Finding where we fit amid global migration
TODAY
Migrating People is being presented today from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the David Turpin Building, A120, at the University of Victoria. Admission is free.
Globalization means money, data and goods can fly around the world without restrictions, but people are encountering ever tighter border controls, says a University of Victoria professor.
“We have this increasing securitization of borders,” said Annalee Lepp, associate professor and chairwoman of the gender studies department at UVic. “Capital and information can move freely with the stroke of a computer, but at the same time, borders for people are getting more and more restricted.”
As part of today’s events for Ideafest at UVic, Lepp and other members of the humanities departments will discuss the issue of migrating people. Other presenters are Oliver Schmidkte (political science), Jo-Anne Lee (gender studies), Elena Pnevmonidou (Germanic studies), and Colin Macleod (philosophy).
All are expected to bring special viewpoints, including their takes on the ongoing influx of migrants into Europe, effects of forced migration on different genders and the role of politics and ethics.
Lepp noted migration of people, often in search of food or resources, has always been an element of human history.
But now modern politics, economics and capabilities have made the phenomenon complex. Refugee claimants, asylum seekers and human smuggling and trafficking all add new dimensions.
So, what do all these elements mean for Canada? What are the most likely issues and problems that will face Canadians and Canadian politicians?
Lepp noted refugees fleeing war in North Africa and other places to get into Europe have already provoked a panic among Europeans over their own national identities.
Similar fears are now arising in the U.S. People are fleeing from there into Canada, often on foot in winter conditions, for fear of new immigration policies from U.S. President Donald Trump.
“You know you have a crisis happening when you get people freezing and trudging through the snow to cross borders,” said Lepp.
She said, however, many advanced countries have forced refugees and other migrants into camps or other facilities where they are simply warehoused. Meanwhile, modern nations create a hierarchy of who’s a desirable migrant and who’s not.
Lepp said it’s time for everyone to consider what we can do as individuals and collectively. She said she thinks Canada’s response so far, with individuals and groups privately sponsoring refugee families, will eventually reach limits.
So, it won’t be long before politicians have to start thinking about more government actions to deal with immigration, refugees and migrants.
“Government will have to think about what’s next,” said Lepp. “Immigration will probably be one of the critical pieces of future discussions on the political scene,” said Lepp.