A Letter to the Editor
So many letter writers have explained how this land is made up of
immigrants. May be we should turn to our history books and point
out to people why today's Canadian is not willing to accept the new
kind of immigrant any longer.
Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to
come to Canada, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long
line in Halifax and be documented. Some would even get down on
their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to
uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times.
They made learning English a primary rule in their new Canadian
households and some even changed their names to blend in with their
new home. They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their
children a new life and did everything in their power to help their
children assimilate into one culture.
Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labour
laws to protect them. All they had were the skills, craftsmanship and
desire they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity.
Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out.
Canadians fought along side men whose parents had come straight over
from Germany , Italy , France , Japan , Czechoslovakia , Russia , Sweden ,
Poland and so many other places. None of these first generation
Canadians ever gave any thought about what country their parents
had come from. They were Canadians fighting Hitler, Mussolini and
the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the Freedom as one people.
When we liberated France, no-one in those villages was looking for the
Ukrainian-Canadian or the German-Canadian or the Irish-Canadian.
The people of France saw only Canadians.
And we carried one flag that represented our country. Not one of
those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another
country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would
have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to
be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be a Canadian.
They stirred the melting pot into one red and white bowl.
And here we are in 2009 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the
same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing
with a different set of rules, one that includes a Canadian passport
and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry,
that's not what being a Canadian is all about. Canadians have been
very open-hearted and open-minded regarding immigrants, whether
they were fleeing poverty, dictatorship, persecution, or whatever else
makes us think of those aforementioned immigrants who truly did ADOPT
our country, and our flag and our morals and our customs. And left their
wars, hatred, and divisions behind. I believe that the immigrants who
landed in Canada in the early 1900s deserve better than that for the
toil, hard work and sacrifice those legally searching for a better life.
I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example
by those waving foreign country flags, fighting foreign battles on our
soil, making Canadians change to suit their religions and cultures, and
wanting to change our countries fabric by claiming discrimination when
we do not give in to their demands.
Its about time we get real and stand up for our forefathers rights, we
are CANADIAN Lest we forget it!!! I am a Native of this Country and
proud of it!
