Canadian refugee ‘model’ isn’t exportable: Persichilli

2016/09/27 Leave a comment

Tend to agree regarding the non-applicability of the Canadian model – histories, geographies and situations just to different:

As for the adoption of the “Canadian model” for solving the world refugees problem, that’s an overstatement that can be of no interest in Europe. It is like suggesting a tea party in the family room to host an after-party for thousands of people attending a Toronto Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre.

In Europe, the problem is not a lack of willingness to host refugees; in fact, they are already hosting millions. The problem is in the numbers, and those numbers are out of our reach.

Source: Canadian refugee ‘model’ isn’t exportable – The Hill Times – The Hill Times

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Beware the side-effects of cultural sensitivity, it can provide ammunition for Trump-types

2016/06/21 Leave a comment

Interesting commentary by former PMO Comms Director and editor of Corriere Canadese, Angelo Persichilli, exploring what cultural sensitivity means: 

Media must report events of particular interest, but we must be careful when we write about Immigration because facts can be interpreted differently.

If we read that a medical doctor has been arrested because he committed fraud, we know that the fraudster is the doctor, not the entire category. However, if there is fraud in Immigration, many easily assume that the entire system is rigged and/or all immigrants are dishonest.

I agreed with Immigration Minister John McCallum when, reacting to the auditor general’s report, he admitted the problem but warned not to interpret it as an indictment against Immigration and immigrants. We must also avoid the subtle criminalization of institutions and people that work hard to do their job interpreting definitions that change from country to country and are redefined daily, according to the new demographic evolution and, at times, conveniently re-arranged according to the needs of all those involved. Furthermore, the volume of the cases to be dealt with is high and increasing, and the people assigned to deal with them are shrinking.

The Immigration department needs new and clear directives but, considering all the changes, it is working better than many government department other countries. As well, the officers involved are doing a good job and potential immigrants to this country are treated with respect and dignity.

There are exceptions and mistakes that must be corrected, but we have neither martyrs nor racists involved. We only have people, from both sides, trying hard to deal with a rapidly changing society, learning daily how to better understand each other. 

Cultural sensitivity is not a well-defined set of rules. It is our willingness to learn from each other and apply the results to our daily lives. If we do a better job explaining this, Donald Trump will soon be back to constructing buildings, not walls.

Source: Beware the side-effects of cultural sensitivity, it can provide ammunition for Trump-types

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