Dear Editor:

Re: llana Mercer's
Immigration free-for-all col-
umn and the letter from Lana
Khoury.

f couldn't believe the
wealth of information and
detail packed into Hana’s fat-
est column.

She’s obviously done her
homework, and this was an
excellent article. Good on her!

ft was followed, of course,
by the fetter from Lana
Khoury, and I'm not. sure
whether T ought to be insult-
ed by that one or nor. Tam
provoked to the point of
reply, however.

Unlike most, 'm not one
of the “silent majority,” nor
am I always politically correct.
Pm so old, [ pre-date that
nonsense. So I hope you read
this, because it might do you
some good.

Canada’s immigration pol-
icy wasn’t decided by the vast
majority of us who must pay
for the bureaucracy and
bungling it has become
fameus for —- and those of us
who actually have — been
“beyond Maple Ridge” can
tell you that most ordinary
Canadians deplore the results
of the policy even mure than
you do.

I'm personally disturbed
and angeced by two obvious
things: people right here in
my own building can’t speak
enough English to talk about
something as simple as the
weather.

All TF get when I try is
“sorry — no speak English.”

And that simply isn’t good
enough. Secondly, the media
almost daily report on immi-

grants, legal and illegal,
caught here doing criminal
acuvities like smuyyling,
drug-dealing, and — thett.
Getting rid of them seems to
take forever, and we have to
pay for their lawyers, and the
extra law enforcement, court
costs, and general bureaucracy
involved.

And many of us. can'r
understand why this keeps
happening.

One reason it may be
going on might be related toa
comment } heard recently on
the subject of immigrants in
general: our government isn’t
concerned about the current
generation of immigrants,
except. for their possible
favourable votes (presumably
for letting them in here}, but
rather is looking ahead to the
second generation — their
kids — who presumably will
have grown up here, be fluent
in at least one of our official
languages, and be locally edu-
cated to our standards and
theretore be able to take their
places in the general commu-
nity, speak to the neighbours,
and hopetully have a job thar
allows them to pay their share
of the taxes that keep the
whole thing running.

T agree thar it must be
tough, leaving your homeland
for a strange place, and it isn’t
right that immigrants aren't
truthfuliy informed about real
conditions here.

But that isn’t the fault of
the ordinary people you meet
or do business with every day.
That’s a fault of our govern-
ment, and complaints should
be directed at them, by all of
us!

Antiques & Curious * Reproductions

Ambleside
1582 Marine Dr.
922-1330

Park Royal North 4391 Main Street
West Vancouver Vancouver
922-0213 879-3394

north shore news

MAIL Box
immigration and appreciation

Ray Sutton
North Vancouver

Dear Editor:

Re: Lana Khoury's letter
(Vancouver Hostile to
Immigrants, April 16 News)

Having come to Canada as
an immigrant four vears ago
from a Third World country,
it upsets me to read such a
negative letter as that written
by Lana Khoury.

What really annoys me is
the belief of some immigrants
that Canada owes them
whereas exactly the opposite is
truc. ;

To blame the Canadians
for having misled the immi-
grants in immigration adver-
tisements is ridiculous.

When one is making such a
drastic decision about leaving
one’s country of birth to set
the in a new country, sure
one does not base that deci-
sion on adverts or hearsay, but
rather through researching all
available information?

Yes, there may be some
racists in Canada, but these
are definitely in the minority.

Quire frankly, having
abserved how many immi-
grants totally abuse the hospi-
tality offered by Canadians, it
is not surprising that many
Canadians are pretty peeved
about the situation.

Tam tired of hearing some
immigrants complain about
the taxes, the education, the
health care and the weather.

If the country they came
from was so much better, why
on earth did they leave in the
beginning?

All of the information on

Plymouth

the above was available betore
they decided to come, and
therefore why should the
Canadians have to change
their system to suit some dis-
gruntled immigrants?

For the writer to sav that
immigrants are “forced to
invest in Canada to give the
local. Canadians jobs they
would not otherwise have” |
find totally unacceptable.

Although IT may net yet
have the vote here, from what
1 gather, Canada ts a tree and
ineredibly democratic coun-
try.

No one is ever “forced” to
invest here, anless of course
one took the investment
approach in order to be
accepted as an immigrant to
Canada, but that is always the
individual’s prerogative.

Unlike Ms. Khoury, the
immigrants J choose to associ-
ate with cannot speak highly
enough of this incredibly
beautiful country.

We have all found the
Canadians we have had can-
tact with to be a generally
friendly and sensitive socicty
so it saddens me to think how
they must feel when confront-
ed with the negative, aggres-
sive attitude shown by the
writer.

The tragedy is there are so
many people who would give
their eye-teeth in order to
come to Canada but they do
not qualify, and then untortu-
nately, you have some who are
here who don’t deserve the
hospitality offered by the
Canadians.

Elizabeth Shardeclow
North Vancouver

;Dodg
Owners

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Plymouth vehicles are recalled. Your vehicle may
have an outstanding recall notice.

It is very important that Mountview comp!

lete

these outstanding recalls. If you own a 1989-
1998 Chrysler vehicle, please call 980-3431 and
have your vehicle serial number ready. There is

no cost for this service.

ine

Our Larger Showroom
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Sunday, May 2, 1999 — North Shore News - 9

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