Once I got over the initial shock and coldness of the responses, I listened to each of their opinions. The general consensus was that we cannot properly look after our own disabled population so why would we allow more disabled individuals into our country. Is it fair to our disabled population to give away their resources and are we not taking away money from their care to give to others? Another thought was that it would depend on the level of disability and whether or not the person would be able to support themselves and contribute by working and paying the required taxes that each of us has to pay.
Canada has always been looked upon as a great country to live in, and it is, but we do have a history that is tainted in anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia and sexism. Over the years, and especially since the end of the Second World War, some of these barriers have been removed with changes made to legislation to prohibit discrimination against individuals because of their religion, race, skin colour, culture, gender or sexual orientation. However, the same cannot be said for people with disabilities. The fact that people with disabilities are not allowed to immigrate to Canada is evidence that the government feels the same way as my co-workers. Case in point, Chris Mason, who worked and lived in Winnipeg, had arrived in Canada on a Work Visa in 2001, was deported back to England after suffering a work related accident, losing the use of both his legs, and unfortunately was subsequently hit by a taxi in 2003. He became a paraplegic and was ordered out of the country when his work permit and visa expired. He was no longer working because of his disability and was collecting social assistance benefits; he was now considered a burden to our country. So basically, if a person is “kicked out” of our country because they became disabled, why would we think that the government would loosen their requirements and allow a disabled person to enter?
Another example is a French family living in Quebec, David & Sophie Barlagne that have a daughter with Cerebral Palsy. Although David Barlagne runs a successful business and pays thousands of dollars in taxes, the Federal Court has told them that they must leave the country because their daughter places excessive demands on the social service resources in the Province of Quebec. David Barlagne has indicated that he will support and look after his daughter so that she will not cost the country any money, but the Government does not see it that way. They feel that if people or their circumstances change she will then become the responsibility of the Country. However, after receiving a lot of public pressure, in September of 2011, the Quebec government stepped in and issued a “Special Selection Certificate” allowing the Barlagne family to remain in Canada. The fact that this family had to fight to be allowed to stay is such an injustice. Once accepted in our country, no one should be deported after becoming physically disabled in Canada.
At the end of the day, it really is about the cost, not necessarily discrimination; at least I hope it is not about discrimination. I recognize that we do not have enough resources to look after our own disabled people properly. We do not have enough programs for training or retraining when accidents such as Chris Mason’s happen. There are so many needy families, regardless of whether they have a disability or not. What will happen to the disabled that come to our country, who cannot speak or write English, what kind of jobs will they find, how will they support themselves, will they end up homeless? We all know that depending on the level of disability, many disabled people live a very productive life but to change the way government thinks, is another thing. People would have to lobby for change, but after reading many blogs on various opinions, I can see that there are a large number of people that agree with our immigration laws. People believe the cost will be unbearable for our country.
I do not for a minute believe that my co-workers discriminate against people with disabilities, but more to the fact, how are we going to provide a good and meaningful life for them? It is hard enough to get even low paying jobs, even while they study to retrain because their credentials are not recognized in this country. Those with disabilities have even fewer opportunities because employers are not always willing to accommodate them. I want to believe that we are bridging the gap where we see each other as equal, but obviously, we have a long way to go. It seems so unjust, but it is a sad reality.
References:
CBC News Canada. (2010). Disabled child immigration decision reserved. Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2010/02/23/french-family-turned-down-for-permanent-residence-because-child-has-cerebral-palsy.html
Shauna Richardson
Shauna, I really enjoyed reading this blog. It's sad that something like cost should limit Canada's immigration - but I like that you made it clear that this issue is not about discrimination. I also came across the Barlange case when looking for information on this topic, it was a very inspirational story... but it's also something I hope nobody else has to live through.
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