Immigration (6)

So, I’ve completed my first year in Canada – without a whimper. Happy first anniversary to me! And now without further ado, here’s a customary list of only a few of many, many things that I’ve come to see, like, love and dislike in this great country. Please note that this is a very incomplete list, and I may add, retract, revise or improve on any item – for of course, I take the liberty of a dumb newbie, as always.

The snow builds up on the side-walks inch by inch. It’s soft, fluffy and when you step on it, your water-proof shoes leave a deep imprint. So perfect is the impression planted by the sole of your shoes that you cannot help but to try to turn around and see what is left behind. Your neck is stiff with the parka over your head, so you can’t look behind without turning your entire body around.

According to The Monitor, a statistical publication by the Citizenship and Immigration Canada, United States was ranked number one country sending foreign workers to Canada (2nd table below). In terms of Permanent Residents, however, China is the undisputed king, followed by India, Philippines and Pakistan (all four sending more than ten thousand new immigrants each.)

Long blissfully unoccupied with racial, religious tensions, Canadian blogosphere and popular mainstream media is teeming with bitter, contemptuous posts and articles since the terrust arrests.

Conservatives and supremacists are shouting “told you so/wake up!”. Liberals and pacifists retort that it happened because of Canada’s new interventionist foreign policy.