Good for the Canadian Government

Not so good the comments from ordinary Canadians

For some reason Yahoo is one of the sites that the wacko bigots like to flock to, regardless of country.

Never understood why though...

My parents went to grad school in the United State. They've worked hard all their lives, pay their taxes, donate to the American Red Cross, own several properties and have zero criminal records minus parking/traffic ticket you can count on one hand. It took my mom over 15 years and my dad over 20 to elevate their citizenship statuses in the united state and in that time neither lived with a full sense of security. If either of them lost their jobs, it's not just the $ that'll be gone, they will be. Certain United States immigrants are only allowed so many days to be unemployed before facing deportation on account of being "useless". Of course immigration policies have and are constantly changing but this is what they went through and those kinds of egg shells have been noticeable in the household for me growing up. Can you imagine being asked to leave your country of residence, leave your family and friends anytime there is a gap in your employment for the next 15-20 years? Not to mention certain things you cannot enjoy on account of your status. 

The point is, I come from a family of honest working folks who made a living for themselves and me the lengthy but "proper" way without the help of any affirmative actions. They paid their dues and boy did they pay, unlike the groups of others who have managed to find loop holes in the system and take advantage of it.

So while it's nice to see Canada being gay friendly....the fact that its doing so in a manner of offering immigration flash passes bothers me regardless of it being a different country and for different reasons. In an era where North Americans are claiming to be so progressive and so righteous in equality, I don't see how giving anyone preferential treatment on sexual orientation fall in line with that. In a world of limited resources, anytime you give to someone, you take away from someone else, always. Not to mention, there are people of the world living under far worse conditions than gays in Russia, what about them? What makes gay people so special? I would certainly hope the US will not follow suit. As fucked up as its immigration system already is, this won't make it better. And just because I am gay doesn't mean I will favor anything that favors gay people.

Um, "immigration", "asylum". Different words. Different meanings.

Let's just repeat that.  Granting "asylum" is NOT "immigration".

They do not mean the same.

They should NOT be conflated.

Asylum is to grant people safe refuge from  oppression.

Asylum is about compassion.

You're not an oppressed homosexual.

Lucky old you.

You're arguing semantics.

Affirmative action is basically the granting of refuge and sanctity to oppressed or historically oppressed people from their undesirable circumstances into a much more appealing one with regards to only a very specific qualification. Is this a compassion you are in favor of?

Also, under what criteria are you using to decide if something is oppressing in this world and isn't? Is oppression only limited to obvious political or religious oppression? What about corporate oppression or social oppression or subtle but damaging psychological oppression to a minority of any given category? How much of all of this is already rooted in the United States or Canada? But we're trying to play the "human rights" game by taking in other people's problems? Whatever happened to that saying "if you're going to bring gum, then make sure you bring enough for everyone"? Can we even define "everyone" yet? So it's not really true compassion but convenient compassion...compassion for only what's easy to give compassion to and ignoring what is not. That's not so compassionate. And you wouldn't know how oppressed I am, you're assuming that because I live where I do, I haven't suffered oppressive effects from non-violent but crippling psychological damages from social rejection (not saying I have, but you wouldn't know that). If I'm trying to take refuge to Canada, think they'll take me?

You're arguing semantics ...

Semantics? Nope, not me. It's you that is playing the semantics card by suggesting that defining "oppression" is really much too complicated and difficult - so best not to bother at all, let's just forget about 'em because, in your own words, these are "other people's problems".

Refugee / asylum seeker

"A refugee is a person who is outside his or her country of origin or habitual residence because they have suffered (or fear) persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because they are a member of a persecuted 'social group' or because they are fleeing a war. Such a person may be called an 'asylum seeker' until recognized by the state where they make a claim."

[OED]

If you'd read Steve's link carefully you would have seen the statement that a hearing is held for each asylum claimant and decisions are made for each individual "based on the merits of the specific facts presented in an individual case". You should open your eyes to the "oppressed people like political refugees, people who suffer discrimination up to and including death" that Steve referred to.

Immigrants

Er, that would be you. And your Mum and Dad. And the rest of your family who have ever lived in America. People who wished to move, in your own words, "from their undesirable circumstances into a much more appealing one".

In fact every single American is an immigrant except those who were already living there since ancient times - the Native Americans.

So it's nothing but selfishness and hypocrisy for a Non-Native American to want to deny immigrants to your country, let alone oppressed people who rightly deserve compassion - see below.

As if your country is overcrowded!!

Compassion

As for your witterings about "compassion", well I'm not going to try and explain compassion to you. You either have it or you don't.