{"id":1335,"date":"2009-07-16T00:03:19","date_gmt":"2009-07-16T04:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=1335"},"modified":"2018-08-08T22:46:24","modified_gmt":"2018-08-09T02:46:24","slug":"thursday-july-16-2009-correspondence-with-mp-bob-rae","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=1335","title":{"rendered":"Thursday, July 16, 2009 \u2014 Correspondence with MP<\/span> Bob Rae"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canada\u2019s cur\u00adrent, grotesque\u00adly incom\u00adpe\u00adtent Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive gov\u00adern\u00adment has embar\u00adrassed and degrad\u00aded us again, by impos\u00ading sud\u00adden visa restric\u00adtions on vis\u00adi\u00adtors from Mex\u00adi\u00adco and the Czech Repub\u00adlic. They claim that cit\u00adi\u00adzens of those coun\u00adtries are \u201cclog\u00adging\u201d our sys\u00adtem with \u201cpho\u00adny\u201d refugee claims. Not sur\u00adpris\u00ading\u00adly, the gov\u00adern\u00adments of both Mex\u00adi\u00adco and the Euro\u00adpean Union have protest\u00aded this stu\u00adpid action. In the case of the Czech Repub\u00adlic, the fuss is about eth\u00adnic Roma (Gyp\u00adsies), who face vio\u00adlence and social dis\u00adcrim\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion all over Europe, but espe\u00adcial\u00adly in that coun\u00adtry. Their case may be dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to judge, since it does not quite fit our cus\u00adtom\u00adary stan\u00addards for giv\u00ading polit\u00adi\u00adcal refugee sta\u00adtus, but it is by no means \u201cpho\u00adny\u201d. I wrote to my Mem\u00adber of Par\u00adlia\u00adment, Bob Rae, who hap\u00adpens to be the oppo\u00adsi\u00adtion for\u00adeign affairs critic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rae replied quickly:<\/span><\/p>\n

From: RaeB@parl.gc.ca Date: Thu, July 16, 2009 10:51 am To: phil@philpaine.com:<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Phil,<\/span><\/p>\n

Thank you for your email con\u00adcern\u00ading the recent changes to visa reg\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtions for cit\u00adi\u00adzens vis\u00adit\u00ading Cana\u00adda from the Czech Repub\u00adlic. This most recent flip-flop by the Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive gov\u00adern\u00adment is fur\u00adther evi\u00addence of their lack of a coher\u00adent and log\u00adi\u00adcal for\u00adeign pol\u00adi\u00adcy. This is the sec\u00adond time in as many as two years that require\u00adments have changed for vis\u00adi\u00adtors from the Czech Repub\u00adlic and comes short\u00adly after a seem\u00ading\u00adly suc\u00adcess\u00adful state vis\u00adit ear\u00adli\u00ader this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fur\u00adther, our embassy in Prague is not equipped with a con\u00adsular depart\u00adment and so Czech cit\u00adi\u00adzens inter\u00adest\u00aded in vis\u00adit\u00ading Cana\u00adda are now forced to apply for a visa through their clos\u00adest Cana\u00addi\u00adan visa office in Aus\u00adtria. This move fur\u00adther mars the rep\u00adu\u00adta\u00adtion of our human\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan refugee sys\u00adtem that this coun\u00adtry has been so proud of in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sud\u00adden imple\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion and absence of any warn\u00adings, or prepara\u00adto\u00adry mea\u00adsures high\u00adlights this gov\u00adern\u00admen\u00adt\u2019s lack of orga\u00adni\u00adza\u00adtion and com\u00adplete dis\u00adre\u00adgard for Canada\u2019s tourism indus\u00adtry. I assure you that I was not con\u00adsult\u00aded before this deci\u00adsion was made, and received no warn\u00ading of its immi\u00adnent implementation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sin\u00adcere\u00adly,<\/span>
\n Hon Bob Rae<\/span>
\n MP<\/span> Toron\u00adto Centre<\/span>
\n Lib\u00ader\u00adal For\u00adeign Affairs Critic<\/span><\/p>\n

I, in turn, replied:<\/span><\/p>\n

From: phil@philpaine.com Date: Thu, July 16, 2009 10:26 pm To: RaeB@parl.gc.ca<\/span><\/p>\n

Dear Mr. Rae,<\/span><\/p>\n

The Roma face real oppres\u00adsion in Czech Repub\u00adlic. While, on paper, the coun\u00adtry has ade\u00adquate pro\u00adtec\u00adtions of human rights, in prac\u00adtice the police stand idly by while neo-Nazi thugs reg\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly beat, or even mur\u00adder Roma. The Roma con\u00adsti\u00adtute an under\u00adclass in that coun\u00adtry, liv\u00ading on the mar\u00adgins, and, yes, often involved in crim\u00adi\u00adnal activ\u00adi\u00adty. Con\u00adtrary to the pop\u00adu\u00adlar image, the major\u00adi\u00adty of Czech Roma are no longer wan\u00adder\u00ading or pur\u00adsu\u00ading the tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal Roma lifestyle. Human Rights Watch report\u00aded that since 1989, \u201cCzech author\u00adi\u00adties have failed to ade\u00adquate\u00adly pro\u00adtect Roma from the ever-increas\u00ading dan\u00adger of racist attacks. When attacks do occur, Roma are often denied equal treat\u00adment before the law, a direct vio\u00adla\u00adtion of both Czech and inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal law\u201d. There are peo\u00adple in Czech Repub\u00adlic who work to improve this sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion, but it has grown steadi\u00adly worse in recent years. Few Roma have the socio-eco\u00adnom\u00adic back\u00adground to meet Canada\u2019s immi\u00adgra\u00adtion point sys\u00adtem. Almost every\u00adwhere in Europe, the Roma are regard\u00aded with super\u00adsti\u00adtious fear, which is in turn fueled by the fact that there are bands of Roma work\u00ading as pick-pock\u00adets in most major Euro\u00adpean cities, so emi\u00adgra\u00adtion to oth\u00ader parts of Europe is usu\u00adal\u00adly a dead-end for law-abid\u00ading Roma who wish to start a new life.<\/span><\/p>\n

A tele\u00advi\u00adsion doc\u00adu\u00admen\u00adtary, aired in Czech Repub\u00adlic, which inter\u00adviewed some Roma in Cana\u00adda and showed them liv\u00ading a nor\u00admal, un-per\u00adse\u00adcut\u00aded life was the trig\u00adger of most of the refugee claims for asy\u00adlum here. Iron\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly, the tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal lifestyle is alive and kick\u00ading in Cana\u00adda. Few Cana\u00addi\u00adans know that the Roma have been here for cen\u00adturies, and that many thou\u00adsands live in this coun\u00adtry, with\u00adout draw\u00ading any par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar notice, or caus\u00ading any social prob\u00adlems. Every year, tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal Roma make a pil\u00adgrim\u00adage to Ste. Anne de Beaupr\u00e9, Que\u00adbec, to wor\u00adship at the church of their patron saint. The Roma flee\u00ading from the Czech Repub\u00adlic, how\u00adev\u00ader, would have only mar\u00adgin\u00adal con\u00adnec\u00adtions with these tra\u00addi\u00adtion\u00adal Roma. They have long been \u201cseden\u00adtary\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is clear that we des\u00adper\u00adate\u00adly need to revamp our immi\u00adgra\u00adtion &<\/span> refugee poli\u00adcies into some\u00adthing ratio\u00adnal and moral\u00adly accept\u00adable. Roma refugee claimants can\u2019t legit\u00adi\u00admate\u00adly claim that they are in immi\u00adnent dan\u00adger at the hands of the Czech State (i.e., they are not strict\u00adly speak\u00ading polit\u00adi\u00adcal refugees), in the way that polit\u00adi\u00adcal refugees from Bur\u00adma are. How\u00adev\u00ader, they have plen\u00adty of rea\u00adson to come to Cana\u00adda if they want their chil\u00addren to live a life of basic human dig\u00adni\u00adty. That, in fact, is the kind of immi\u00adgrant that built this coun\u00adtry \u2014 poor peo\u00adple who fled chron\u00adic pover\u00adty, pogroms, and low social sta\u00adtus in the old world to build a decent life in the new. Our immi\u00adgra\u00adtion pol\u00adi\u00adcy now favours the rich and edu\u00adcat\u00aded. The Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive Par\u00adty under Bri\u00adan Mul\u00adroney was par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar\u00adly keen on turn\u00ading Cana\u00addi\u00adan cit\u00adi\u00adzen\u00adship into some\u00adthing sold for hard cash to the high\u00adest bid\u00adder. We need to return to our roots.<\/span><\/p>\n

Phil Paine, Toronto<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Canada\u2019s cur\u00adrent, grotesque\u00adly incom\u00adpe\u00adtent Con\u00adser\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive gov\u00adern\u00adment has embar\u00adrassed and degrad\u00aded us again, by impos\u00ading sud\u00adden visa restric\u00adtions on vis\u00adi\u00adtors from Mex\u00adi\u00adco and the Czech Repub\u00adlic. They claim that cit\u00adi\u00adzens of those coun\u00adtries are \u201cclog\u00adging\u201d our sys\u00adtem with \u201cpho\u00adny\u201d refugee claims. Not \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-ar-blog-2009"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1335"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7988,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1335\/revisions\/7988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}