I’ve been thinking a lot about how one adapts to and accepts the worldview of others. CBU is trying it, with Indigenization. But Canada as a whole is also making the attempt, and what an attempt; the governemt is accepting 25,000 Syrian refugees by the spring of 2016. This is, of course, a decision that is not without its detractors. And truthfully, I’m not going to harp about the hypocrisy of those of European descent complaining about the arrival of newcomers on their ancestral lands; it’s all over the news, the internet, and being distributed through “Feed-us-first” posts and Islamophobic Facebook images (usually misspelled), and through often hilarious rebuttals through snarky memes.
While I was thinking about this question, this article came out:
The traditional reputation of Canada has been a welcoming, humanitarian one; we open our arms to newcomers, and we are the first to volunteer our peacekeeping and relief effort when there’s trouble abroad. So much so that regulatory changes under the previous government, the Conservatives under Harper, were met with cries that Canada had “lost its way”, abandoning its reputation in the international community.
The zeitgeist has changed with an open-armed policy from the Liberal government. A political cartoon declared “Canada is back!” And that this gesture, bringing Syrians (and Lebanese) from their bombed-out cities to safe, beautiful, secular Canada is a gift that must no longer be withheld.
But are we quite so sure that the gift of Canada is such a gift at all? We can handle the expense, and scores of Canadians have already shown a willingness to accept them into their homes, befitting this grand Canadian reputation for compassion.
But are we certain we can provide them safety?
We are about to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees to a country where sexual violence against women is still alarmingly prevalent.. Have we imparted to these refugees what happened the last time Canada has tens of thousands of wards of the state? Do they know that over half of all women sexually abused in Canada are aboriginal, despite the much smaller percentage of the overall population they constitute, and that the vast majority of these assaults goes unreported to the police?
Sure, Trudeau is the very same PM that has pledged to solve the “Missing and Murdered Women” crisis… But in being so unequivocal, isn’t he just acknowledging how dangerous Canada is, while at the same time taking advantage of the climate? And let’s not forget that this is the same govenrment that at one time was suggesting that Syrian women come without any single men; this would mean that a big brother, an uncle, even a beloved son would no longer be there by their side.
Canadians are excited to introduce the refugees to Canadian values and a Canadian way of life. But are we certain that Canada’s values with respect to sexual violence – clearly evident from the statistics contained here – are up to the standards of Syrian values?
Two-Eyed Seeing for Health 