This is a great idea to welcome all those who seek a better life, but the truth is that while life in Canada for most of those refugees is definitely more peaceful, financially it is not really that much better than they had back home or even in Turkey, or other places they transited through before coming here.
Canada is a huge country with a very small population of only about 36 million people, 61% of whom earn less than average wage. The unemployment for unskilled workers is very high ( as high as 15% or more) and the costs of living are continually going up while government services are going down, and government debt is growing exponentially, especially under the current Prime Minister.
That is why the government support for refugees runs out after one year, when they have to make a hard living for themselves while still learning the language and jobs are very hard to find. There is no more room for refugees in big metropolitan cities such as Toronto, so most of them are being sent to smaller communities where the climate is often very harsh and society not as diverse.
Even after becoming Canadian citizens, it takes many years of hard work and education before they can achieve a more comfortable standard of living for themselves and their immediate families. It will decade more than a decade before they will be able to sponsor any other relatives to join them from back home, or before they can even invite them for a visit.
Life in Canada is not a paradise as it is, and it will become harder for those who will be coming in the future if the government keeps up the current rates of immigration or if they are increased further. When I see those new families coming, I am happy that they are out of harms way, but I often wonder if they even know how hard life is going to be for them here in other ways...
Very well said Edyta.
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