III TE i

FEATURES i ATAQETIC
& a a i Readers take issue with the Com-
munist Party’s call for more
immigration. We have invited John
& Bizzell, CPC Central Organizer to
argue the case.
4
Large-scale k
s 5 5
Immigration ew anadaians dado
u
gh contribute to growth
bring misery G
to Canada...’
ee By JOHN BIZZELL It is quite wrong to assert that there has be that the new refugee policy in Canada
a I share your concerns on all the social been a casual relationship between the is designed to mesh with U.S. policy in
Your Aug. 10 editorial ‘‘A Place of issues you raise in your letter. level of social problems and the entry into this area.
Refuge” suggests ‘Canada needs Certainly, mass unemployment is an _—_ Canada of immigrants and refugees. In a capsule, the kind of refugee policy
More immigration, not less.” unacceptable blight in acountry as rich in _ Arguments that immigrants take away that Canada needs is one that will main-
How isit possible for people human and natural resources, know-how jobs and contribute to declining living tain an open door to refugees, will pro-
living in a country with so many and market potential as Canada. standards are just not true. While in a vide for speedy and fair oral. hearings
Social and economic problems to Yes, the crisis in housing is a disgrace. particular instance, a Canadian worker with the right to appeal in Canada, and
Beat ofancreasing anelaady We agree that social services have been may ae been replaced by an immi- haat sale for a broader definition of
absur dly high level of immigration? curtailed and are at a woefully inade- grant, the fact is that immigration has not amily and faster methods for family re-
ith a brutally exploitive economic quate level. All these problems are in only created jobs but expanded the unification. ee 2
System Canada cannot presently urgent need of solution. Scnonny by erpenduis aednDS aes The provision of “designated classes
BN pert Gan cobulaticn: There is another problem’ facing et. Early costs to the state of support for established in the cold war which sees
po pop Fe aeeeshat CHEE MINE mabre Ursent new arrivals are more than repaid bya every citizen of the socialist countries as
Have you forgotten we have 1.5 each year. That ehleniae i shauna lifetime of tax payment. Immigration a potential refugee must be abolished.
_J) Million jobless and millions hathinie. also reduces the per capital costs of There is an important link between re-
Under-employed in poor paying E h h bat th ; government, administration and _ state fugee and immigration policy. There is
—| jobs? What about the xperts have shown that the presen programs. no doubt that there are an increasing

a = to afford to have children and would be closed. The cost per personof
ey =... Peoplewouldhaveto the overheads of the economic infra-
eouete because of declining living structure would increase substantially,
= andards. meaning either higher user costs or taxes
This ti takena or both,
Stand Pao. oe peas The size of the home market would
interests f ki jo'and we shrink making it uneconomical to manu-
wi BE OTRIOG DEeP facture a wide range of goods in Canada.
Wish to protest it in the strongest i at hi et SE
terms. It is confusing the need for Nigh oulyeweuld this means nan
MOre helpful and constructive more or doing without, sae wou
ee ; t many jobs. : is
retugee policies with wholesale adoss of : oer ye th of curity and a steady flow of newcomers to ing into account the bi-national reality of
' Massive immigration. oe epee ey “wlitical Canada. French and English speaking Canada
independent ¢cor Space permits only a few other points and the rights of the Nati les.
Helping legitimate refugees development in this vast land would be “a es me : 4 giz: gh ARE DERE
eeing mae Manic d greatly jeopardized We would be sitting Oe ade ; ; 3 Lastly, a word must be said on what
persecution i pees : e new refugee laws now before the happens to many new Canadians when
anmanitarian obligation, but ducks for the hungry piank tp une st Senate are thoroughly reactionary and they arrive here. Labour and other laws
ioe-scale immigration will only _ Maintaining our eae pare every effort should be made to stop them must be strengthened to eliminate the
a 'Ng misery to many Canadians ing ata steady and manageable rate al in their tracks. disgrace of low wages and poor condi-
ee dream of a more secure and the long term interests of all eae Many democratic-minded Canadians tions in immigrant job ghettoes; of
[ le future. How is this to be os Be es: and organizations are seeing in this gam- discrimination in housing and in access
< Unfortunately that dream is being birthrate that 1s below alationsifnotb bit a cynical Tory effort to exploit an to social services including education
J ashed aw: retinbholtons of sary to maintain the population, I acute sense of job insecurity in Canada to and classes in English as French-as-a-
‘ thousands of cbless snd homeless a flow of new Canadians from aaah prop up their saggingelectoral prospects. second-language.
‘ Youth, pecnletuddiing around These newcomers wi : be in = There is spies rat racist com- : As progressives we must see to it that
: garb categories — refugees an immigran' s. ponent in the decision of the government immigration and refugee policy is not
; ! pace pe peopiemnade ie Your letter suggests that such social to move in this direction. merely constructed to serve the im-
: Social ae ee icren problems as housing, unemployment, Stability and prosperity in Europe has mediate and narrow economic interests
y Caught in th Mies; wa g titution etc., must be solved before admitting slowed emigration and refugee seekers. of the dominant sections of capital whose
SRURRNRO SNe new Canadians to our country. Since the The main source of refugees has now interests are in turn served by the
! hi Does the Tribune really believe end of the World War Two, for example, switched to the third world, originating government of the day, but to the long-
; 'gher immigration will do anything all the social problems present in Canada mainly from countries where despotism, term needs of Canada and its working
é but add to these problems in this today have persisted — sometimes more unrest, economic collapse or civil war is people.
‘ 9-eat-dog society? acute and sometimes less — depending intimately connected with U.S. eco- The story of Canada’s development:
: F on the phase of the economic cycle of nomic and foreign policy. Given the re- has been intimately linked to the arrival
2 Elly Eriksen, capitalist crisis, yet Canada absorbed cord of the Mulroney government to of immigrants and refugees from all over
Eiiltara)-sensen: several millions of newcomers over this create a level playing field’’ in its the world. We will continue to need New
i. ae Skelsbro, henod eat relationship with the U-S., it could well Canadians for many years to come.
oronto :

=

homelessness and degrading
Poverty? Should we bring in more
People to intensify this?

i

Doesn’t business encourage ©

_ “Moreimmigration to create vast

armies of cheap labor to undermine
the hard-won rights of trade unions,
SO as to cut labour costs and

fertility rate of 1.5 per cent — lowest
since World War Two — coupled with a
very low rate of immigration, will mean
our population will shrink dramatically.

The March 9, 1987 ‘*Refugee Alert Ap-’
~ peal’’ issued by the Primate’s World-Re-

lief and Development Fund of the Angli-
can Church of Canada, asserts: ‘‘If cur-
rent immigration and fertility rates pre-

NCrease profits? vail, the population is projected to fall to
: : 10 million by 2075.”
We think the Tribune should Think what this would mean for our

Concentrate on working for a
Society where the economy can

Support its own population, then

Perhaps more Canadians would be

country. Many smaller towns would
shrink below the level necessary to sus-
tain them as viable communities. Hospi-
tals, schools and other basic services

The point is to fight hard for improved
social conditions for all in Canada and for
programs to keep the population growing

_at_a_steady and manageable rate. This

means an expansion of state support for —

~family~ formation—and- maintenance- —

that is better quality and lower-cost hous-
ing, health, education and childcare; an
end to joblessness and economic inse-

number of people who, frustrated at the
impenetrability of immigration regula-
tions, try the faster track of the refugee
door. This needs to be corrected, not by

~ slamming the door to all refugees as has

been-done, but by revising immigration -
policy to make it non-discriminatory and
non-racist, linked to balanced all-
Canadian economic expansion and tak-

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, OCTOBER 21, 1987 e 5