The report emerged out of an incident where a small town in rural Quebec set out a list of values that they expected citizens in the community to live by. The list was seen as an attack on Muslim immigrants.
Anyway.
One section of the report contrasts the Quebec immigrant situation with that of European societies, and why Quebec's problem is much less drastic.
Certain European countries are facing serious problems linked to the emergence of underprivileged urban zones, which are inhabited by under-qualified populations
and are the hub of tensions that are exacerbated by a keen sense of injustice and rejection. Mistrust and resentment obviate the potential benefit of social programs that are initially well designed but often poorly received by the communities for which they are intended. Gestures of discontent and revolt irritate the more privileged classes and undermine the majority's goodwill (it becomes hostile to the search for solutions). Against this backdrop, strong xenophobic right-wing movements flourish. The situation in Québec is much different, in at least four respects:
(a) Marginalization factors exist in Québec, but they are not of the same magnitude as in certain European countries. We do not observe in relations between immigrants and the host society a comparable level of tension and socioeconomic exclusion. Furthermore, we must do everything possible to avoid a downward spiral in this respect.
(b) Over 60% of the immigrants who arrive in Québec are selected in light of
their occupational and linguistic skills, with the result that they are generally better educated than the average member of the host society. This is a far cry from the situation of under-educated immigrant populations in certain German and Dutch cities or in certain French suburbs.
(c) A number of immigrants come from the middle class and thus share in many ways the lifestyle of numerous Quebecers.
(d) Immigrants in the European countries [as opposed to Quebec] are often the nationals of former colonies … To all of the other grounds for alienation must be added the painful recollection of colonization and exploitation.
I consider that last point to be pretty marginal in importance. To me, what this section of the report says is basically the point that I've been repeating on this blog for a year (not that I think the point is brilliant or original; I just think it's something we take for granted in Canada): it's not an easy task to get across the border into Canada. You either have to cross an ocean or cross America--a task made particularly difficult since 9/11.
This means we get a pretty big say in who our immigrants are, and we get to pick the educated, middle class sort. Europe doesn't enjoy this convenience.
There's a part of me that feels guilty about this, like we just get to pick out the cream of the crop for ourselves and leave the poor people where they are. But it's not like immigration to Canada is a human right; we have to be realistic about this. And it serves nobody's interest to create the kind of environment in, say, the suburbs of Paris, where impoverished Africans pack themselves like sardines into apartment buildings that should be condemned by all rights. And it's not like we do immigration well right now; the current backlog of immigrant applications to Canada is massive.
Still, it all somehow seems unfair.
(hat tip to Jon Kay)
No comments:
Post a Comment