Immigration (2)
The Federal Cracking Down on Crooked Consultants Act is yet another example of genius ideas that could only originate from government committees and inter-departmental projects relying on expensive studies, funded ‘experts’ and fact finding missions to exotic locations – thus creating more work for each other and jobs for the boys.
Or may be it’s a psychological comedy play whose name cannot be uttered with a straight face: Cracking Up with Crooked Consultants – Act I… harharhar. Please!
To commemorate my boarding the Citizen Ship recently, and as blogged earlier, I took it upon myself to construct a version of O Canada to appeal to Canadians who are now more immigrant-friendly (country’s emerging reality), belief-independent (agnostics / atheists / humanists / non-biblicals ahoy!) and gender-neutral (as much as I’m a typical guy who’d like to have a son as first-born to share fishing and sport with, the state shouldn’t encourage me subliminally with the anthem, you know.)
So one fine morning, not very long ago, I pledged my allegiance to the Queen by raising my right hand to affirm my loyalty to the Crown and became a Canadian Citizen.
I was instructed to bring along a religious book of my choice, but as an agnostic with serious mood swings into atheism and back, I decided my word was good enough for the King and the Country — and the honourable Canadian Justice system agreed.
People were accompanied by friends and family who cheered and took photographs.
A disciple asked his Zen master: “Shall I get married or not?”
“Whatever you choose you will regret it!”, answered the Zen master.
So the answer to our question would be the same.
But I have read something else – that’s the problem of being an avid reader, it’s difficult to come with something original and whatever I think it is original I might have read it somewhere and I forgot that I read it, but I digress so I’ll just start with a new sentence for a better impact.
I have enjoyed reading this blog. I was happy to see that this blogger is indeed rattling his cage. As an immigrant from the third world myself, I have faced similar feelings that CinniKull did and on some days felt a level of frustration that I did not think would ever end.
Perhaps behind my sense of agony about not ”succeeding” in Canada was my viewpoint which was shaped by my experiences thus far. In other words:
By Brooke Wilkinson
Why did you want to leave your home country?
For a better life in a freer country.
Why did you decide to move to Toronto?
Because a family member lived here.
What family members or friends did you leave behind?
The recession and financial crisis have put tremendous pressure on the Canadian job market even for ‘real’ born-and-bred Canadians. Of course, for immigrants, that means ever more pressure to find employment and choosing a career when even during hunky-dory times they faced such scarcity of work — their high educational and professional backgrounds notwithstanding.
