1. ‘Becoming Canadian by the book.’ Human smugglers are treating Canada like a “door-mat,” Conservative strategists say – an issue the Prime Minister and his government plans to address Thursday.
Stephen Harper signaled he is poised to crackdown on human smuggling during a citizenship ceremony Tuesday in which he welcomed 72 new Canadians. He told the new group his government will be bringing in legislation to “ensure that people who abide by our laws and patiently proceed through our system, like everyone here today, are not made to wait even longer.”
As he was attending the swearing-in ceremony, his strategists in the PMO were circulating a memo to insiders and supporters outlining their next steps. Under the headline “Becoming Canadian by the Book” the Tories: “Our government will crack down on human smugglers and those who seek to abuse our immigration system. We will not allow human smugglers to dock their boats on our shores with impunity.”
And as the Prime Minister noted, the memo says that Canada will open its doors to “those who work hard and play by the rules.” It won’t be so easy for those who abuse the system.
“Unfortunately, our immigration system has come under attack by human smugglers,” the PMO memo says. “Human smugglers are clearly targeting Canada and are treating our country like a door-mat. The problem is growing and must be stopped.”
Concern over this issue has been growing among Conservative ranks since the arrival in August of the MV Sun Sea off Canada’s west coast carrying 500 Tamil migrants. Officials are monitoring another ship said to be preparing to leave southern Asia.
2. What to do post-combat? After the soldiers, tanks and guns leave Afghanistan, Canada should stay in the country and focus on improving the rights and life of Afghan women, a new report recommends.
“Canada should become the international leader in advancing women’s rights, empowerment, and development in Afghanistan,” CARE Canada says. Supporting Afghan women is the main thrust of some 130 recommendations the aid and development organization will outline Wednesday morning.
The challenges are many and the tasks daunting. But CARE wants Canadians and their government to think about helping Afghan women as they frame their post-war policies and role in Afghanistan.
The report notes the situation for Afghan women has reached a “critical crossroads.” Any gains for women – more rights, ability to attend school and better access to health services – over the past nine years since Canada became involved in the war could be jeopardized by the exit of NATO countries from Afghanistan.
“Major gains have been made over the last decade which stand precariously close to being lost,” the report’s author, Jennifer Rowell, writes. “And yet, no champion within the international community is currently focusing their full efforts on ensuring this doesn’t happen.”
The author notes that although there have been improvements for Afghan women their situation is still extremely limited in terms of maternal and newborn health, power over their economic security and poor access to education and justice.
The report makes recommendations in several key areas, including security, economic and social development, governance, rule of law and human rights and aid effectiveness.
Canadian politicians and government officials, for example, have repeatedly talked about how many girls are now going to school in Afghanistan as a way of demonstrating the positive aspects of the war. Although the CARE report notes improvements in education, it says much more needs to be done, including attracting more female teachers, building schools closer to villages and towns because of issues of security.
The organization concludes that Canada is well-positioned to take up the cause of women’s rights in Afghanistan through some subtle but meaningful changes, including trying to work with men to change the culture and to be patient. “In many areas, boosting women into a position business leadership is a pie-in-the-sky goal and not particularly helpful,” the report says. “Enabling them to meet in a communal building each day to work on their projects together, on the other hand, might be considered a major success. It’s important that Canada balance its need to see visible, quantifiable change, with what’s real, and celebrate the genuine successes that are fomented.”
