PM Trudeau's words have consequences
Like the rider on a pretty pony who gets a standing ovation at the circus, P.M. Justin Trudeau of Canada has done a lot of politically correct dancing and prancing in the world arena.
He is cute and telegenic, does not talk like Trump, speaks in bigger generalities than Obama, and has a bunch of refugees coming into Canada:
The crowd of asylum seekers who gathered the other day outside this city's Olympic Stadium, their temporary home, hailed from across the globe.
They had fled violence, poverty, persecution and, some say, President Trump, often with only a suitcase to their name and a wisp of hope that Canada will allow them to stay.
They are part of a new surge of mostly Haitian migrants who have illegally crossed into Quebec by the hundreds every day over the past several weeks, walking over a ditch at the end of a dead-end road in upstate New York.
They are seeking to benefit from a loophole in a treaty between the two countries that allows them to make refugee claims in Canada if they do not arrive at legal ports of entry.
"I lost everything in Haiti, but now I'm afraid the U.S. will send me back," said Jonathan Luima, 44, a Haitian migrant who arrived in the United States last year. "Canada is my only hope."
This recent influx of asylum seekers poses a political and diplomatic test for the government of Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, as it seeks to balance its publicly compassionate statements toward refugees with a strict immigration system.
Well, who ever thought the old home of the Expos would now be full of refugees? I guess those plans for a baseball team in Montreal will have to wait for a new stadium, because Olympic won't be suitable for a while.
As a refugee myself, one who came here with my parents in the 1960s, I can certainly sympathize with people looking for a better life. At the same time, it has to be done in an orderly fashion.
Furthermore, you have to balance the influx with your economy.
In the 1960s, Cubans came to the U.S. and were immediately absorbed into a thriving local economy with lots of Miami employers who felt that it was their patriotic duty to hire someone off the plane. In other words, the Cubans who got off the plane were employed and self-sufficient in a very short time.
In our case, our family was relocated to Wisconsin by a church. They helped us get settled, and my dad was working in a short time. Our family was not a burden to the state or to the people who relocated us.
P.M. Trudeau has a serious challenge, and we wish him well. However, you may see him moderate his calls for refugee flow once Canadians begin to feel the true consequences of uncontrollable immigration.
It's one thing to be cute and telegenic and quite another to have Olympic Stadium full of people who took your words seriously.
P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.