Canada must do more for Syrian refugees

The fact that a nation (Canada) with a population composed greatly of the descendants of recent immigrants is now refusing to accept its share of Syrian refugees is absolutely appalling.

Within just several generations, we have gone from beggars to choosers, and the choice our elected government is making relative to the current migrant crisis is just plain wrong.

I wish I could write that Canada’s unwillingness to lend a helping hand to these desperate migrants is surprising and uncharacteristic of our traditionally friendly country. However, given Harper’s track record relating to humanitarian efforts, both at home and abroad, his current behaviour comes as no surprise.

If Harper is playing a political game, he must stop now. This is no longer a political matter. It is a matter of morality. Innocent people are dying. Children are missing out on crucial years of formal education due to their forced displacement. These people require refuge, and as a privileged nation, Canada has a moral obligation to provide such refuge.

Yet Harper continues to preach military action against ISIS as being the main solution to this crisis. It is commonly understood that the military conflict in the Middle East is going to take a very long time to be resolved. In the meantime, millions of people’s lives are in jeopardy due to an unwillingness of prosperous nations to welcome them in.

Even if Harper insists on using Canada’s military to assist in the eventual resolution of middle-eastern conflict, why can’t he also be willing to provide asylum?

Not everyone can wait patiently for ISIS to be defeated. If we continue to shut our doors to these people, they will continue to desperately flee towards Europe, and more and more lives will undoubtedly be lost.

A person’s life is not worth less just because they had the bad luck of being born in a country not subject to perennial peace.

Joel Maziarski
Lively