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.