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Saturday evening I went to a Latino church for third of a series of
four talks entitled: Vigils of Denunciation. The first speaker was a
Marta, a Mexican who arrived in Canada a year ago. She was very
emotional. I struggled to understand while writing a translation for
someone at our table. Just the tone of my translation indicates some
of the feelings: I didn't know about the requirements. I didn't know
where I was going. I wanted my children to have a better future....
we walked and walked. We paid a lot of money. People helped us to get
a work permit. My heart is still broken. I despair to see my
children. We have so much poverty. We struggle to learn how to be
Canadian. We never lose our roots.
The next speaker, the director of the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers
started by saying: Immigration happens in the lives of real human
beings. It means loss and new beginnings. Vigils of Denunciation are
powerful words. "Vigils" remind us that we have to come prepared to
be advocates. We cannot sit back comfortably. We must ask tough
questions. We must speak out. Never befriend the oppressed unless
you're prepared to take on the oppressor.
Immigration policies are governmental, public policies to keep voters
happy; they are not decisions about caring for people. Immigration is
encouraged when there is an economic reason: to colonize the west, to
build the railway. These are policies that often result in racism and
violence. Many Canadians are "lukewarm" to immigrants. They don't see
the benefits. Each year 250,000 immigrants come to Canada: 60% are
qualified under the point system; 25% are family class; only 15% are
refugees. It's becoming more and more difficult because there aren't
enough staff to process applications and yet, in the space of a few
months. we have brought in tens of thousands of temporary workers for
Alberta's economic boom! Federal funding for immigrants until last
year had not increased for eight years. The City of Edmonton is more
welcoming with the city itself providing funding for programs.
The immigrants today are the best educated and the most highly
qualified than ever before. They are also better qualified and
educated that the average Canadian of the same age group. Despite
this, their achievement is worse. They spend more time living in
poverty and have worse results, including now into the second
generation. There are hard questions. Fifteen percent of Edmonton's
children live in poverty. This is dreadful. Worse still 49% of
children whose parents are immigrants that have been in Edmonton 10
years or less, are poor.
Why is this? We fail to recognize prior learning. We put up a wall
against opportunity. Immigrants do not get a fair deal in the job
market. Recently the Mennonite Centre held a job fair for jobs with
the City of Edmonton. Over 500 persons showed up and over 300 applied
for a city job - good jobs. Sometimes employers seek immigrants to
work for them but offer lower salaries. If they offer $10 an hour for
at job that normally pays $15, we refuse.
The Mennonite Centre recently looked at their vision statement and
added to their mandate of providing good programs and services, to
work to change public policy and to change the old dominant
homogeneous culture. We need a culture that is democratic and
intercultural - not multicultural but intercultural as in a weaving
where all the threads matter. We cannot be neutral about these
things. We must side with immigrants.
I will not be here next week. If someone would like to contribute to
the reflection that would be great. I also hope that any of you who
won't be able to attend the Assembly will send a news message to VMM
to convey to the Assembly.
Cecily
