It's Monday....

I wanted my posts for the pre-Christmas and Christmas season to be absolutely positive.
Unfortunately, the world feels differently.

(sigh)

The federal government is devising a plan to fast-track immigrants with foreign credentials. Under this system, a foreign-trained worker will submit an application to see if his credentials will be accepted. Professions such as nurses, engineers and various medical staff are among those to whom this fast-track process would apply.

I have mixed feelings about this. Granted, there are shortages in some fields and there are well-trained workers pushed aside because they lack Canadian papers, there is also the problem of how well these workers are trained and if they can blend into the Canadian system. I know Commonwealth-educated, English-speaking citizens who have been denied the privileges granted to other Canadians because they didn't train in Canada. This was and is still a grave injustice and a great disservice to the Canadian populace who certainly could have benefited from their knowledge and experience. However, many countries thrive on standards many here would find unacceptable or unworkable. There is also the matter of Canadian-born and educated professionals who are unable to find work. Their experience should also be utilised before someone fresh of the plane.

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From Barbara Kay:

My attention has been drawn to the disturbing phenomenon of overt Jew hatred in high schools, especially those with high populations of students from countries where Jew hatred is officially sanctioned in the law of their countries of origin.

Mrs. Kay relates testimony from a hearing of the Canadian Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism. It's nothing short of disgusting and shocking. It's certainly a wake-up to unabated "multicultural exchange", where political correctness trumps decency.

From the article:

"Miriam" had taught in French language schools in the 1970s and 1980s in schools with large Lebanese Christian populations without incurring any anti-Semitism. In her current career she works amicably with Muslims. A child of Holocaust survivors, Miriam is demonstrably neither racist nor anti-Muslim.

In 2001 Miriam started teaching at a school largely populated by children of refugees, mainly from Djibouti and Eritrea, countries where there are no Jews but where hatred of Jews is deeply entrenched in the culture.

During the academic year of 2002-2003 Miriam started to encounter anti-Semitic taunts from students, such as "Does someone see a Jew here, someone smell a Jew? It stinks here." When she reported this and similar insults to the principal, the principal did not follow up. Indeed, the principal seemed more concerned about the students' sensibilities than hers.

The principal instructed teachers not to offend their Muslim students; they were not to look students in the eye, they were not to gesture with the forefinger to bid them approach and they were not to interfere with male students who were physically aggressive to male teachers.

During the invasion of Iraq, moments of silence were held in the classroom. Cultural presentations involved only Muslim culture and no Canadian content. Students were allowed to leave assembly during the playing of the national anthem.

The crisis of this story occurred when Miriam admonished a student for wearing a Walkman in class. The student screamed at her: "I don't have to listen to you; you are not a person, you are nothing, you do not exist as a person." When Miriam demanded he accompany her to the principal's office, the student followed her down the hall yelling, "Don't speak to me, don't look at me, you are not human, you are a Jew."

All I can say is: what the hell?!

Why is this tolerated? Why are these people making Canada a haven for this kind of disgusting behaviour?! How many immigrants come into this country, work hard, make friends, send their kids to school and live as good citizens? Why should this particular rabble destroy that hard work and good will?

These incidents are not isolated.

I know of a multicultural centre that was also a scene of xenophobic snobbery and it was tolerated by those who ran it. Illiterate girls from Eritrea didn't have to shake hands with Jews or other non-Muslims. They didn't have to be acquainted with Hannukah even though Canada- as a "multicultural mosaic"- is home to several cultures and religions. Nary a word from the centre's managers.

This is something we can stop now. It's hardly "racist" or xenophobic to expect- nay, demand- that newcomers respect the values and customs of their new home, the one that gives them welfare. We should not think twice about stamping anti-Semitism or any other exclusionary behaviour. Unless we're satisfied with emotionally backward masses refusing to honour Canadian customs or with treating certain members of our society like dirty socks or being bullied at every turn, we'd better do the talking and now.

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Now for nicer things, like Christmas cookies. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, cookies speak to the human condion, the condition that likes cookies.