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Totonto Star: Canada should put out the welcome mat
This link is huge. That may be why I could not put it in the Source box. EFLLet American war deserters apply for immigrant status By any normal measure, Jeremy Hinzman is no refugee. The 26-year-old American does not face persecution if he returns to the United States. He faces court martial and, probably, jail for deserting his regiment in late 2003 just before it was deployed to Iraq. But that is not quite the same thing. He is not likely to be prosecuted in the U.S. for his political or religious beliefs. He does not face torture. These are the criteria to qualify as a refugee under the United Nations convention that Canada follows. That having been said, there are good reasons why he should be allowed at least the chance to stay. The main one is that he would probably make a good citizen. Canada did well in the 1970s, when the last flood of war resisters - both draft dodgers and deserters - came across the border. Some went home eventually, but a good many - including House - stayed on. Most integrated themselves easily and loyally into their adopted country. Some became quite well-known, and well-respected, figures in Canadian society. Others pursued slightly more disreputable occupations in the media (no, I'm not one). These draft dodgers and deserters did not come as refugees. They did not have to. In those days, foreigners were able to apply for landed immigrant status once they were in Canada. Hinzman would have done the same but for one thing. Since 1976, foreigners wishing to immigrate to Canada have been required to apply from outside the country. So, here's an idea. Let's stop bending the very valuable category of U.N. convention refugee into pretzel shapes in order to accommodate people who realistically do not qualify. Let's create new categories instead for people like Hinzman. During the Cold War, for instance, Canada created a special category for immigrants from Communist countries. We called them defectors and they were almost always allowed in. So let's consider Hinzman and other U.S. deserters to be defectors from George W. Bush's America. Most Canadians don't agree with his war in Iraq and neither does the federal government. Why not follow through? Let's allow these defectors to apply for permanent resident status - not as refugees but as immigrants - after they've crossed the border. And then let's apply the same standards we would for any other immigrant: Do they have useful skills? Do they pass security checks? Are they free of criminal records? If these standards were applied to Hinzman and his wife, social worker Nga Nguyen, they would almost certainly be accepted. So, why don't we let them make their case as potential immigrants? We can only win. Let's fortify our borders and quit NAFTA. Let's see how long the Canadians last without being able to sell us car parts and the Mexicans without picking fruits and veggies. Let's face it, our neighbors are welfare queens. Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-26 |
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