Illegal Immigrants

[received by email with my response below]

Let me see if I understand all this ~ ~ ~ ~

• If you cross the North Korean border illegally you get 12 years hard labour.
• If you cross the Iranian border illegally you are detained indefnitely.
• If you cross the Afghan border illegally you get shot.
• If you cross the Chinese border illegally you may never be heard from again
• If you cross the Venezuelan border illegally you will be branded a spy and your fate will be sealed.
• If you cross the Cuban border illegally you will be thrown into political prison to rot
  

If you cross the Canadian border illegally you get a job, a driver's license, social secrity number, welfare, food stamps, credit cards, subsidized rent or a loan to buy a house, free education, free health care, a lobbyist in Ottawa and in many instances you can vote. !!!!!!

----

First and foremost, anyone entering Canada illegally can and does result in several severe penalties including deportation. Even those caught living illegally in Canada for several years and being rather productive without contributing to the tax base other than through sales tax have been deported with the most recent case an elderly woman. While the above is making the email rounds it clearly was not written by a Canadian. We do not have Social Security Numbers we have Social Insurance Numbers (SIN). In order to legally work in Canada you need a SIN. To get a SIN you need to have proof of Canadian citizenship or eligibility to obtain a temporary SIN that begins with the three numerals 905. If you do not qualify for a temporary SIN then you can apply for a work permit jointly applied for by you and your employer. You will require a legal passport in order to apply for a work permit. Now you can technically work illegally under the table without a SIN but you wouldn't want to get caught doing so. Illegal workers in Canada can be found working as seasonal farm labour as well as the sex, adult entertainment and drug sector so while it is possible it definitely is not going to be very appealing. To obtain a driver's license you need to present a valid driver's license from your previous residence. Those within Canada have no problem obtaining a driver's license from their new province or town of residence. Those presenting a driver's license other than Canadian will need to show they have gone through the hoop of getting all the necessary permits such as SIN or work permit. Health care is free (to some degree) in Canada for Canadian citizens. Non-residents must apply to the appropriate provincial health care with appropriate documentation to prove they are Canadian citizens and wait for the require time (usually 3 months). Illegal immigrants are technically out of luck with respect to Canadian health care. Social Assistance (welfare) is administered at the county levels. You must be a Canadian with proof of citizenship residing in that county for at least 3 months to be eligible for social assistance. Food stamps are non-existent! That is a US concept not a Canadian one. In extreme emergency situations a Canadian citizen could qualify for a food voucher that could be taken to the grocery store but it is not the norm. Illegal immigrants are not going to get subsidized for housing or loans for buying a home. Just to buy a house you need proof of citizenship! You will not get a lobbyist in Ottawa and illegal immigrants do not get a chance to vote. If you're lucky you might get a human activist to act on your behalf but again that is usually in extreme cases.

Sorry as convincing as the actual email sounded any Canadian would recognize it for the ignorance and bigotry it displays.

Garden Gnome
© 2008, 2009

Remembrance Day 2009

[Note: This is a repost from my personal blog, My Journey. It was originally posted on November 11, 2009. The video is well worth watching several times. Please take a moment to watch the video and ponder the price so many have paid to make Canada the great nation that it is.]

I come from a strong military family with ancestors that were instrumental in shaping the history of Canada. I grew up surrounded by relatives who had fought for this country. Some of them made the ultimate sacrifice and while they are no longer here they live forever in our memories. If this video does not bring tears to your eyes, nothing will. On the 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11th month we honour our fallen with 2 minutes silence from shore to shore of our great nation, Canada. Please join our nation in showing our respect and how thankful we are for enjoying the freedom they fought so hard for.

Remembrance Day Tribute

courtesy of
Global TV Edmonton

Garden Gnome
© 2008, 2009

The Issue of Local Television in Canada

Television reception in Canada is received through antennas, satellite dishes and cable. Telecommunications is controlled by the CRTC. Many Canadians do not think fondly of the CRTC because they basically dictate what can be shown on television or listened to on the radio with a mandatory percentage of Canadian content.. In addition to that the CRTC has recently made a very unpopular decision for those using satellite internet by allowing the satellite internet providers to continue throttling bandwidths under FAP (fair access policy). What this means to users of satellite internet is if you reach a certain bandwidth threshold which is not disclosed the satellite internet provider will slow your speed to about 40% for anywhere from 1 to 24 hours depending on the provider. In essence you pay 100% for the service but at times only get 40% of the service. No other service or retailer would be able to get away with giving you 40% while charging you 100%. In addition to the CRTC's problems they will now have to decide on the issue of local television. They don't have a good track record for deciding in favour of the Canadian consumer either.

Local television programming has always been free for Canadians guaranteeing all Canadians equal access. However, with recent network changes going to digital there are fewer free channels available. Canadians have been turning to satellite and cable providers for their television programming consisting of both premium and local stations. These providers are charging for local television but they are not giving any of the money they charge to local television. Essentially the satellite and cable providers are profiting by selling something they get for free while local television loses. As if Canadians were not paying enough for television programming and it is expensive the Big Local Networks (CTV, Global) want to apply a $10 tax that would help local television. The CRTC will begin reviewing this proposal on November 16, 2009.

As in all debates there are two sides to consider. I recommend reading through both Stop the TV Tax and Save Local TV for more information on the local television issue from both sides. The bottom line is no one wants an additional charge on their television. Canadian should not have to bail out local television when they are already paying for it through their satellite or cable providers who are profiting from it! They should be the ones paying the local television stations.

Garden Gnome
© 2008, 2009

American Oil Industry Parody

Once again thanks to Canada's favourite funny man, Rick Mercer. There is always an element of truth in humour and he is so good at finding it. Enjoy!

Garden Gnome
© 2008, 2009

Canadian Internet

I seriously fought all day trying to get my high speed pay through the nose satellite internet to go faster than a crawl today. Now the CRTC allows throttling which basically means if you have high speed your ISP can slow your speed to make it fair to others. What it really means is I pay 100% of the cost for X speed but at best I can expect 40%. Let's put this in perspective. I go into a burger joint and order a burger and pay for it BUT only get 40% of the burger. Hey, that sounds really fair because that is the Canadian way!

Garden Gnome
© 2008, 2009

A Part of Our Heritage - John Humphrey (Human Rights)

John Peters Humphrey was born in Hampton, New Brunswick on April 30, 1905. He studied at Rothesay Collegiate School (now Rothesay Netherwood School), Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick, and McGill University in Montreal. Humphrey practiced law from 1929 to 1936, when he joined McGill's Faculty of Law as a professor.

In 1946, Professor Humphrey was appointed as the first Director of the Human Rights Division in the United Nations Secretariat. He was a principal drafter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At that time Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the executive group of the Commission. The General Assembly unanimously adopted the Declaration, dubbed by Mrs. Roosevelt as "the international Magna Carta of all mankind" on December 10, 1948. In 1963, he proposed the idea of a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights that while initially received quite positively took more than thirty years to become a reality, under Secretary-General Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1974, "in recognition of his contributions to legal scholarship and his world-wide reputation in the field of human rights". Professor Humphrey remained with the UN until 1966 when he retired to resume his teaching career at McGill University. On the 40th anniversary of the Declaration (1988), the UN Human Rights Award was bestowed on Professor Humphrey.

Professor Humphrey remained a human rights advocate in Canada and internationally until his death on March 14, 1995 at the age of 90. He was a director of the International League for Human Rights; served as a member of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women; and part of the team that launched Amnesty International Canada. Professor Humphrey with colleagues from McGill University was instrumental in creating the Canadian Human Rights Foundation.

Professor Humphrey left a lasting legacy regarding human rights worldwide. The McGill University Faculty of Law has held the John P. Humphrey Lectureship in Human Rights since 1988. This is an annual lecture on the role of international law and organizations in the worldwide protection of human rights. The John Peters Humphrey Model United Nations is an annual May event in Fredericton, New Brunswick. The John Humphrey Freedom Award, presented by the Canadian human rights group Rights & Democracy, is awarded annually to organizations and individuals worldwide for exceptional achievement in the promotion of human rights and democratic development. In June 2008, a memorial to Dr. Humphrey located just a few h hundred yards from his childhood home, was unveiled in his hometown of Hampton, New Brunswick.


Garden Gnome
© 2008, 2009

Cross Border Shopping

Canadians living near the US border have coined a phrase, cross border shopping. When the Canadian dollar is higher cross border shopping increases. Some restaurants in US border towns encourage Canadians to spend their dollars on the US side by offering Canadian dollar at par meaning there is no exchange rate either. At one time most goods brought back into Canada from the US were subject to duty and appropriate provincial and federal taxes. With NAFTA the situation has changed considerably with most goods being duty free but the provincial and federal taxes are still collected on the Canadian value of the goods. Despite that some individuals continue to try sneaking goods into Canada without paying what they see as duties even though in reality it is only taxes (GST/HST). This is officially known as smuggling. If you are caught smuggling there are some rather hefty penalties ranging from fines, seizure of goods, seizure of personal property (vehicle, boat) and possible criminal charges that will prevent you from traveling to the US again. There are also restrictions as to the amount of certain items an adult can bring back and some goods are strictly prohibited. There are personal exemptions for stays outside of Canada greater than 24 hours. For a comprehensive guideline for what can be brought into Canada and what duties and/or taxes apply please refer to the Canadian publication put out by the Canada Border Services Agency titled I Declare.

With this in mind here's a chuckle from Canada's favourite funny man, Rick Mercer.

Garden Gnome
© 2008, 2009