Tag Archives: canada

Claiming Refugee Status in Canada

Posted on by

Case studies. Unbelievable. It is 2017, not the 1960s when many Latin Americans came into Canada claiming refugee status. A couple with child, a second on the way, walking across the border from the United States, claiming refugee status from Donald Trump’s new policies, “to clean up the country of illegal migrants.” Pretending that if they are sent back to Honduras, the man will be recruited by some drug gangs. Even in Honduras there are not only drug gangs, there are also working citizens, contributing to the economy. These same people have lived in the US for two years, never accomplished to settle with proper jobs and integrate and get residency. Now claiming refugee status. How can Honduran war gangs have such a long arm to recruit (illegally migrated) Hondurans inside the USA ? Canada seems to be stuck with everybody and anybody. Welfare system exploitation, on the shoulders of hard working Canadian tax payers.

Myself came into Canada with an expired student visa, just completed my graduate studies degree program at a US University in New York State, with a 8 year old son, his father died two years previously in Europe, no family, no money, no food, living in my little car for weeks. Did not take me two years (on welfare ?!), but couple weeks to fight myself into the system and find a mediocre programming job (in Europe I had top IT positions, and a US graduate degree in Information Processing and IT) for starters. Never in my entire life and as a single mother did I get one single dime from any country. Neither my own then, or after becoming a Canadian citizen. Even when the oil industry busted in Alberta and all of us were unemployed did anybody get unemployment insurance. You pack up, get into your truck and go where the jobs are.

Shame on you, who want to exploit the system !

[ https://www.pressreader.com/canada/vancouver-sun/20170211/281479276163020 ]

[ http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/appraising-violence-in-honduras-how-much-is-gang-related ]

Advertisement

Canada Operation Impact – IS

Posted on by

CANADA AIR STRIKES – Northern Iraq

Operation Impact – Canada’s contribution to air strikes against IS targets in Northern Iraq [ http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/operations-abroad-current/op-impact.page ], using CF-188 Hornet fighter jets conducting 62 sorties in Northern Iraq. This morning’s interview with the Minister of Defence on CFAX Radio 1070, explaining those recent missions. Latest air strikes following the Remembrance Day ceremonies across Canada – recounting all those heroic deeds of long past wars (heroic as in attacking entire populations from the air). As the past has shown, air missions inevitably target not only specific often small areas, but surrounding areas, which has resulted and will result again in killing large numbers of civilian populations, and children. Only cowards attack from the air. The so called coalition forces (most of whom are sceptical about these newest US/Canada air attacks on their soil) have their “boots on the ground”, fighting. [ http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/u-s-led-airstrikes-against-isis-kill-at-least-860-activists-say-1.2832092 ].

Citizenship Injustice

Posted on by

Loosing one’s citizenship of birth is a big deal, especially if the new country of citizenship has not been acquired in the course of regular or desired immigration, but merely due to circumstance and under duress.
Canadian citizenship usually is easy to acquire, provided there is proof of employment (at least this was the case forty years ago when we arrived) or maybe a sponsor – some sort of relative who lives here already. Dual citizenship used to be more difficult. Many larger European countries removed birth citizenship from any of their citizens once they assumed Canadian. Of course, Canada does not care much about dual, but it is the country of birth that controls it – either keep it or loose it.
In between there were multiple citizenship and immigration reforms, one of them allowing dual citizenship under the following circumstances: At the time when applying for the Canadian one must prove that there is still a bind with the home country, family or property or other. In my case, my entire family never left their country, they are all in Europe, only myself and at that time my little son were in Canada.
Unfortunately, all this happening before the European Union (EU) came into being.
Also in between and many years ago my son – who has dual citizenship because he was born in a smaller European country – returned to his home country for good.  Meanwhile I am still in Canada, still only Canadian citizenship, and when travelling to my home country am forced to go to the Foreigners’ Office to buy myself an extension for stay, else stay is limited to three months.
To argue: why do those who do not care about Canadian citizenship – because they neither live here anymore nor are interested in Canadian affairs – still keep and retain dual citizenship including Canadian, while at the same time those who decided to immigrate to Canada retain theirs, although they never even visit their home country anymore.
We should allow dual citizenship for those Canadians who are longtime taxpayers in this country and receive pensions in this country, but have all of their family residing in Europe. This not also because of complicated taxation issues arising out of income in both countries, but mainly to make a long term visit to their families, instead of only a measly three months.

Canada Seal Hunt

Posted on by

Very disturbing issue – [ http://www.harpseals.org/index.php ]  Seal hunt on Canada’s East Coast starting November 15 and ending May 15. My first thought about this: “cut up my Canadian passport and ship it back to Ottawa.” (Thanks, but no thanks for it.). On second thought: “who on Earth is using those baby seal furs ?”

Who is importing this kind of product ? As always, it is a question of Demand and Supply. If there were no countries using those seal pelts, (and mind you, some of the meat is also exported), there would not be any seal hunts (this including the hunts that are also conducted in Norway, Iceland, Greenland and other northern countries. But foremost Newfoundland, Canada. [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_hunting ] It is clear from having lived in Canada for almost 40 years, that nobody here can dare to walk around in any fur coat, without getting pelted or spray painted. On third thought: “of all those wildlife organizations and environmental charities that I regularly contribute to as a donor, why cannot they intervene in such butchery ? Their voices are silent ? Because of governments who regulate hunts and hunting ? Since Canada is still largely under the umbrella of the Queen of England, why cannot the Royals intervene in such issues ?

Who are the importers or users of seal products, who imports them ? There are now many countries who have prohibited the import of harp seal furs, example: [ http://www.harpseals.org/help/demand_side_efforts/index.php ] . So, what are the markets ? Although China is a large market for “exporting” fur products of all kinds of animals [ http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/fur/chinese-fur-industry/ ]  ( [Canada’s biggest market for seal pelts is Norway.[53] Carino Limited is one of Newfoundland’s largest seal pelt producers. Carino (CAnada–RIeber–NOrway) is marketing its seal pelts mainly through its parent company, GC Rieber Skinn, Bergen, Norway.[54] Canada sold pelts to eleven countries in 2004. The next largest were Germany, Greenland, and China/Hong Kong. Other importers were Finland, Denmark, France, Greece, South Korea, and Russia.[38] Asia remains the principal market for seal meat exports.[41] (from Wikipedia). ]

Canadian seal product exports reached C$18 million in 2006. Of this, C$5.4 million went to the EU.[56] In 2009, the European Union banned all seal imports, shrinking the market.[57] Where pelts once sold for more than $100, they now fetch $8 to $15 each.[49]

Things are changing with many bans in many countries. Still the question remains: “who still wears those furs ?” and “in which countries are seal pelts and fur coats made of baby seals (white) still being imported ?”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/seal-product-ban-upheld-on-ethical-grounds-1.2438904

!!! More bans are needed, and not just during the hunting season !!!