Leave the Canadian Citizens Alone!

So, on Monday my post about why I think Toronto’s Permanent Residents should be allowed to vote in the municipal elections went online.

And boy did that open some kind of floodgate.

It’s like most of the commentators there can barely resist the urge to spit at immigrant-looking people when they enter the subway trains in downtown Toronto. And then they get home, tired and irritated of dealing with all the brown people in the city, turn on their computers and innocently browse the internet, and, whoa, a blog headline about immigrants.

Empathy switch: off. Raving jerk mode: on.

The comments range in the spectrum of single one-off declarations — no Citizenship, no vote — to the classic insecure, drive-by “who the hell do you think you are, you dirty immigrant? Get out of Canada if you don’t like it here” raging type. There are some supportive, well thought-out responses too, but they are pretty much deluged by the barrage of negative, vitriolic words.

There is a deep and pervasive sadness inherent in all the bile because it gives you a glimpse of the type of person who is basically just desperately clutching on to one of the few cards left in their life to grant them the exclusive, privileged pass to knock a person a notch or two beneath them.

It's one of the few instances when they can hold their nose up high and say "no", even though no one is asking them to give up anything.

It’s also sad because the moment they hear that the immigrants are demanding something, they react as if we are encroaching on their rights, while the immigrants live a life of blissful comfort and convenience. They must think that immigrants just spend the whole day twirling around their apartments while drinking wine from silver goblets paid (just) by Canadian citizens' taxes.

As if by suddenly opening our mouths and not being a Canadian, we know nothing about what it means to be a resident or a person. As if the only reason we want to have a voice in the city that we love and live in is so that we can disrupt the lives of the normal, decent, hardworking and law-abiding Canadian citizens who have to put up with so much nonsense from immigrants all the time.

It’s sad that most of them probably didn’t even bother to read what I’d written. Instead of talking about how immigrants can be better integrated into the country, or why this might be a bad idea because [insert study or fact] shows that it's not effective, all they care about is knowing whether the person who's lived in Toronto for five years, owns a house, participates in the community and cares for the city, has a passport or not. If you don’t have one, you’re SOL as far as they’re concerned.

In their knee-jerk rationality, all the immigrants in Toronto only care about are avoiding the duties and responsibilities that only Canadian citizens carry the burden of. And we even actively avoid becoming a citizen because, man, life's too gravy just living without an identity and purpose.

And alright, here’s the last part about it being sad: to hear Torontonians complaining that granting municipal voting rights to immigrants is sacrilegious because it shreds the fabric of Canada is like that neighbour who throws a hissy fit when you ask him if he can lend you his step ladder so that you can help clear the gutters of his garage roof. He won’t because it’s his ladder and his roof, goddamit. Never mind the fact that he rarely, if ever, uses the step ladder.

But if there’s one comment on my blog post that takes the cake, just on sheer awesomeness and ridiculousness, this one has to be it:

Landed immigrants need to understand what landed means. It sorta relates in Canadian terms, to a bark canoe touching a sand beach, and the occupants being europoeans seeking furs and fortunes, crept ashore. They often were made welcome at the campfire of the local chief, and they could participate in the life of the locals, but if they pushed to hard, they were scapled, tortured, and they died a death of pain and humiliation for offending the resident hosts. This ridiculous rant captures the mood of those early visitors, and perhaps the writer might want to reflect on that, if he ever thinks of traveling in the north, or indeed anywhere outside the warped out, sold out, gaped out city of Toronto. The federal cabinet minister who told David Miller to F-Off, had it right.

There are so many things wrong with the person that took the time to type that paragraph out. It’s almost hard to register whether the response was written by a conscious person or a series of algorithms based on malice, satire and ignorance.

1. That he refers to how the early settlers were welcomed by the First Nations people in Canada. Seriously? This coming from a person whose forebears violently claimed, looted, desecrated, pillaged and killed the natives out of their land? That he somehow contextualizes my post about municipal voting rights for immigrants against the backdrop of a bloody and tragic history of Canada which to this day affects Aboriginal people and has reduced them to being second-class citizens in their own lands? There must be some kind of prize for this kind of warped audacity.

2. Threatening me with violence. I’d just like to know that when I do get scalped, tortured, and die a death of pain and humiliation, will the commenter at least have the decency of signing off his property, family and life to the new settlers? Because, you know, I need that. It’s what the immigrants dream of when they land in Canada.

3. He (or she) most likely doesn’t even live in Toronto. So, to put it bluntly, what the hell does he care? I mean, this doesn’t concern and affect him the least bit. Why does he feel the need to stick his neck out like that and forever be branded with this toxic concoction of stupidity, insecurity and malevolence. Why?

Oh, and you know what’s the craziest thing in all of this? I am a Canadian citizen. And this is the response I get when I voice an opinion: get out of Canada.

You stay classy, Toronto.

About Gelek Badheytsang

Comments

[Sonia Tsao]

I'm an immigrant myself, and I don't like the idea of someone without Canadian Citizenship being able to cast votes over how policies will affect my country. As a Canadian citizen now, I value the privilege of being able to cast my vote during elections. Those of us who migrate to a new country do so because things in our country of birth are bad. We do so willingly, seeking new dreams and a better way of life. If anyone who chooses to make Canada their new home, then it makes sense to become a fully integrated citizen here. I see no problem with people who choose to remain landed immigrants because it is their choice, but if they're hanging on to whatever citizenship they have, then why should they have a saying on what goes on in my municipality, city, province and country?

[Karina]

As a child of landed immigrants who became citizens of their new homeland even though it means they lost their original citizenship, I agree that only Canadian citizens should be allowed to vote.

If a person feels that strongly about Canada and inclusion then they should take the oath of citizenship. If they want to keep their options open then while we welcome them to Canada and all its benefits you should not be allowed to help determine policy of a country you are not fully committed to.

[gt]

some people are just bitter, you open yourself to those people when you have a blog. Ignore it. Publishing their comments will not help.

I believe Canada does a good job integrating immigrants compared to other nations, its not a melting pot like the US and you are not treated as an outcast as you would be in parts of Europe. There is no openly anti-immigrant political party in the mainstream for example, you find those in most European countries, especially since the EU has been formed.

The voting issue is really here nor there. With the proper paperwork you can be a citizen after living in the country for 4 years, you are not asked to denounce prior affiliations nor are you required to participate in any rigid initiations yet many opt not to. Having the right to vote as a non-citizen won't move them much.

Face it, moving to a new country is hard, and the older you are the harder it is, you have to come with a very very open mind and be willing to re-evaluate your opinion on some things. Not everyone who arrives in Canada today are able to do it. It is probably one of the hardest social situations one can inflict upon themselves.

As a naturalized Canadian I can relate.

[Gelek]

Sonia and Karina: you do realize that I am talking about MUNICIPAL elections, right? Granting landed immigrants the right to vote in these elections is about having a voice in Toronto. It has nothing to do with changing Canada's policies. So don't worry -- this won't shatter your pristine and ideal notion of what Canada should be.

Is that really that hard of a concept to grasp?

[Matthew]

Despite the lower level of the municipality, it still plays a role in higher level governments and the decisions made at the provincial and federal level. Furthermore, being a citizen shows that the person has at least some level of understanding of how our country works (i.e. they can pass the citizenship test). Government is government, no matter what level it operates on, and to say that someone can vote in municipal elections, but not in any of the other elections may eventually come under fire. It is a nice idea, but somehow I think voting is the right of a citizen and not that of one who is merely a landed immigrant. Landed immigrants still contribute to the community in other ways, if they want a say, becoming a citizen shows that they understand Canada and how it works, and thus should and are able to vote.

[L'agent Provocateur]

We arrived in Canada last year as permanent residents. As some of you know, the first years in a totally new country are not your favourite times to deal with local politics. You have lots of other vital proirities.

My 7-year-old son said last week, Obama was Canada's president when asked, and then when I asked who Harper was, he said "How the hell should I know everybody in the world?" I do not think voting for people we have no idea about is our primary concern as of today, though I am exceptionally good at English. The majority of the newcomers are taking can-you-spell-your-name-? classes, what candidate should they support for God's sake?

This is not a matter of skin colour or other popular topics, in Toronto whites form the visible minority. The writer is demanding a right for someone else who does not need it at all. (The writer says he is a Canadian citizen now. Being a former permanent resident or brown, does not make anyone a "permanent permanent resident".) There is no established country in the world that gives its citizenship in 3 short years, I am not dying to vote immediately while trying to avoid cleaning restrooms with a degree officially recognised in Canada and especially when there are no elections ahead.

Permanent residents have different sets of problems, none of them has anything to do with voting.

[Peter]

Thank you! It's great to see someone stand up to the commentors on this paper. For some reason, the comments on thestar.com are the bottom of the barrel; intelligent, nuanced discussion is a mythical creature who is never seen.

I don't know why, but just like any article on the environment draws out climate deniers, oil industry stooges, and the willful ignorant, articles on immigration and/or racial identity draws out people who would feel more at home in the southern United States wearing pointy white hoods.

It's also worth noting that, thank god, the attidues prevalent in thestar's comments section are (mostly) diametrically opposite from what I observe among my friends, colleagues, and othe fellow Canadians.

Keep up the good work, Mr. Badheytsang!

[Transity Cyclist]

You will notice that the most irrational of views can be found online. The internet is a haven for jerks, obscenities, hatred, and trolling, and that can partly be due to: the anonymity of the internet, or the fact that the commenter unfortunately has nothing better to do than to spread their doom attitude as far as possible.

I've seen commenters making death wishes on Mayor Miller, calling hateful names toward environmentalists, slamming feminists and women for running for office, and basically label anything progressive as a socialist left-wing ploy to steal from Canadians.

I don't know what proportion of the population these commenters actually make up, but I fear that their attitude of being uninformed-and-proud will spread.

[Neighbourhoods are about residency]

No other place on earth would allow non-citizens to vote!!

Except the United States, England, Ireland, Israel, Argentina, Bulgaria, Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Columbia, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, Chile, The Netherlands, Belgium, Barbados, Switzerland, Belize, Estonia France, Hong Kong...

Proclaiming the status quo is easy. Explaining why we are behind the almost 40 other countries that already base local voting on residency is pretty tough. You can't divide neighbourhood interests on the basis of citizenship. Let's expand local voting now!

[Stephen Cheng]

The problem with this blog is the assumption that those raving against immigrants voting are white or in the words of GB "non-immigrant looking people". Guess what? My friends and I are immigrant-looking people, including some of whom GB refers to as "brown". Yet, we all agree that giving recent arrivals is a stupid idea. I use the term recent arrival because a huge segment of the population in Toronto are either 1st or 2nd generation immigrants who have become Canadian citizens.

We don't stop being immigrants because of some metaphorical switch was flipped when we swore our Oath of Citizenship. We don't stop caring about our respective cultural communities. What a dumb thing to say. What we did do was demonstrate our commitment to our country and to fulfill our duties as Canadian citizens.

This is a commitment that recent arrivals have yet to make and whom frankly haven't made up their mind to stay. I know its a stretch to think that a recent arrival may not want to stay in Canada and return home, however, some do. So until a person makes up his/her mind to make Canada home, they shouldn't have the vote. It's akin to letting a visitor make decisions about how one's own home and personal finances are managed.

[Prince]

Unfortunately, Gelek Badheytsang, many of the commenters are against your opinion and many of them happen to be immigrants themselves. Personally I am tired of people who are not Canadian pervasively trying to demand rights and access to things which are not rightfully theirs.

When did Canada become a charity for all to take advantage of? Your opinions are near-sighted and as bigoted as the next. A true immigrant would give up their citizenship to the home they left and fast-track their integration into Canadian society. Once done, voting comes with that!

[Dan]

You can't have democracy without an educated electorate and the vast majority of people have no idea who they are voting for or what those candidates REALLY represent.

Then add to that new people, and I don't care if they are Canadian citizens and just moved to the city or new to the country and aren't citizens, and who have no idea what is going on in the community they are voting in and it is a guarantee that the incumbent will always win because they are the only ones known.