Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Critical Thinking - Yes. Fear Mongering - No.



Last week I wrote a post critical of Rex Murphy's CBC opinion about how the Syrian refugee situation should be handled by Justin Trudeau. At first blush, his view that more time should be taken in admitting 25,000 to Canada seemed reasonable. However, digging beneath the surface of those comments, one could see that Rex was really trying to inject fear and suspicion of them into the equation. I ended the post by saying that the timelines for bringing the refugees to Canada are a fit topic for debate, but Rex's subtly subversive cant is not.

Always an advocate of critical thinking, I offer as a contrast some comments by the Star's Martin Regg Cohn, who, while questioning those very same timelines that Rex seemed to, does so in a forthright and responsible way, without resorting to the demagoguery that Murphy did. Whereas Murphy plays the fear card in urging a slowdown, Cohn argues that the evacuation of 25,000 refugees is quite doable, but having them all come here by the end of this year will put huge strains on the infrastructure needed to accomodate them:
Thanks to the prime minister’s gambit, the Ontario government is scrambling to find every square metre of provincially owned property that it can place at the disposal of refugees arriving in the December cold. That means a couple of recently decommissioned hospitals in the GTA, schools with space to spare and other safe havens that Infrastructure Ontario can ferret out from its portfolio of barren buildings across Ontario, according to a senior provincial source.
Cohn attributes political motivations to the rush:
Meeting the December deadline is about electoral credibility, not practicality.

Bluntly speaking, it’s an easy deliverable for a newly elected government trying to show its mastery of events during its first 100 days in power. The question isn’t whether it’s workable, but wise.
The above perspective certain offers a positive contribution to the debate, but Cohn also sharply distinguishes himself from xenophobes and fear mongers like Murphy with the following:
Much has been said about the need to delay resettlement in light of heightened security fears after the Paris terrorist attacks. The impulse is understandable but unfounded. To be clear, Canada is drawing upon a pool of the Middle East’s most vulnerable refugees — mostly women and children — who have been languishing in UN-vetted camps for years, not secretly infiltrating Europe’s porous borders.

The bigger uncertainty isn’t security but capacity — the exigencies of timing, the shortages of accommodation and the harshness of the Canadian climate in late December.
Responsible journalism versus cleverly-disguised prejudice. Sometimes they are not the easiest to distinguish.

9 comments:

  1. I suspect that PM Trudeau will not back down on this come hell or high water. He's going to prove that we/he can dream big in a positive way and achieve it. The easy way out would be to blame the circumstances - "just not enough time". He'll prove he's not to be screwed with when he sets his mind to doing something. He's going to show he can get the job done, and smile while he's doing it! Let's not forget - like the Conservative did, or at least wanted to - this is the guy that somehow, unexpectedly, knocked the stuffing out of Brazeau. He's about to pull a few more rabbits out of his hat!

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    1. I cautiously share your optimism, UU4077.

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    2. I guess I was wrong. 10,000 Syrian refugees by Dec.31, the other 15,000 by end of Feb,/16. All those saying he should not do this before the end of 2015 are now claiming that Liberals don't keep their promises! Geez ...

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    3. I think it is wise to shut out the naysayers, who will never be happy. Kirby Cairo had an excellent post yesterday that really puts the right wing into perspective. If you haven't read it, here is the link:
      http://kirbycairo.blogspot.ca/2015/11/the-real-weakness-of-rightwing.html

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    4. Don't worry. I shut them out - constantly.

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  2. It was just a gigantic political ploy this obsession on the deadline. And it has back fired. Canadians are not that stupid. Boycott he main stream media and write the Minister of Canadian Heritage and tell her Canadians want the CBC restored to itself.

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    1. Anything the new government can do to help the CBC would be cheered by many, many Canadians, Anon.

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  3. .. just looking at the images by concerned photojournalists.. hell, anyone with a celphone.. of refugees - should stun any sentient Canadian. Trudeau was jeered by non-sentient partisans for suggesting Canada could provide warm clothing, footwear and food to these refugees.. in hindsight his vision was powerful. We see the aged women in the camps, cutting up materials for 'shoes' for the children. Kids with different right/left footwear of differing sizes.. trying to sleep within burlap shelters, on rags or bags. Haunted eyes.. yet shy smiles trying to break thru.. from toddlers & the aged.. the mother no doubt in line for a cup of grain, a splash of water, a tiny dole of vitamins perhaps, or a section of fabric..

    It may be the onset of a Canadian winter.. but those poor folks are living the nightmare winter of war.. with death, drought, bombing, extremism, the most extreme marginal and dire poverty.. lives on a thread..

    Who dares from their ivory tower, or Rosedale mansion, their condo, farm, chic apartment, cozy cottage or Florida getaway.. to judge these victims, pontificate about 'vetting' them ? Vetting them for what? Resilience? Gut wrenching survival skills.. their will to live ?

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    1. Your comments are a powerful indictment of those who want to isolate and cosset themselves and pay no heed to the larger world, Salamander.

      A business commentator on the local news yesterday was saying that studies show that having refugees and immigrants always leads to a boost in the economy. I am not saying the argument for their coming should be based on those grounds, but the resilience, etc. that you mention should make it no surprise that so many of them thrive when they come here. They have already endured the worst that life has to offer, and are keen to rebuild their lives and become once again productive citizens.

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