It is a waste of time to do opinion polls on what Canadian values might be. For, as sure as you are what those values might be, they will be different tomorrow. And it is the constant flow of immigrants over the years that has contributed, challenged, confirmed and questioned our values.
Growing up in Toronto after the Second World War, the city was a constantly changing and exciting place as the world came to be part of our future. We learned of our world first hand from those whose hearts were still tied to past loyalties. We cheerfully shared our new world with their children.
And the tensions between our friends and their old-world parents were sometimes hard to witness. It could often take more than one generation to become more welcoming of the openness of this Canadian scene.
But some of the changes these newcomers brought were welcomed by us supposedly stuffy Torontonians. Newcomers were puzzled at the Sunday closures with no sports and playgrounds for children. They helped us open Toronto from being a city of churches. They helped end much of the salacious censorship. This new openness ended bathhouse raids and welcomed Gay Pride.
And we discovered the foods of the world. We remember when George’s Restaurant at Dundas and Sherbourne introduced the mix of jazz and pizza to us Torontonians. Spadina and Dundas was the first choice for either pastrami on rye or new hot Szechwan dishes from China. Today you can hardly think of a food specialty from anywhere in the world you cannot get in the city.
At the same time, we always felt sorry for the Canadians in the rural and small town belts across Ontario. They were hardly bothered by the concerns of us city mice. They just never benefitted as much either. Nor did they realize the benefits far outweighed the concerns.
This is why a Conservative such as MP Kellie Leitch in Simcoe-Grey can fearlessly challenge newcomers to Canada on their acceptance of Canadian values. She can play on the bigotry in her rural electoral district because of ignorance of what immigrants bring to this country.
And when a foolish public opinion poll asks Canadians if newcomers should be screened for “anti-Canadian values” you would expect more than half of them to say ‘yes.’ They cannot figure out why we should encourage immigrants who do not want to come here.
You have to remember that Canada is a dream to refugees around the world. It offers opportunity and freedom. It is only after they arrive that they realize that there are trade-offs to those freedoms. It makes newcomers susceptible to manipulation by people who might not have their best interests at heart. It can cause ill will. It takes people of goodwill to resolve those issues.
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Copyright 2016 © Peter Lowry
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