Part of the reason for putting a cap on refugees is that even countries such as Canada don’t have welfare and health systems that can handle 1.5 million more refugees, who are typically traumatized, disabled and in need.
Many Canadians make the case for compassion when they maintain the country should retain one of the world’s most generous rates for welcoming immigrants and refugees.
Canadians’ hearts go out when they hear about people struggling in countries like Guatemala, the Philippines, India and Lebanon. We tend to believe Canada has a duty to offer a better life.
Many Canadians want to be especially kind when they read about conflict-ravaged countries like Syria, Iraq, Burma, Sudan and Libya. Surely richer countries can embrace more of these suffering people?
It’s an understandable feeling. Compassion is key to virtually every spiritual world view and most secular philosophies. And there is no doubt many people are facing unimaginable hardship — particularly the roughly one billion at the bottom of the global economy.
But informed voices are warning that rich countries’ policies regarding immigration and asylum seekers are not nearly as compassionate as many want to think they are. Indeed, our migration policies may be doing more harm than good, especially for the most desperate.
[…]
