developed, by a real estate developer, to solve, at least help to solve, the problem, by creating a “Refugee Nation” (A brand-new country for the world’s refugees).  Critics are concerned that it could become a type of prison camp ... are you?

Please comment here.

Politics 11 - Dual Citizenship

It’s the weekend and, again, I am left with reading the newspapers to justify my wide knowledge of world affairs.  Stretched wide and, thus, thin on substance.  But there are some subjects that inspire forceful discussion, and one of them is dual citizenship.  Therefore, I searched this Blog and, to my surprise, realized that I had not written on the subject before, apparently.

I have been traveling quite a lot recently and, each time, I think back many decades to my first international journey as a dual citizen (Montreal Mirabel to London Heathrow).  I departed Montreal Immigration with my new Canadian passport and, upon arrival in London, I was confronted by a short Green line for U.K. citizens, and a Red line stretching to the distant horizon for the rest of us.  Quickly, I took out my U.K. passport and, with a smug smile, joined the Green line.  Of course, when the officer studied my passport he asked, without looking up, “Where are you from, sir?”  Not noticing any sign of humanity in his eyes, I carefully answered, “Canada.”  “There’s no Canadian stamp,” he said, looking at me as if I was deliberately concealing something.  “No,” I replied triumphantly, “I decided to use the Green line.”  “That’s illegal,” he said, as he officiously stamped my quickly produced Canadian passport.  “Don’t do it again.”  (In other words, use only one passport for each round trip).

That’s when I discovered that dual citizenship does not provide equality, and I remembered this as I read about someone being wrongly imprisoned in Egypt today.  Human rights activists are pouring out of the woodwork to decry this case, but I must tell them that not all rights are equal.  In China, innocent, peaceful people are prosecuted for their religious beliefs (for example) and end up being forced to donate their organs for transplant.  That is an obvious and horrible example against human rights.  But if an Egyptian-Canadian travels to a country rife with danger, and uses his Egyptian passport, then, he becomes an Egyptian in that country and is, obviously, looking for trouble ... and Canadian Foreign Affairs can do little.  Equally, if a Syrian-Canadian travels to Syria as a self-declared freedom fighter (terrorist) the same danger applies ... and if he returns to Canada, he should be arrested, and jailed, for contravening the rules of immigration.

I do not want my country to become a hideout for religious extremists.  Do you?

Travel 9 - International Retirement

Recently, a close friend told me of her wish to retire to a country other than her own, with only one requirement;  the English language.  Now, that requirement needs a definition which, from my understanding, means any country where knowledge of the English language by the local population would be sufficient to permit reasonable communication.

A source of information ① provided one list of more than 90 countries using the language formally.  Of course, many of these countries use a form of English greatly modified by localization (other languages, dialect, and accent) that affect one’s ability to communicate.  In fact, there are only eight countries where English is the majority language, as a proportion of the native English population;  U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, Nigeria, Ireland, South Africa, and New Zealand.

Of those countries, the Canadian government ② cautions against any non-essential travel to Nigeria.  Thus, from the few remaining countries, a Chinese citizen faces a difficult immigration hurdle to jump over.

Therefore, I looked elsewhere, and discovered 'International Living' ③, that appears to offer a treasure trove of information.  Unfortunately, some of the information appears to be out of date or in conflict with other destination information found elsewhere.  Nevertheless, it is a useful initial source.  For example, they provided me with a list of “Top Ten Retirement Havens” comprising the following;  Ecuador, Mexico, Brazil, France, Panama, Nicaragua, Italy, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Belize.  Unfortunately, only three of these countries (France, Italy, and Uruguay) avoid the Canadian caution advisory against all forms of travel.  Therefore, to avoid strict European immigration rules, I concluded that Uruguay should be investigated.

Montevideo, Uruguay, has been named as the "second least expensive city in the world" ④ and, certainly, seems to show good value against the dollar.  It has a low poverty level, the second lowest level of corruption, and is the most developed and prosperous country in Latin America.  Between the years 2007 and 2009, Uruguay was the only country in the Americas that did not technically experience a recession.  Aesthetically, it is a very old-world European city, mainly as a result of the Spanish history, with minor British and Italian influences, and 85% of the population are of European origin.

Located within a temperate zone, Uruguay has a climate that is relatively mild and fairly constant nationwide.  Seasonal variations are pronounced, but extremes in temperature are rare.  Therefore, one may assume a closer investigation into our search for a haven is required.

To be continued, perhaps.

① wikipedia.com
② voyage.gc.ca
③ internationalliving.com
④ mercer.com

Politics 10 - Thin Edge of the Wedge

The U.K., the place of my birth but, now, a place that is almost unrecognizable in certain areas.  The County of Kent, where I grew up, known as The Garden of England, feels different, as if there is a pulsing undercurrent of unrest.  My loved Thomas Hardy County of Dorset, pictured on Christmas cards (Remember those?), breathes the fresh air with innocence of an uncertain future.  London, of course, has always been a multicultural city, since being established by the Romans, and where it was usually difficult to distinguish one culture from another but, now, there is an obvious ‘frontal attack’ by an increasingly dominant, and vociferous, Islamic community ... and the government appears to lack any authority for which to display the necessary control.

My Peaceful English Country House

Most English villages developed around small farming groups.  Produce marketing established the eventual village shop;  A religious need built a church;  eventually, a sense of community introduced the Public House (Pub).  Over the years, there were more shops, churches and, certainly, more pubs, as towns and cities were born (Please excuse the simplification).

Today, Christian churches are closing, and Islamic domes are constructed above their roofs.  Many shops are boarded up because of changing customer needs and, in their place, some are reopening with signs written solely in Islamic script (The Quebec language police would have a heyday with that).  The need for social community takes place in the mosque (although the ‘need’ for some Muslims is doubtful), and, thus, the once-popular pub has closed, and dereliction has taken over ... a probable breeding ground for extremists.

No, this is not Dhaka, Bangladesh, but London, U.K., 2013

A good friend of mine who made a more extensive tour of the U.K. recently, wrote to say that he was forced to double-check his air tickets because he felt sure that he had landed in Pakistan by mistake.  He wasn’t exaggerating. 

One is bound to ask, why do Muslims emigrate to a country that sells world-famous pork sausages, tasteful ale, and listens to glorious choirs singing in cathedrals every Sunday.?  If I had wished to become an Australian, I would have gone to Australia, but I admired the Canadian way of life and came to Canada.  Is this new wave of immigration the result of Muslims wishing to become British because they admire the British way of life?  It seems such an alarmingly sad question when they carry banners saying, “Kill the Queen” and “Sharia law for everyone”.

I think this to be a very important question for a country like Canada which believes, wrongly, in a policy of multiculturalism.  In 2012, 257,515 immigrants and 23,056 refugees came to Canada, and the Minister for Immigration states that these numbers are planned to continue in the future.  It may be too late for the U.K. (and France), but it could be a warning for us. 

The U.K. and Canada (and other similar countries) occasionally make changes to their respective list of “safe” countries, (Countries from which refugees are no longer accepted).  It occurs to me that refugees from these countries who have enjoyed the safety, and benefits from our welfare systems, could be deported back ... certainly, if they have not proven to be productive members of our society (I have written elsewhere about the huge number of criminal immigrants in our over-crowded goals).

I see it as the thin edge of the wedge, that requires a sensible strengthening of immigration and deportation laws.

As a Postscript, my attention is focussed on our indigenous communities.  They are Canadians too, yet we segregate them to wilderness reserves.  I am tempted to suggest that we set up reserves for refugees too, after all, Australia does it.  Remember, qualified immigrants come here after a long intensive scrutiny to integrate and become tax-paying, employed Canadians, whilst refugees come to simply escape politically and culturally unsafe countries.  I imagine that when the word travels globally that refugees in Canada no longer live in highly subsidized, high-rise apartments, etc. (usually, better than low-income Canadians) there would be an remarkable reduction in refugee numbers ... simply because some of them are not refugees, but ‘queue-jumpers’.

Now, we shall discover if controversy creates discussion, anonymously or otherwise.   

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