Imagine this: The entire population of the city of Stratford, Ont., goes missing and no one notices.
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That, according to the response to an order paper question filed by Fort McMurray-Cold Lake MP Laila Goodridge, is the equivalent of what’s happened on the immigration file. Almost 30,000 people slated for deportation have vanished and the Canada Border Services Agency has no clue where they all are.
According to a story by Postmedia reporter Bryan Passifiume, 21,325 are from Ontario. Another 6,109 are missing in Quebec, 1,390 in B.C. and 705 from Alberta.
This news could not come at a worse time. On the one hand, our politicians are busily reassuring President-elect Donald Trump that our borders are secure. On the other, statistics show the opposite. In stark contrast to Trump’s promise of mass deportations, Canada takes a sloppier approach. We expect visa holders and temporary residents to self-report and voluntarily leave once their time here is up.
It’s even more concerning now, after the fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Following the overthrow, most European countries, including the U.K., Germany and Italy, have paused their programs granting asylum to Syrians. Millions have fled Syria since the beginning of the civil war in 2011. Since 2015, 100,000 Syrian refugees have arrived in Canada.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Canada will continue its assessment program of refugees from Syria. He said this country doesn’t have the same number of claims that European countries face. Canada has 1,600 pending applications from Syria, while Germany has more than 47,000.
“We don’t face that flow in Canada. I don’t know what rank they occupy in terms of source countries for asylum seekers, but it’s pretty low,” Miller said.
All the same, if Europe closes its borders, asylum seekers will turn to this country. It’s also likely the new regime will free former ISIS fighters held in Syrian camps. Canada must ensure this country doesn’t become a haven for them.
Immigration to this country isn’t a right. It’s a privilege and a blessing we bestow on those who agree to live by our laws and respect this country for the freedom it bestows.