It is what it is…

By Marc Chayer

In recent times we have watched the world news to witness the phenomenon of “migrants” fleeing the Middle East for a better life. Since the last federal election the word “migrant” has been replaced by “refugee.”

In the US, we saw how the immigration issue became key in deciding who would become the next president and what caught many by surprise was that at least half of the US voters went with the candidate who promised to take an aggressive approach in limiting, banning and, in some cases, expelling those looking to settle in the US.

Throughout all these developments we, as Canadians, have been torn between being the country with compassion and being the country that says enough is enough. The temperature is raised when we see those crossing our borders illegally while we are in an economic slump that has many of our neighbours unemployed or worse.

What is the proper stance on such a divisive issue? In my mind, what is certainly missing is any kind of leadership on the part of either the federal or provincial governments. In Canada we have a process in place for refugees and immigration and, with the most recent developments in mind, our sense of fairness to those seeking Canada as a home is violated by those who would seek to cross the border in the dark of night and illegally.

The US is not a war-torn nation. Political policy in America does not serve as a catalyst to come to Canada without due process. Do I have concerns with respect to our security? You bet.

I am much more interested to know why the federal government has not lent the kind of assistance to Fort McMurray as it seemingly does to those who suddenly arrive here at our borders seeking protection from Trump.

As a citizen, my own feelings are that the Government of Canada needs to place Canadian (Albertan) needs above those who would “seek” to reside here. We have families within this province that are in dire need of support yet we hear of foreign aid going to Vietnam.

Trudeau (who I refuse to call Prime Minister), has seen to ensure “Canada is back!” on the world stage but is completely lost when it comes to issues that affect the lives of everyday Canadians. Canadians have quickly tired of Trudeau and his amateur government, and the words: “He’s just not ready,” rings in our ears from the last election.

I feel safe in saying that the election of Trudeau to anything outside of a bake sale fundraiser (no offence to those who have bake sales) is and was a monumental mistake that we will pay for both politically and financially for generations.

The issue of refugees in general and those leaving the US for Canada specifically demand serious leadership with consideration given to all involved. Canadians look to those in power for the direction. We look to hear the reasons why we are doing this or that and how or who this will benefit. When this is missing, it gives all involved the impression that this is a ship with no-one at the wheel.

We have in our midst the perfect storm brewing. We have a weak government led by a part-time drama teacher with no clue about the real world in which we live. It will do nothing but hide behind “existing” laws that do nothing to stop anyone crossing our borders.

We have a US public and president who are tired of having to fix everything that is wrong in the world and certainly don’t want to see an influx of migrants into the US and, of course, we have spring just around the corner and, with warmer weather not far off, we will almost certainly see the stream of illegals get increasingly larger.

While we are a compassionate people, we are also increasingly concerned with our own well-being and, to be honest, there are many amongst us who do not have an issue with Trump-style politics despite what media or those in Eastern Canada may say.

We in the West don’t like or trust anyone named Trudeau, and with this issue becoming a larger concern every day, I am afraid we will see more of the same “leadership” such as photo ops, selfies, and platitudes that lend no real solutions to a serious state of affairs.

Good luck, Justin, but we aren’t holding our breath… you’re just not ready!

It is what it is…