How to only let the 'good ones' in?

[muhammad_abuzar]

The points system was very much discriminatory. It was based on the notion of a ‘model migrant’. However, it was peddled as part of the multicultural mosaic of Canada. This would mean that everyone is welcome in Canada. But you can’t peddle the idea of a mosaic of multiculturalism when there literally exists a point system in which an agent can let people in based on his own idiosyncrasies. Such system provides a lot of room for corruption.

Also, the system was created because Canada needed it. It was needed for national development and an opposite force to a rapidly crystallizing Quebec nationalism. So even though Trudeau displayed a desire for a multicultural Canada because our “unity lies in diversity”, it was not for the benefit of the different cultures that were coming in.

The notion of “diversity” was meant to dilute Quebec’s claim of nationhood. But the criteria set up by the government were largely to make sure that we only let ‘the good ones’ in. Basically, it was a balancing act. Immigrants were encouraged to both integrate in the Canadian society but also to hold on to their own cultural practices and beliefs (Muhammedi 82). They wanted people fit enough to integrate. Meanwhile, Trudeau Liberals couldn’t let a mere bicultural Canadian identity flourish because that would mean that Quebec separatism could slowly grow, organize and become a force powerful enough to split Canada. It is not for nothing that Jacques Parizeau later decried that the referendum was lost due to “des votes ethniques”.

So, the new system and the migrants it let in was not an act of benevolence. The migrants were accessories in the larger political game being played by the federalists. This is why not much investment was made to help the newcomer integrate (81). In fact, the point system was created in part to avoid having to invest in the migrants. The point system was made to make sure that the people coming in were the ‘good ones’. In doing so, the government wouldn’t have to invest too much in integration. Meanwhile, the idea of multiculturalism would do the same. It would provide a lot of flexibility about the idea of a Canadian national identity. But creating a filter upfront would ensure that this notion wouldn’t push too many limits.