i

FEW EXPERIENCED trav-
ellers will argue with the
suggestion that Canada is
one of the most tolerant
countries in the world, if not
the most tolerant, barring,
perhaps, a few tiny places
like Switzerland and
Holland.

Which, incidentally, are growing

’ Jess tolerant every day.

But then ditto for Canada.

Ditto for me.

“Even people who have never left
the continent must pick up some
sense of just how famously tolerant
Canada is from feedback in the
media, or from the reports of travel-
ling friends.

Everybody's visited at least the

». States, F presume. And who could

have failed to notice that most of
_the Land of the Free and the Brave

is one kind of racial war zone or
another? ~

Compared, Canada is an ethno-

paradise, if you don’t count that

nasty little ongoing spat between
French and English, and the unfin-

ished land battle with the Indians.
” Still, we do it mostly peacefully

here, especially compared with
world standards. ;
_ On balance, our real'and relative.
tolerance is a source of quiet pride
to most of us. ;
That has to be preserved. It is
probably our most basic inherent

“worth; and the mere act of feeling

that way. makes you a more tolerant |
person than you would have been

- without such a self-image. This is
“the best part of our Canadian identi- ‘
ty.

” When i it; dets badly shaken
because it's ‘being pushed too hard,
too fast, one has to pause and
rethink things, ask yourself some |

}

-. tough questions. .

In my last couple of columns I
‘admitted to having serious second i
thoughts about how wide ajar the
door to Canada has been left. :
'_, The feeling had been growing /
for quite a while, although { hated
‘to admit to it. The triggering inci-/
dent that changed my vague feel- i
ings of unhappiness into anger was
‘an attack on my son at a school in
“the Toronto area. |: i

My 15-year-old was assaulted,
by three Iranian Muslim boys who

STRICTLY PERSONAL .

didn't like his going out with an
Iranian Muslim girl.

They attacked her, too.

When charges were laid and two
of the boys were arrested, a gang of
a dozen other Iranian kids pursued
my son and his girlfriend through
the school,

The police did lay charges swift-
ly, on the grounds, after question-
ing witnesses, that the incident had
been “racially motivated,” but dicey
estimate it will take three months
before anything gocs to court, leav-
ing the situation at the school high-
ly volatile, and us worrying about
our son and his girlfriend's safety
from the moment they leave the
school grounds.

My question: Why is this hap-
‘pening? /

‘Obviously! the boys involved
haven't gotten the message that
‘“they’re not living in a feudal theo-
cracy any longer. That's maybe not
their fault somehow, if you're into
letting teenagers off the hook’
because they're “kids.” {ni not.

It’s the fault of their parents to
one degree or another, of course,

_but who can blame them for want-
ing to escape from their homeland,
a country whose government puts
out contracts on te heads of writ-
ers they don’t like?

But who is really to blame for a
situation like this?

It is the people who have set the
figures for immigration so high that
they have outstripped what the
political scientists call the “normal

_ absorptive capacity” of the country.

ce

{tis the bureaucrats and politi-
cians who have pumped the immi-
gration levels up to the recklessly
high level of 1% of the population
per year.

It is — surprise, surprise! — one
more legacy of the Mulroney years,
when the old rule of thumb was that
the country could cope with an
increase of half of 1% of the popu-
lation a year, providing you never
raised immigration levels in the
middle of a recession,

And here we are, letting ina
quarter of a million people a year in
the midst of the worst economic
disaster since the Great Depression!

Not only that, but the rules
themselves have been changed so
that they discriminate in favor of
applicants from the Third Wortd,
precisely those people who have to
make the biggest adjustment in
terms of learning how to behave
like Canadians.

Twenty years ago, immigration
was dominated by the “points sys-
tem,” which was based on merit,
meaning uscfulness to the country,
high education standards, and
skills.

This year, nearly half of the
immigrants who come in will get in
solely because they have families
here. In other words, blood and race
and language and religion, not
merit. The fact is, a8 published
internal immigration department
reports show, recent immigrants
aren’t doing as well as in past
years.

There is higher unemployment
and welfare dependency, and,
accordingly, a real danger of the
formation of a permanent immigm-
tion underclass. This is unpleasant
stuff to face. I know, because I'm
facing some of it now in the form:
of imported little bigots, intreduc~
ing the hatreds and prejudices of
their parents into my backyard, __.

It’s comforting to be told that
the vast majority of Iranian students
in my son's school are exceflent,
well-behaved students — but that
doesn't quite make up, in my mind,
for the fact that, in addition to wor-
rying about marks, my son has to
keep his back to the wall and an cye
peeled for attackers.

I'm not quite finished on the

subject. There are a couple of other .

aspects of this I want to touch on.
Next column.

reatth, frnitere gallery
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#105 260 W. Espianade N. Van.

DUPLEX DEVELOPMENT ith

otice is hereby given by the City of North

Vancouver, pursuant to Section 957 of the,

Municipal Act of British Columbia, that a Public’
fiearing will be held on MONDAY, MARCH 14, 1994 at”.
7:30 pm, in the Council Chamber, City Hall,.141 West 14th,
Street, North Vancouver, B.C., to receive representations in®
connection with the following proposed amendment to the
“Zoning Map of the City of North Vancouver", which is an.
mnegral part of “Zoning Bylaw, 1967", also known as Bylaw.

To amend the "Zoning Map of the City of North Vancouver",
which forms part of Bylaw 3778", also known as “Zoning...
Bylaw, 1967", by reclassifying Lot 26 Ex. N. 10, Block 89, D.L.
549/550, Plan 1256, located at 302 East 10th Street, (as. 2
indicated in hatched pattern on the map below). The amending
bylaw will have the effect of removing the said property to".
permit the development of a duplex on the site.

FROM: RS (ONE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONE) »

TO: RT-1 (TWO-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL ZONE)

HH LH [11 th)

EAS? 11TH STREET

EAST 103H STREET

CTT r ETTTTT

APPLICANT: GOLDEN GATE/JASIM / BURNABY DESIGN
ALL PERSONS who believe that their interest in property is
affected by the above proposed Bylaw NO. 6507 shall be
afforded a reasonable opportunity to be heard - in person, by
attorney or petition. The proposed Bylaw and relevant
background documents may be inspected at the office of the
City Clerk between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday,
from FEBRUARY 28 - MARCH 14, 1994, except Statutory
Holidays. Written submissions will be accepted up to and:
including MARCH 14, 1994, but submissions will NOT be
accepted after the conclusion of the Public Hearing.

Bruce A, Hawkshaw, City Clerk