I am always skeptical when letters to the editor are signed by doctors as I interpret this as an attempt by the writer to obtain a certain credibility, based not on their arguments, but on their education.  Signing as a ‘doctor’ implies some sort of expertise in the field, and indeed, if said doctor was an expert, then the designation would be appropriate.  But when the ‘doctor’ has a PhD in Forestry, then there is no rationale in using the designation in a discussion about immigration.

Allow me to go through Mr. Horejsi’s letter and respond point by point.

‘Why then, I question, as do over half of Canadians polled, is Canada rushing frantically to burden our social system, our already stressed natural environment, our overloaded health care system, in a world in which overpopulation and overconsumption are internationally recognized threats to the earths life support systems, to relocate 25,000 refugees?’

What Mr. Horejsi is asking in this sentence, without all of the fear mongering, is ‘Why then ….. is Canada rushing …. to relocate 25,000 refugees?’  I suggest that the rationale of the government is the same as the rationale the St. Laurent government had when they welcomed 100,000 Hungarian refugees in 1956-57, and the same rationale that the Clark and Trudeau governments had when they welcomed 50,000 Vietnamese refugees in 1979-80, and the same rationale that the Mulroney, Campbell and Chretien governments had when they accepted 25,000 Bosnian refugees in 1992–95.  We are a country of immigrants and refugees and we are a country of humane, good spirited and welcoming people who do what we have to do when we see people in trouble through no fault of their own – we try to help

‘I understand some people feel guilt, and some the desire to provide humanitarian aid, but relocation has no redeeming values for Canada or Canadians ….’

The acceptance of refugees into Canada over the decades and centuries has been an absolute boon to Canada.  I grant that their impact on the economy initially may be negative, but once they become established and learn the language, history has shown that refugees not only fit in to Canadian society, but enhance Canadian society.  For example, did you notice that our new minister of the new department of Democratic Institutions in the Federal government is a refugee who fled Afghanistan and came to Canada as a child refugee?

‘or a world now engaged in a serious battle for resources and ecological survival; a battle contingent on limiting or reducing throughput of (impacts on) natural capital, resources like clean and potable water, food quantity and distribution, arable land, above poverty living space, equitable access to decent services and education, and an atmosphere (climate) that will not slowly cook us. ‘

Not to laugh out loud, but I have to chuckle when Mr. Horejsi relates the issue of accepting refugees into Canada to climate change.  As for the other issues, we have the water, the food, the land, and the living space to spare.

‘This refugee agenda will divert hundreds of millions of dollars from essential needs of Canadians!’
Does anyone really think that this cost, whatever it may be, will result in any negative impact on any of us personally?  Yes it will cost money, but it is the right and humane thing to do.  Will it cost me, personally, any money?  Will the government take money from my pocket to subsidize this venture?  I would be quite happy if our government took all of the bombs, fighter jets, and military personnel out of the Middle East and used that money to help civilians that have lost everything except their lives.  If there is money to be found for war, then there is easily money available for refugees.

‘Avoiding the severe impacts of these threats is going to take “massive economic and political shifts” away from “business as usual”. This refugee agenda falls pathetically flat on its face in that sense’.

Hyperbole usually results in more hyperbole.  Suddenly the refugees are threats to our economy and political system.  Please Mr. Horejsi, spare me.

‘Canada can, given our relative wealth, help slow, perhaps some day even stop, the exodus of humans from their homeland,’

Again I must disagree – Canada cannot stop the exodus of ‘humans from their homeland’ as a consequence of our wealth.  Maybe, just maybe, if Canada could once again assume its peace making role in the world, it might be able to help stop the war.  And then people could return to their homes. And if the Syrians and Iraqis who come to seek refuge in Canada choose to return to their homes, my hope is that they will return with a view of Canada and Canadians that is diametrically opposed to the view they hear from their leaders and their media today. And that can only benefit our future generations. I sincerely hope that when our Syrian family arrives in Oliver, they feel welcomed.  I am sure that all they want is to be safe, to have a roof over their head, and to be able to work and raise their kids without fearing a bomb will ruin their lives. 

And I hope that any naysayers will simply give them a chance, let them join our community, and not think of them as a burden.  As with other refugees in our town, they will soon enough become a positive and productive influence.

Dale Dodge