More Related Content
What's hot (20)
Similar to Sept. 5 Comment front (13)
Sept. 5 Comment front
- 1. E1C M Y K ESaturday,September 5,2015 Findingroom, makingroom Acaravan of gypsies surprised me once, when I was biking through Eastern Europe. Their horse-drawn carriages, with gigantic wooden wheels, passed me on a country road some- where in Yugoslavia. The gypsies, whom Europeans call the Roma, towed three brown bears in straw-laden trailers, Because it was swelteringly hot, the three bears looked forlorn and definitely not in the mood for dancing. Dancing bears and persecuted lions cant claim refugee status. But after years of Roma coming to Canada to seek asylum, the Conservative govern- ment changed the rules to drastically cut down and then to increase the number of Roma refugee claimants from Hungary. Simply being a Roma from Hungary was insufficient proof of persecution, ruled refugee judges, and in 2009-10 only one to two percent of refugee claimants from Hungary were accepted. According to researchers from Western University and Osgoode Hall Law School who reviewed Immigration and Refugee Board decisions between 2008 and 2012, only 18 percent, or 660, of their claims were granted, compared with 47 per cent (54,290) from all countries. But new data from the Immigration and Refugee Board show the accep- tance rate of Roma claims has greatly increased under Immigration Minister Christopher Alexander, who succeeded Jason Kenney. It shot to 68 per cent in the first half of 2015. One factor contributing to the increase is the growing evidence of racially-motivated persecution of ethnic Roma in Europe. They are often discriminated against and suffer from oppression, including less state and police protection. Many Europeans treat the Roma with hostility, due in part to their ill reputation for nomadism, bohe- mianism and thievery. An official refugee is someone who is outside his or her country of nationality and has a well-founded fear of persecu- tion in that country based on one or more of five grounds: race, religion, nationality, political opinion or mem- bership in a particular social group. Most desperate people crossing bor- ders illegally do not fit the legal defini- tion. They may be victims of immense hardship. They may suffer persecution or death. But if they have not been singled out on one of the five grounds if for example, they have not been persecuted because they are of a certain ethnic origin or religion they are not refugees under Canadian law. If the Canadian government were to decide to accept even more legal refugees from Europe, including more desperate Syrians, displaced Libyans and persecuted Roma, they could not be told where to settle in Canada. Among other things, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms pre- vents our government from dictating that refugees must move outside the Golden Triangle (Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa) to more isolated places like Goose Bay, N.L., or Flin Flon, Man. We can imagine Canadas future could include caravans of gypsies trav- elling along the highways each summer, competing with retired folk similarly travelling in convoys of recreational vehicles. But all refugees are allowed to choose where (and whether) they will settle down. Most will choose larger cities, but municipal, provincial and federal governments should put in place more incentives to encourage them to move to smaller cities and the rural areas. Canadasficklerefugeepracticesareoutofstepwiththeneedsoftheworld andofourowncountry Belinda Beaton Special to Postmedia Network As Stephen Harper stood on the steps of Rideau Hall and said that elections are not popularity contests, he must have found consolation in the fact David Camerons Tories had an approval rating of 31 per cent when the British campaign started. In spite of their comparative unpopu- larity, Camerons Tories pipped the others parties to the post, albeit by a slim majority. Their record on steering the economy was a crucial determi- nant. Now, after its first hundred days governing, the party has every reason to be sanguine. The Liberal Democrats emerged crippled with eight seats and swiftly elected a rather lackluster leader. They no longer factor in Tory calculations. Now the prolonged spectacle of Labour in meltdown is warming Conservative hearts. Ed Miliband may have successfully deprived his eminently more qualified brother of the leadership, but in doing so he weakened the party. Few of the Blairite stalwarts would work with him. Given the hemorrhage in talent, the candidates who have come forth to replace him are uninspiring. But the run down to this Thursdays leadership election has proved to be anything but boring. In what is now seen as the ultimate howler, a group of MPs nominated Jeremy Corbyn, an exceedingly left- leaning backbencher who has never held a cabinet post. They hoped his participation and lack of evasion would reinvigorate the debate. And blimey, it has done just that. Corbyn has none of the pragmatism that informed New Labour, making it a viable alternative for many middle class voters. He is an open Eurosceptic, who bashes banks, wants nuclear disarmament, wealth distribu- tion, and the renationalization of the rail companies and other industries. And thats just for starters. Corbyns earnest social justice has struck a chord with unions, voters who fear more austerity, and youths who have no recollection of the industrial disruption of the 1970s. As all it takes is 贈3 to register as a party voter, some Tories who hope to keep Labour in per- manent oblivion have signed on to vote for him. The Labour machine is at a loss as to how to vet applicants in order to stop this. Interventions by Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and other Labour luminaries warning that Corbyns policies are not credible and that his leadership would destroy Labour as a viable electoral alternative have been to no avail. He is leading by 53 per cent and is poised to win on the first ballot. Some upset Labour MPs have demanded that the election be cancelled or postponed. At Whitehall, alarmed officials fear Corbyns controversial views on foreign policy and his past sympathies with leftist dictators. They are reviewing protocols that allow the leader of the opposition access to national security information. Corbyns unexpected popularity aside, Labour was also dealt a serious blow by George Osborne last May. His budget raised the minimum wage to 贈9 an hour by 2020. This had been a key Labour policy. The Tories may feel they have a ticket to ride. Rather than reforming the House of Lords, Cameron has recently created 45 more peers, bringing the chamber to a record level of 866 mem- bers. These alone will cost an annual 贈1.2 million pounds, contributing to the 贈94 million pounds the Lords currently demands each year. November will see substantial cuts to public benefits. In 2013, Parliament voted against military action in Syria, but Cameron is chomping at the bit to extend British participation in the campaign. What happened to Blair with Iraq does not seem to matter. Cameron has made it clear that he does not intend to lead the Tories in another election, so his personal popu- larity is not an issue. And should Corbyn last four years at Labours helm, the next Tory leader may not be concerned with his own public appeal either. Belinda Beaton is a Canadian living in Oxford, UK.This column first appeared in the Ottawa Citizen. Theyve laboured and brought forth ...Corbyn Yves Herman/ReutersMigrants seeking asylum status queue outside the foreign office in Brussels, Belgium, this week. see simpson | Page E5 erika simpson Justin Tallis/AFP Photo British Labour Party leadership candidate Jeremy Corbyn addresses a rally in Chelmsford, England, earlier this week. 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100