Canadians deserve full refugee reporting
The recent intake of Syrian refugees to Canada is a big topic. It deserves fair and responsible coverage. It’s a financial issue. Government budget documents reveal it will cost around $1 billion in the coming years. We must ensure this money is well spent.
It’s a community issue. Many Canadians are a part of groups that have privately sponsored families. There are great stories to tell about Canadian generosity and our compassion towards those in need.
It’s an integration issue. Syrian refugees come from a troubled place. They may experience culture shock when they come to Canada. It’s important we integrate them into Canadian society.
It’s a social services issue. Refugees need assistance with a whole slew of concerns — ranging from housing to jobs skills training. Service providers were strained by the artificial timeline imposed by the Liberal government.
It’s a bureaucratic issue. Recent reporting has revealed that elements of the program were a jumbled mess. Could it have been done differently? The list goes on. Clearly, there are ample elements for the media to report on and many good reasons to do so.
There is considerable public interest to talk about the various strengths and weaknesses of this process.
Sadly, not everyone agrees. There is an implicit agreement on the part of some elites that only stories that promote positive versions of the refugee narrative are acceptable.
If you step out of line, the elites try to keep you in check. Sorry, that’s not how democracy works. Last week, the elites went wild on social media after Conservative MP Kellie Leitch posted on Twitter a Toronto Sun column by Candice Malcolm, who has been doing excellent work recently on the Syrian refugee file.
The piece concerned a new refugee in Fredericton who beat his wife with a hockey stick and told the court he didn’t know this was against the law in Canada.
Something akin to Leitch’s proposed Canadian values test might have addressed a problem like this, Malcolm observed. She’s right.
This conversation, which regular Canadians are mature enough to have, was deemed off limits by the elites in the consensus bubble up in Parliament Hill.
No wonder they’re so out of touch.