RE: Helping fellow humans is our Canadian duty (Gazette, Dec. 2).
I feel compelled to write a response to Jennifer’s commentary to point out the obvious flaw in her thinking and her needless shaming of Canadians who are not compelled to take in a mass influx of Syrian refugees. While I am sure I will be crowned a xenophobe, racist or some other phobia based title as pointed out in the commentary for having a dissenting voice. Sometimes we need to have a grown-up conversation and not a progressive, left-leaning, feel-good irrational one that ends in phobia based name calling. If Jennifer and the Liberal government truly wanted to help then they would realize the best thing Canada could do is not take in any Syrian refugees. The ever growing price tag for each refugee is pushing $45,000 dollars and additional costs such as health care, education, training, administration, provincial and municipal government costs, etc. have not even been factored in. With the Liberal government now stating that Syrian refugees will number 35,000 – 50,000 by the end of 2016 the financial costs will only continue to grow. Do not forget we are doing the majority of this on borrowed deficit spending.
Now compare what refugee camps cost in neighbouring countries to Syria such as those in Turkey (example Kilis Oncupinar Accommodation Facility). They average $30 million a year to operate and typically house around 15,000 people. While some refugee camps in other countries are uninhabitable there are others that are permanent, secure, and habitable. They offer health care, education, basic necessities, shopping, playgrounds and even television and Internet services. When you break down the numbers there is a huge cost and the question that needs to be asked is if we are getting the best bang for our buck the way we are spending our money? After all the over $1 billion promised already could house over 500,000 Syrian refugees for an entire year or over 85,000 per year over the six years of government promised funding.
So maybe I am a xenophobe or racist for not supporting the government’s politicized refugee plan. Then again maybe I am just a pragmatist and a realist that sees that if we are truly concerned about showing our “privileged” Canadian humanitarianism we should be helping 85,000 refugees each year in other countries instead of selectively and discriminately picking 25,000 and condemning the other refugees we could have helped to an uncertain future. Each year we still take in refugees from all over the world and that will not change which is fine. Investing in an inefficient high cost mass refugee immigration plan that helps only a select few Syrians when so many more need help is illogical. God help us if the rest of our government becomes as inefficient in getting results as the Syrian refugee plan that Jennifer supports is.
Mike Zapchek, St. Albert
