What if you found out that a family down the street had suffered a fire and was now homeless?
You’d help. I know you would because we almost always write stories at this newspaper about clothing drives and the like for fire victims. Not unlike clockwork, as soon as we post a story about a homeless family my voicemail and inbox fill up with messages of support.
It’s what our community does, and we do it well.
But what if that family wasn’t down the street, but was instead around the world? And what if their home didn’t burn to the ground in a fire, but was instead levelled by artillery? And what if they weren’t Canadian, but (gulp) Syrian…and/or Muslim?
Would you still help? You should, because it’s time to stand up, be Canadian and let the Syrians into not only Canada, but Cornwall and SD and G.
We have the room, we have the jobs…and we damn well have the heart to help when others need it. Unfortunately, we also have a lot of fear and ignorance. We were about two steps away from running a story last week about a local business owner who leapt to Facebook to suggest Muslim women who wear the hijab are “rag heads” who should be shipped back home.
In the end we dropped the story with a warning for the business owner, who claimed they didn’t know the term was offensive (yeah, right), in the interests of fairness. People make inflammatory comments all the time via social media, but they don’t end up in the newspaper in the process so we gave them a pass…for now.
But it illustrates the underlying racial tones that run deep in our community – especially on this hot-button issue. Many of us are ignoring the real story behind these refugees, and are confusing fact with fiction.
This week Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to “suspend” his Syrian refugee plan over safety concerns.
Things are worse in the U.S., where governors from more than a dozen states have pushed the panic button and will refuse refugees.
But some facts, from experts tell a different story. Global News reported this week that leading Canadian scholars suggest the “fear mongering” that comes with calls to halt the refugee influx plays into the hands of terrorists – stopping resettlement actually aids the terror groups because they can’t tax them to fund their operations.
And if you leave refugees to languish in camps in their country, there’s a greater chance of them becoming radicalized than if they are able to escape.
Refugees who might make the Cornwall area home are likely to be from female-headed households, suggested Global, adding minors and the medically-vulnerable will probably lead the list.
So, can we help and will it hurt? You bet we can – and we should.
WE HAVE THE ROOM
Less than 400 people joined Cornwall’s population in the five years leading up to 2011, according to census data. Cornwall saw a paltry 0.8 per cent increase in that time, bringing our population to 46,430.
By comparison the population across Ontario grew much faster – at a rate of 5.7 per cent – while Canada’s numbers increased 5.9 per cent to a total 33.4 million people.
More people living in Cornwall means benefits for everything from our economy to our social system.
We also have the ability to house these people. Every spring dozens (if not hundreds) of First Nation evacuees make their home in Cornwall at the Nav Centre to escape flood waters in Northern Ontario. While the federal Liberals have been hazy on specifics, it’s not unrealistic to think that 500 or so Syrian refugees could be easily accommodated in Cornwall – with the Nav Centre a nice place to start their new life here.
WE HAVE THE JOBS
You read that right…there are jobs in Cornwall. The big question is do we have people who want to work?
Local agencies like the Eastern Ontario Training Board, St. Lawrence College and private sector employers work collaboratively on programs that actively search for people to fill vacant positions.
Often times it’s a struggle to keep people employed over the long-term. Local call centres are always looking for people – as are some of the larger employers in the city’s industrial park (Olymel comes to mind).
Obviously we’re not talking about positions that can sustain an individual as a career, but if you’re new to a community and looking to be a productive member of society (as experts tell us these refugees are likely to be) any job, at least to start, is a good job.
WE HAVE THE HEART
Let’s face it; we’re good people at heart here in Cornwall and area. We have our challenges to be sure – one of which is educating ourselves on the different people that make up this world.
Millions of people are fleeing Syria. That isn’t a co-ordinated plan by terrorists to infiltrate our backyards…those are people who need help.
We should be helping.
