The Fog

Is there anyone out there that isn’t at least related to an immigrant?  Even among all of those who are on the side of populism, anyone?  There seem to be many though, that are convinced that they are more Canadian than others?  There are also naturalized Canadians who lean on the populist side.  A while back, a recently retired Portuguese client of mine, who worked his whole life in Switzerland, told me that one of the reasons for his return was due to an influx of immigrants.  Obviously, I kept quiet, but it was just one of the many times I’ve heard immigrants complaining about how they feel that there are too many immigrants.  

I’m thinking there may be a mental time limit, where one no longer considers themselves an outsider.  It does make sense, I sure didn’t feel like an outsider there.  The discrepancy though, lies in the fact that due to that ‘comfort’, many are forgetting where they or their family originated from.  This tends to cloud some judgements, when it comes to others vying for their turn.  Populist leaders prey on this and use it as their stepping-stone to positions of power.  It’s not their only play, but it’s an important one.  Let’s also get one thing straight, there’s a huge difference between an immigrant and a refugee.  This is something else that seems to me, is also caught in the populist fog, although my heart goes out to those who genuinely seek refuge.  

Immigrants have been the backbone of the Canadian economy since the beginning.  People from all over helped raise the nation to what we see today, under sometimes brutal conditions.  Immigrants gave their lives both in labour and in battle, and the legacy is a nation that has flourished into one of the most progressive, peaceful, and safest in the world.  But while I’m at it, what about the United States and Great Britain?  Today’s neo-populism emerged from there, with Trump playing the Pied Piper.  They’re feeding the mob mentality through the media, and so many of us are buying into it.  What would any of these countries be without Immigrants?  In the U.S., they are removing people’s legal status, to then detain them as ‘illegals’.  In Europe, migration goes back thousands of years.   A few hundred years ago, Lisbon, for instance, already had an immensely diverse population due to trade.  Slavery also played a large part, and their culture is part of the recipe of modern Portuguese culture, as is Canada’s.  Here, populism is flourishing because of an argument against people coming to live in our country, in Portugal!  A country that has millions of immigrants spread throughout the world!  How could we deny that to others?  For the first time in decades, our population has risen!  An interesting fact:  The Portuguese vote from Canada was mostly for our populist party.  In Canada, the voters went Liberal to keep Trump at bay, but apparently it’s OK for Portugal.  I guess that maybe they voted Conservative. 

Canada has, for many generations, been a country of immigrants, a place where any people, of any culture, have been able to thrive.  A country that opens its doors to those wanting to make a go of it.  A country that knows that these people fill specific roles, the low-paying jobs, the difficult high-paying jobs; just like the rest of us, when we first showed up.  When you’re new, anything will do, because inside, you know that there are prospects for a better future, in a stable, welcoming country.

So let’s try and resist the temptation of coming down on those who are the most vulnerable.  They’re easy prey for those who are actually operating the fog machine.   Our anger is best vetted against them, who are pointing fingers, and causing all the damage, for they are seeking to distract us.  Let’s instead try and think a little bit more before we decide on what we think is right or wrong, or something else.  Let’s try and empathize with those whose difficulties we may even understand from our own experiences.  If none of that works, well, think of them as human beings.

Fiquem bem,

Raul Freitas/MS