opinions 7 How to Reduce Immigration to Canada: A Checklist Sajia Kabir, OP Illegal Contributor I've always thought it hypocritical that a country which was founded on conquest and which still has issues with the status of indigenous peoples should try to shut down immigration on moral, as opposed to pragmatic, grounds. These suggestions, while probably not as satis- fyingly macho as enforcing vigilante border patrol a la Minutemen, might help to deal with the root causes of immigration, as well as make for a better world in gen- eral. Seven steps to consider: 1. Stop befriending regimes which torture, dispossess, or systematically repress people. 2. Sell fewer weapons. 3. Pay workers in the Third World a living wage. Since the cost of living in these countries is much lower in dollar terms than in the West, corporations could afford to pay a wage that covered adequate food and shelter and still make an adequate profit. A living wage would also lead to a multiplier effect for the global economy. What Michael Moore said about a minimum wage for Americans applies a hundred-fold for people in Bangladesh and South Africa. 4. Stop under-funding social services in the name of “structural adjustments,” and stop degrading the environment of the Third World. No matter how bad healthcare is in Canada, it's got a long way to go before it falls below the standards of the developing world, and thus it will continue to be a draw for immigrants in search of a better life. Ditto with the environment: the poorly planned and regulated industrialization of the last two decades, while succeeding in raising living standards for some, has in many ways adversely affected the health and well- being of those who had little to begin with . Provide reproductive services, including but not limited to abortion on demand, to women and men. As a matter of fact, anti-immigration groups of the US have been associated with the testing and dispensing of dangerous birth control methods such as Depo Provera and Norplant upon poor women of Bangladesh and other countries. No one wants an extension of the Chinese policies of forced abortions for the rest of the world. But both women and men of the Third World are willing and eager to use safe, healthy, and non-coercive methods of family planning to limit family size. . Educate and empower women in general. This point deserves a ten-page essay of its own, to say the least. The United Nations Development Programme reports that the better-educated and more empowered women are, the lower the rates of child mortality, poverty, and malnutrition, among other benefits. . Insist on more realism in the depiction of the Western world in Hollywood films. Think more Napoleon Dynamite, less Harry Potter. Editor's note: The Minutemen is a group of retired law professionals who work, to protect America's borders. Desperately bored and trigger-happy, they can be studied at www.minutemen.com. Multicultural Chaos: Will Canada be the Next France? Left Overs lain Reeve, OP Columnist Canada prides itself on a great many things. From sim- ple things like snow, politeness, and hockey, to bigger concepts like freedom, peace, and democracy. But let us not forget tolerance and diversity. Canada is growing incredibly quickly in ethnic diversity. We are one of the world's most diverse countries and have managed this diversity with a comparatively low amount of violent tension. Sure any country will, at some point, experi- ence isolated incidents of racially motivated violence but we're far from widespread conflict. Right? Recent events in and around Paris have reminded us of the immense emotional weight that stands behind people's cultural beliefs. Many of you will no doubt remember the ban France placed last year on head- scarves and other visibly religious paraphernalia in pub- lic schools. The principle standing behind the law is not poorly placed. France wants to promote a religiously neutral environment in its schools and to prevent the possibility of discrimination based on religious orienta- tion in the schools. It seems like they are trying to make steps towards what many think is a perfectly integrated society: a society where all the cultures in a state come together to create a unified culture, celebrating aspects of all its component parts; a nation where religion is allowed but is a more personal, internalized thing rather than an externalized expression. The problem, however, is that while the French gov- ernment is more than willing to coax the ever-growing Muslim minority to embrace the wonders of multicul- turalism and secularism, the first and even second-gen- eration immigrants have some rather understandable hesitations. It is hard for many of us who were born in Canada to understand but adapting to a new culture is very dif- ficult. Not only is it difficult to put everything you have been brought up to believe on the shelf—it's hard to decide if you should have to. Every immigrant must deal with finding a balance between their history and their future; this is a very confusing time for most. Even the children of immigrants often grow up with pres- sures from their family to maintain culture, preserve language, marry within the ethnicity, and perpetuate reli- gion to their children. What I am trying to explicate is the huge strain this process puts on people. Thus, when government comes along and simply says, “get over it” or, “this is where you live, you have to do it our way or bugger off,” feathers get quite understandably ruffled. As per usual, I do not condone the violence that has occurred in Paris—there are other ways to solve dis- putes. But the government needs to understand that multiculturalism and a successful diverse society does not come from cramming rules down people's throats. It comes from being tolerant of other's beliefs and tak- ing the time to grow together. Like any relationship it does not happen overnight. It takes years and, in some cases, generations of careful building to create some- thing peaceful and pleasant to live in. In many ways, Canada has been a glowing example of this. We have balanced a hugely diverse population without any meltdowns like Paris is experiencing this week. The reason for this is that we have gone out of our way to accommodate difference rather than enforce conformity. We should be fine if we keep it up.