Close Reading

It takes me 3 months to get a doctor appointment in the US here in Seattle and I was just told several months to see my eye doctor. Depending on medical plan the insurance means you do not go to the specialist without a referral. So Canadians may not have as much to complain about. My parents were immigrants to Canada because it was easier (my father was in Danish Merchant Marine and was in China Sea when his appointment would come up in New York). They did not have it easy because they did not speak the language and worked hard to learn. Working as a housekeeper was the norm for females and my mother's education meant nothing when she expected to work in a bank. Danes stuck together and helped each other to get jobs, with carpentry (most had apprenticeships like brick laying), to socialize, etc. and this is normal for immigrants. Working multiple jobs was normal and having a great home was their American dream instead of a government apartment. It is true for all immigrants that their kids will do better than the parents. The kids will have no accent if they learn English by age 12. There are age cutoffs on learning a language in child development. During the hiring process the jobs are given to people the interviewer perceives as being like themselves. This is proven by psychologists (I am one). This puts immigrants at a disadvantage unless they have a rare skill without competition. Dad got his house and Mom took my sister and went back to Denmark because of health issues and the US has garbage medical care and social services for the elderly (poor sister didn't speak Danish because it wasn't allowed in case it impacted our English skill). As a daughter of immigrants I worked 20 hours days and weekends almost all my life. I put myself through school and have been successful despite being female and making much less than men. Immigrants need to realize that it will be their kids who make the big bucks and succeed while the parents who immigrated will struggle. As a cultural mix (US, Canadian and Danish citizen because of wacky sexist rules) I have had a lot of confusion over the years trying to fit in and figure out what my values are. I have had to ask my US husband is that behavior normal? Of course different states in the US or going 200 miles north to Canada means a different language to speak (Canadian or Spanish in the South) and different values, ways of dress, etc. so being an immigrant can mean just traveling 200 miles north or to an insane state like Texas or New York. Culture shock is everywhere but most of us move for the money. I am thinking of going back to Canada but my home was Vancouver and that now looks like a hell hole. My husband had over a million dollars in medical care and I really do not wish to lose all my assets to medical costs in the US. So now I am trying to choose between death by earthquake in BC somewhere or death by tornado or perhaps fire storm in Calgary due to climate change.

20:09\nLol this just happened at my local Walmart \nIt rang twice so a white couple got beeped on their way out and they stop and look around and just walk off \nAnd on my way out a single person a white dude beeped when he was leaving and he didn’t stop he just left....\nOkay now a month before a native family gets beeped and they are chased even when they stop like as soon as it beeped one of the workers just started a jog towards them and asked them all to come back in and searched all their bags while the kids were cryin..so their was this huge scene and at the end they were told they can leave...it happens sooooo much it’s like apart of Walmart staffs training or something lol

Your dam straight they better be concerned. We didn't ask for them to come here and disrupt our country. Go back home and do your thing there. We love Canada and your destroying us. So sit tight, we are rising up. Time to rethink your strategy of taking control....we won't allow you too!

One time I called a Mexican store (I’m Mexican) for prices of some seafood and the guy didn’t want to give me prices told me to come in twice so I got so mad and I called my husband (who’s white) to call them and ask the same and watched them give him the prices!!! I was like wowww I wanted to go in the next day and tell them why was I getting bad customer service and he got what he wanted cause he is white.

I'll lay it out for you: Me: typical middle of the road liberal oriented Canadian. Non white, immigrant (I wasnt born here) I worked in a Refugee housing for over 4 years in Ontario. Most were not war areas refugees (Yes I know there are other types of refugees). I only encountered few refugees from war areas. ONLY 1 person from Iraq, about 2 families were from Afghanistan, 1 couple from Pakistan(I doubt they were real refugees they spoke fluent English, maybe political refugee), and a most from African countries. Its too far for real refugees to get here. Its Easier for them to go to other countries nearby or Europe. MOST SEEM TO BE ECONOMIC REFUGEES. Most were coming from Africa. Some are coming from Latin America, which shouldn't be happening. Once they showed up at our doorstep and we processed them into the system, they were immediately in the same class as a Canadian resident homeless person if they were making a refugee claim. We get money to house and feed them (from the government), and they are given a stipend for basics from the government processed through the Social Assistance/ Welfare system (they get less than a resident/citizen I think.). They then have to get their case processed by the refugee board, and most seem to get in. I've only heard of few getting sent back. One person I know at our facility, was given a subsided social housing apartment after a year in our facility. So they went straight from a shelter to a government/city owned subsidized apartment. (Didn't seem like it was a issue for the housing worker...they didn't report it (if they were not the ones that helped the person to get it), they were white, the housed person was Latin. This refugee claimant, and then month or two new Canadian resident person was given an apartment in a prime area of the city, instead of the 1000's of Canadians, those who came before them, and born Canadian citizens on an extremely long waiting list. How this was allowed to happen I don't know. The person was probably sucking on someone's straw. I'm just trying to think the barriers these people have to go through to get a job here. We are far removed from the time of the 80's and 90's., and housing and jobs are so hard to get. Lol the "Canadian government asks them to repay the traveling cost to Canada if they are sent back"....I wonder how much the government recoups?.....more like 0 probably. What a bunch of crap. How do you demand someone to repay their flight cost when they get back to their country?

I can't believe what's being said in these comments. So the fact that he didn't speak English in the interview is the only thing that sunk in? Ok. Many of the immigrants that come here , come for the opportunities: Work, food, shelter, etc. Learning English should be mandatory in all immigrants applying for citizenship but we can't disregard someone because they choose NOT to speak English. For all we know, this guy (I'm sure) understands and probably can speak some English but for the sake of the interview the producers mostly likely asked him and he chose to speak in Spanish.

Maybe immigrants of colour would have an easier time if they actually acted like immigrants of past to this country, the Italians, Portuguese etc they came to Canada and they didn't ask for handouts like the ones who come these days from India, Sri Lanka etc who get on welfare. In the past they came with the intention of actually becoming Canadians and assimilating, the ones now come and all they want to do is create their own little old countries here in Canada.