Except for First Nations, we are a country made up of immigrants. That’s why it matters how we treat refugees. Whether we came to Canada as victims of war or seekers of a better life, we have a vested interest in whom the country does and doesn’t accept.
Toronto has seen waves of refugees. In the 1950s, it was Hungarians escaping Communism. In the ’70s, it was Ismaili Muslims fleeing Idi Amin’s Uganda. Then came the Boat People.
Each group has enriched the city. The opening of the extraordinary Ismaili Centre/Aga Khan Museum complex last year was a powerful reminder of how much these communities have contributed.
Little wonder, then, that some of the most effective responses to the federal government’s reluctance to deal with the refugee crisis come from municipal leaders, most notably Calgary’s mayor, Naheed Nenshi. His criticism of the thoroughly odious response by Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander resounded across the country.
The emotional and very human impulse to lend a helping hand is one on which some leaders could build a national immigration strategy …
Yet for a nation of immigrants, to save the world is to save ourselves.
By: Christopher Hume, Urban Issues and Architecture, Published on Tue Sep 08 2015 Christopher Hume can be reached at chume@thestar.ca
Read the complete article at The Toronto Star | Let’s not forget that in Canada we are all migrants: Hume
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