Canada offers no guarantee of perfect life

Canada offers no guarantee of perfect life

By MINDELLE JACOBS

Welcome to Canada, a country that accepts newcomers with open arms. Now, how quickly can you start complaining?

Boy, have we become a nation of grumps. Decades ago, people immigrated to Canada with nothing but gratitude and high hopes-- not with the expectation that if life didn't turn out as planned, it was all Canada's fault.

Now, it seems, if Canada doesn't live up to people's utopian ideals, the government must set things right.

The UN's expert on minority issues was here last week, lending an ear to various ethnic communities in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Reading Gay McDougall's preliminary report on her visit, you'd think Canada was a hotbed of discrimination.

"Achieving a truly inclusive society requires constant vigilance," she warned. Ethnic and religious minorities believe they face "significant and persistent problems" -- so much so that many feel like second-class citizens in Canada, she says.

"Many of those I have spoken with feel that the government has failed to respond adequately to their problems or to devise meaningful solutions."

Well, here's an important civics lesson, folks. Whether your family has been here for several generations or you're a new immigrant, Canada doesn't guarantee you a perfect life.

In a sense, permanent residency in Canada means you've already won the lottery. Many of you have come from countries with atrocious human rights records, widespread poverty or endemic political corruption.

Canada means a second chance in a country epitomized by a workable multiculturalism (who else does it better?), freedom of religion and the rule of law. You can say pretty much what you want and government goons aren't going to kidnap and torture you if you vote for the opposition.

Yes, there are terrible crimes committed here but, overall, it's still a safe country. Just ask anyone who's emigrated from South Africa.

To be sure, life is hard for some, but there is only so much a government can do to encourage citizens to better themselves. Many new immigrants do not fare as well as longtime Canadians. That is an unfortunate side-effect of starting over in a new country.

But their kids will do better and the next generation will be even more successful. Canada has its bigots and thugs but, for the most part, we've become admirably colour-blind. How it could not be, with about 16% of our population now made up of visible minorities?

In her report, McDougall touches on the high drop-out rates of boys in African and certain Asian communities. "The current discourse and rhetoric of multicultural education appear to be failing these children," she says.

Communities leaders complain, she adds, that the education system doesn't consider different cultures of learning and that, among teachers, minorities are underrepresented.

Sorry, but that's a red herring. Members of minority groups whose children have excelled will tell you that educational and career achievement is driven primarily by family support and a culture of high expectations.

Canada's public schools are very good. If too many young men from certain ethnic groups are dropping out of school, perhaps the spotlight should be on family problems and an unsavoury peer group--not the curriculum.

If McDougall wants to vent her spleen, how about taking a potshot at some real monsters, such as Burma, Saudi Arabia or Sudan?