Concern over excessive immigration and its impact isn’t just right-wing paranoia

In a political climate that continues to be defined by rigid political correctness and polarization, the discourse seems to be at its most debased when it concerns immigration and multiculturalism. Guided by Prime Minister Trudeau’s tedious maxim, “Diversity is our strength,” members of the Liberal government often suggest that detractors of their immigration policies are bigoted or engaging in “divisive fear-mongering.” Despite its utility as a political cudgel, this tendency detracts from honest discussions that should be had about the impact of his government’s crusade for a perfectly contrived ‘diverse’ Canada. Staunchly preoccupied with diversity, it appears that he has relieved himself of his duty to maintain a good, orderly, and responsible government. Coalescing with a well-entrenched welfare state, the rate at which Trudeau has allowed people into the country to achieve his objective of 310,000 new immigrants this year (including 64,017 pending refugee protection claims and 46,245 asylum claimants being processed as of October) has become economically unsustainable. In a report published in November 2015 by the Fraser Institute, economist Herbert Grubel contended that free immigration would be burdensome for taxpayers as newcomers with low average incomes would pay less in taxes while absorbing government services. His thesis has been proven to be true. In a recent article, Ali Taghva points out that newly settled refugees have been forced to live in poverty due to the government’s mismanagement of the situation. Compounding this is the government’s failure to allocate enough resources to provincial governments to assist them in alleviating hardship. The Liberals’ disorganization, Taghva argues, are leaving migrants in “an awkward state of welfare supported poverty, all at the expense of the Canadian taxpayer.” During a migrant influx earlier this year, Toronto mayor John Tory voiced his frustration with the lack of help from Ottawa to attenuate a “crisis” that will likely cost taxpayers $64 million by the end of this year. Other concerns pertain to culture and how an influx of people from societies with vastly different cultural traditions may have adverse effects on the social fabric. Being apprehensive about this has been a good way to elicit epithet-laden reactions. One politician that has been eager to confront this is Maxime Bernier. On Remembrance Day, Bernier posted a tweet stating that: “Radical multiculturalism is the misguided belief that all values and cultures can coexist in one society.” Responding to this, John Ivison accuses Bernier of ludicrous alarmism with his contention that politically correct multiculturalism combined with excessive immigration is “destroying” Canadian culture. It is fair to say claims that the culture is on the verge of becoming moribund could be overstated, but people should consider if Bernier’s disquiet about cultural co-existence is at least somewhat justified. Trudeau’s ignominious belief that Canada lacks an identity evinces a flawed understanding of the core values our free society is based around. This causes a paralyzing cultural relativism to permeate that exempts particular groups from even a scintilla of criticism. Because of this, his government has overlooked religious intolerance among Islamists, and Liberal ministers have absurdly defended Sharia law. As Trudeau’s protestations don’t promote a unifying Canadian identity, immigrants don’t have much to latch on to that will help them integrate into the rest of society. The consequence is a demoralizing “self-ghettoization.” Realizing this, Pakistani immigrant and Calgary resident Israr Kasana attests that he and his family became a part of mainstream culture to “reap the fruits of immigrating” to Canada and integrate themselves. However, he has been unsuccessful in persuading others to do the same since they’re too attached to their communities and are afraid to branch out. It is evident that the present migration rate will produce more negative outcomes than positive ones for both immigrants and Canadians due to the government’s inability to handle all the concomitant challenges­­­---or even devise a coherent strategy that would attempt to do so. All of this isn’t to deny that diversity and immigration have been culturally enriching and economically profitable. But our ability to relish the benefits mustn’t blind us from the problems that have manifested themselves as a result of the Prime Minister’s overly compassionate disposition that renders his approach to governance dangerously imprudent.