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| Come on, get out of your own shells! |
It is not new to say that Canada is a multicultural country, that is easy to walk for 5 minutes and hear 3, 4, 5 different languages being spoken, and blablabla. That is why Patricia and I were wondering: hey, how do Canadians feel about it? How do Canadians feel about people speaking English with a strong accent, a lot of people coming to live here and “take their jobs”...
Sometimes I think that Canadians try harder to adapt to foreign people than foreign people try to adapt to Canadian way of life! Sorry, but for me it sucks! Come on, we are living on their land!!! If Canada is a safe, developed, and highly organized place to live is because Canadians worked hard to make it. So, I just think foreign people should be more grateful to that and try to adapt themselves to Canada! Personally, I would not feel happy seeing, for example, store signs and restaurant menus in Spanish instead of Portuguese in my country.
Looking for further information on that, I found that, of course, Canadians are not very happy about the behaviour of some immigrants here. Even though 80% of Canadians agree that “immigration has a positive impact on the economy of Canada” and 73% of Canadians disagree that “immigrants take jobs away from other Canadians”, 66% of Canadians agree that “there are too many immigrants coming into this country who are not adopting Canadian values”. Yes, 66%! Every 2 out of 3 Canadians believe that the immigrants are not adopting the national values (you can find further information on this research on this link for Canada Immigration and Citizenship website: http://goo.gl/vcayO).
I know that some nations have wonderful and rich cultures which are worthwhile to share with the world. But come on!!!! Canada has a beautiful and rich culture too. And that is available to whoever wants to learn it.
Let me give you an example. You are having friends over your home to celebrate Christmas. Then they start to speak a language you cannot understand a single word. Besides, they tell you they are not praying to thank God for everything because that is not what they do on their country! Would you enjoy the meeting? I would not and I would ask: “why did you come here then????????”.
So: come on, get out of your own shells! Catch up with Canadian culture, catch up with Canadian way of life! We are on their place, my friends!!!!!
Thanks for reading!
Hi Renato & Patricia,
ReplyDeleteSuch a great blog really.
Thanks
Omar
Thanks Omar! We are glad that you like it!
ReplyDeleteMany of my Chinese customers in the import/export business could not speak English, this didn't pose a problem for business but if some "finer negotiating" had to be done then it was through their children.
ReplyDeleteMy question is, how can people immigrate into a country to become Canadian if they can't speak English...how did they "say the Oath" required for immigration? Furthermore, how do they fill out forms or drive? Most of my clients had licenses? The filling out the forms is easy to answer... they get a friend who can speak english to fill it out.
I agree with you Canadians try HARDER to adapt to immigrants then immigrants due to Canadians.
Canadian author Alex Doulis in the book Take Your Money and Run as well as My Blue Haven (books about tax avoidance) notes that the main type of Immigrants Attracted to Canada are ones who are looking to abuse the Social Benefit programs canada has.
The immigrants Canada wants usually end up going to the US as US companies pay better and have better benefits. So we are "killing" our own economic sustainability and growth.
For a couple years now Maclean's magazine has been doing a study on universities and Canadian students. I can't find the link for the actual result of a "poll/study" they did but it found over 50%, I think the number if I recall correctly was in the high 60's, that White Canadian Universities are fed up with the amount of Foreign Students.
Here is a similar article by Macleans:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2010/11/10/too-asian/
Finally 2 examples in BC and Ottawa that I think are relevant.
1) A Sikh East Indian applied to be part of the Royal Canadian Mounties... Canada is known for 3 things....Hockey, Maple Syrup (Maple Leaf), and our Mounties dressed in black boots, red jacket and that god awful brown funny lookin' hat.
Upon being accepted and passing everything...the individual then REFUSED to wear the hat that is part of the uniform as it is against his religion as he wears a turban.
You can find this on Wiki as well as in newspaper sites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police
In 1990, Baltej Singh Dhillon became the first Sikh officer in the RCMP to be allowed to wear a turban instead of the traditional Stetson. On March 15, the federal government, despite protests, decided that Sikhs would be permitted to wear turbans while on duty as RCMP officers.
My point.... if he knew the hat was part of the uniform...then why did he apply if he was going to make a "stink" about it?
Why? Because he was not accepting Canadian Culture and instead was Politically Grandstanding and changing our Culture/History/Traditions to meet his own agenda. As more Asians (mainly chinese in vancouver) and East Indians (surrey) immigrant to this country...they will eventually out number the traditional caucausian Canadians moving into rolls of MPs etc.
Once in these positions it will be easy to change laws to suit their own culture and traditions leaving Canadians in the past.
If you don't believe this look at Great Britian. A friend put up the Union Jack the British Flag in his back yard...the community told him to take it down as it was offensive to the East Indian Immigrants living in the subdivision and was preventing harmony among the residences.
Canada, like Great Britian, is being too accommodating to immigrants who don't want to embrace our Culture but merely take advantage of social programs and the slightly stronger economy.
Finishing my first point...take me for example. I'm an agnostic white canadian of british decent. If I joined the RCMP/Mounties etc...and refused to wear the hat...I would be reprimanded...all because it isn't against my religious faith...due to not having one. But all of a sudden a foreign religion is more important then culture/history/tradition etc.
If a Sikh is allowed not to wear the hat...then I shouldn't be forced to either...that is hypocracy....
Sorry about the double post, apparently you can't post more than 4000 characters... obviously this thing was not created for long winded whooppy cushions like myself. Here is the 2nd part:
ReplyDelete2nd illustration I would like to point out.
Officials from a Sikh Sect were invited to Ontario in regards to something...wearing their "ceremonial" attire they had the "long swords" they usually wear....and were not allowed to proceed into the parliament building due to the security mentioning the long swords are weapons... the Sikhs refused to take them off as they say they are "ceremonial".
Ok...so because you say they are ceremonial...you won't abide by our culture and our POLITICAL national security....I mean you don't allow a terrorist into a building with C4 because its religiously/culturally the norm for Terrorist fanatics to blow themselves up...so why would we allow "weapons" even dull blades could hurt should someone FLIP OUT and use them as a weapon.
Again there was a big HUBBUB about all that.
I'm all for immigrants, most of my friends are foreigners....but I have to say. Society at large was like our experience at viu.
The chinese stick with the chinese. The east indians with the east indians.... the middle eastern with the middle eastern... everyone sticks in these little 'tribes'/cliques.... which is understandable...ie homesickness etc etc...
but you take that and apply it to society... Montreal has a very large middle eastern population it seems like that they all say "go there" or have "friends/family" there so when they immigrate they go there. Surrey in BC is known for having a large East Indian population... Richmond is known for its large Chinese population...
they stick together in pockets just like university students do.
Is there "integration"...? maybe briefly when they have to walk into a Bestbuy and pay full price and not be able to negotiate...
Obviously I've used some extreme and sarcastic points/analogies to show the sublime ridiculousness of it all.
Hey kaneda21 you look familiar to me! Thanks for your comments. That RCMP example illustrates what I'm trying to say. Thanks!
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