Canada finally closing her legs

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) released its annual report on Friday. Canadians used to seeing the numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers go up and up and up will welcome the news that the number of refugees actually granted asylum in Canada dropped dramatically in the latest reporting year.

Successful claims by refugees already in Canada fell to less than half of what it was under the Gliberals. Give Mr. Harpoon full marks on this one. The new stats show the impact of his government's efforts to overhaul Canada's immigration system [is dis a system? ed.] at long last.

This past summer the government imposed visa restrictions on Czechs and Mexicans as part of a broader attempt to block bogus refugee claims filed from within Canada. A spokesman, Alykhan Velshi [what part of Ireland is he from? ed.] noted that Mexico was the top source of asylum claims in 2008, yet the Immigration and Refugee Board rejected 90% of those claims.

As for the Czechs, the real target there is gypsies, or "Roma" as they prefer to be called now. Problems with these people, whose nomadic "culture" rejects honesty, education and even cleanliness, have already been noted in Toronto schools and social housing.

Predictably, the bleeding-heart liberals have already complained that Canada is shirking her responsibility to take in everyone and everything in the world. (Back in the dark ages before WWII expressions like "the scum of the earth" were used, but of course no-one would dare use such a phrase now.)

The likes of NDP MP Olivia Chow and "Dame" Janet Dench, head of a self-appointed watchdog group known as the Canadian Council for Refugees, say the numbers show a lack of compassion and a potential disregard of the government's obligations under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Says Dame Dench, "It's a very bleak, bleak picture for refugees and Canadians that [sic] care about refugees." All two dozen of them.

CIC's report shows the projected number of refugees who will be accepted from within Canada will remain near the lower 2008 levels both this year and next. Mr. Velshi said the report's projections do not take into account the immigration minister's plans for a new system that will weed out “bogus” claims made in Canada more quickly while still respecting the Charter.

“Clearly our system is being abused,” Mr. Velshi said. “[The minister] plans to reform our asylum system.” Not before time!