Are we our brother’s keeper?
Re It’s time for this to end, Sept. 3 As it was so eloquently and dispassionately stated in Alan Weisman’s breathtaking book, The World Without Us, we are all migrants. The origin of every one of us can be traced back to Africa’s majestic Serengeti Plains.
Our first migratory urges were born out of the need to find food and, as food sources migrated with the shifting ebb and flow of the Earth’s climate, so did early Homo sapiens. We are all intrinsically migratory descendants, an ancient genetic web of brothers and sisters.
Whether fleeing the ravages of despotism, religious or sexual persecution, famine, war or the innate urge to find a better life, for many, the ability to remain stationary is fleeting.
We are all inherently the caretakers of our fellow man. For those of us comfortably ensconced between the buffer of two magnificent oceans, we must always remember that where we are born is simply an accident of birth. No man is an island. Louis MacPherson, Bowmanville, Ont. For years, Stephen Harper’s government, recently under Chris Alexander’s watch, has made it ever harder for refugees to immigrate to Canada and to take root in our country.
Ever since Bashar al-Assad began bombing and gassing his own people along with Syrian rebels, ordinary civilians have been caught in the crossfire with the world watching. Meanwhile, the situation has escalated from a national crisis to the humanitarian catastrophe we witness today as people flee to nearby European countries.
And what has Canada done as a wealthy and resource-rich country? It has accommodated a few thousand from the millions of Syrian refugees. Adding insult to injury, Alexander is suspending his election campaign to deal with the catastrophe.
His response is too little too late, and looks rather like a convenient way to avoid facing his critics on the campaign trail. Salvatore Amenta, Stouffville, Ont. Angela Merkel has stated that Germany will offer asylum to 800,000 refugees in 2015. Why are we not clamouring to have many of these desperate survivors of war, horrific sea and land disasters come to Canada? All we hear from the Harper government is that Canada will take 11,000 Syrian refugees. How ludicrously inadequate.
The election campaign so far is silent on the plight of refugees and economic migrants. I challenge Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau and Elizabeth May to articulate plans to accept a large number of refugees to Canada during the next Parliament, since clearly the Harper government will not do so. Margaret and Ian Hughes, Kingston, Ont. The countries that bombed and destabilized Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya should be forced to take their proportionate share of refugees from those countries. The U.S. and the U.K. were the main drivers of those wars and should be required to take the bulk of the refugees. All other members of the various “coalitions of the willing” should take their proportionate share based on their proportionate involvement in the wars. That includes Canada, of course.
Governments might not be so quick to rush to war if there was a requirement to take in the resultant refugees. If we can afford to go to war, then we can afford to resettle refugees. Eileen Watson, Toronto Hunger knows no boundaries. The UN must step up to the plate and partner with the richer countries of the West to formulate a policy of resettlement of these unfortunate fellow human beings. Canada, the second largest country in the world with a population of only 35 million, can do more than offer a “few crumbs” by offering to take 10,000 Mideast refugees over the span of four years. Germany, with a population of 80 million, is accepting 800,000 refugees this year.
The country can benefit from their labour and entrepreneurship, and also their demand for goods and services can be a big boost to the economy as they move up the economic ladder. Max Desouza, Toronto
“Leadership means doing the right things before the polls tell you to. It’s too late (for the Conservatives) to lead by example but it’s not too late to save lives.” JESSICA LAFRENIERE TORONTO
To those who demand more action from the government on the refugee crisis, I would ask: How many refugees have you sponsored? Have you formed or joined a group to sponsor a refugee? Have you contacted a Sponsorship Agreement Holder to ask how you can help? If you answer no, go to the mirror. If you can look at yourself, you will see a hypocrite. Steven Salamon, Toronto How can western leaders call themselves “civilized” when they so callously refuse to aid the civilian refugees who were largely forced from their homes because of illegal western interference? This unspeakable tragedy should never have happened and demonstrates the indifference that many of our leaders hold toward our fellow human beings who are suffering from inhumanity around the world. Dr. Michael Pravica, Henderson, NV I expect far better of the Star than to say “migrants” when in reality we’re talking about “refugees.” To say they are migrants is dishonest as they are fleeing a terrible war and trying to find refuge where they can. Nadira Sheralam, Toronto It is very sad that children are drowning in the sea because people are fleeing from the war in Syria. What I do not understand is why the media are not asking the rich Gulf Arab countries to do their moral and legal duty by taking in these people. Why is the UN not condemning the rich Gulf Arabs for refusing to help their own people? Where is Arab compassion? Jordan and the poor states are the only ones helping. Marcella Chung, Mississauga As a Canadian, I feel immensely sad that a child died due to our closed doors and closed hearts. I urge fellow Canadians to open their doors, homes and hearts to the many Alans who are desperate for a better life. Adi Iyer, Ottawa If Iceland, a small country with a population of 300,000, can offer a home to Syrian refugees, why can’t Canada? Iceland is making unused military homes available, plus some private citizens are opening their homes. This is not a “European problem.” It is a tragedy of global proportions. Please, Canada, step back onto the world stage and do what you used to do best: opening your arms. Cynthia Stark, Toronto I have been facing the same issue regarding sponsoring two kids, but I was rejected by the Canadian Embassy in Ankara last week. I am still in Turkey, hoping somehow to bring the kids with me but the Canadian Embassy is not co-operating at all. I am so worried these kids will have the same fate. Ziba Atashbar, Toronto The Star reached a new low on Thursday when you hysterically claimed that “the world” was demanding answers as to why the family of Alan Kurdi, who drowned, was refused entry to Canada — especially as you failed to provide a single example of how “the world” was allegedly demanding anything.
How exactly is Canada, and by implication the Harper Conservatives, to blame for the fact that Turkey had not issued this family with the required refugee status documentation?
For the Star to attempt to use the tragic death of this child in order to score cheap political points against the Harper Conservatives is disgusting but, sadly, hardly surprising. Colin Graham, Brampton We, as Canadians, have a moral imperative to do what we can. And quickly. A target of accepting 10,000 Syrian refugees in three years is not expedient enough. Thousands of Syrians are fleeing war every day.
If Stephen Harper is a true leader and wants to continue being the prime minister, he cannot sit back and watch everyday citizens, such as Tima Kurdi, set the example. Leadership means doing the right things before the polls tell you to. It’s too late to lead by example but it’s not too late to save lives. Jessica LaFreniere, Toronto The picture of the little boy lying face down dead in the water on the beach near Bodrum, Turkey, is searing in eloquence in how our collective civil social institutions have utterly failed to protect the most vulnerable. This little boy must not be made into an electoral issue. This would be crass in the extreme. Monte McMurchy, Toronto I would like to thank columnist Tony Burman for awakening our conscience to the migrant crisis. I have often sat with a heavy heart and pondered on the disparity of lives enjoyed by us and lives of the refugees that we are witnessing. Shame on us all — and above all, shame on our prime minister for totally ignoring the plight of thousands of these human beings. Mimi Khan, Scarborough There are the Tories. Lying about Syrian immigration and, meanwhile, letting children die a horrible death just to save a few bucks for their corporate oil buddies. Complete squalor of the mind. How can Chris Alexander sleep at night? Bryan Charlebois, Toronto Never before have I been ashamed of being Canadian. The blood of little Alan Kurdi is on our hands. Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, Toronto