Refugee Crisis

Refugee Crisis

How can we truly understand the refugee plight?

There again, how can we truly understand the "Homeless Plight" of our own street people here in Canada?

Personally, I feel so sorry for those refugees from Syria, who are currently going through an agonizing separation from their own country. Their homes have been blown up by rockets, missiles or, whatever else has caused the destruction of that country.

I have watched interviews of those who have lost their homes, family, friends and loved ones. What an awful situation to be in. Watching those poor little children having their pictures taken for passports etc., through no fault of their own, being displaced from their own country into a completely different culture and lifestyle. Not even realizing what's truly going on. When, in all honesty, they should be living as little kids, enjoying themselves as children usually do, having fun at the park, playing soccer with their friends. To be able to go to school, to learn about subjects that will enhance their life as a person, allowing them to be able to work in society within their own home country.

Instead, their little lives have been torn apart, and this is just the children I'm talking about. Think of the parents, everything that they have worked for, all of a sudden, taken from them. Instead, they are integrated into other countries, other cultures where there is even a language barrier. Although, the children being young, I'm sure, will adapt to learning a new language regardless of where that country may be. We think we can understand, but we can't. No one can truly understand someone's predicament unless they have experienced the same. I can't relate at all and neither can you. Oh yes, we can try, but it's no use, we just can't understand the magnitude of the situation that they are in.

It's like going through a divorce and being separated from your own children, how someone could say "I understand", when you've never been in that position. Plain and simple, we don't understand.

So then, how do we deal with the situation? Our government thinks that by taking in 35,000 refugees, that it will actually help the situation. It may help those 35,000 in the short term, but what about the remaining estimated 7.6 million people displaced in their own country. Also, how is this going to affect Canadians?

Right now, families are struggling to survive inside Syria, and are being pushed out of their own country to make and find a new home in neighboring countries. Others are risking their lives on the way to Europe, hoping to find acceptance and opportunity. And the onset of harsh winter weather makes life as a refugee even more difficult. At times, the effects of the conflict can seem overwhelming.

So when did the crisis start? Anti-government demonstrations began in March of 2011, but the peaceful protests quickly escalated after the government's violent crackdown, and rebels began fighting back against the regime.

By July, army defectors had loosely organized the Free Syrian Army and many civilian Syrians took up arms to join the opposition. Divisions between secular and Islamist fighters, and between ethnic groups, continue to complicate the politics of the conflict.
So what is happening to the Syrians caught in the war? Almost five years after it began, the full-blown civil war has killed over 220,000 people, half of whom are believed to be civilians. Bombings are destroying crowded cities and horrific human rights violations are widespread. Basic necessities like food and medical care are sparse.

The U.N. estimates that 6.6 million people are internally displaced (estimated). When you also consider refugees, more than half of the country’s pre-war population of 23 million is in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, whether they still remain in the country or have escaped across the borders.
They estimate, that there are at least four million refugees fleeing their own country. Many of them are escaping by night, by boat across the Mediterranean. If they try and escape by day, snipers are picking them off and those captured are forced to fight for the regime.

As much as I feel sorry for the plight of the refugees, how far do we go in helping those people? What is our cost and how will it affect Canadians in general? I heard on the news this morning that Ottawa and Vancouver cannot take in any more refugees as they are stretched to capacity.

Where are all these people going to stay? How are they going to get jobs in an already limping economy? We, as a country, are struggling tremendously; people are being laid off, some people are ending up on the streets for lack of being able to afford housing.

Let me ask you this question. What is the government's real motive for helping the refugees? Why is the Canadian government helping these people at all? Is it because of promises made during the election? Is the election "Why" those promises were made, in order to win the election? I keep hearing that it's because Canada is a humanitarian country and we want to be seen by the rest of the world as such. Is this the motive for helping the refugees? So that Canada can be seen as being a humanitarian example to the rest of the world?

What about the people on the street in all cities and towns in Canada? Are we an example to the world or even Canadians that we care about the homeless, that is, in our very own country? Or do we not care about the homeless because; it's not really seen by the rest of the world, it just doesn't get the same publicity of the world. Rah! Rah! Rah! Way to go Canada.

Maybe if the rest of the world could see what Canada was doing about our own homeless, maybe the government would do more to help those people on the street.

In this world that we live, we can help people because we really, really, really care about their situation and what they're going through. But there again, if no one really sees the problem then we'll brush it under the rug, so to speak. Or, we can help people because there's an underhanded benefit for all to see. It either has to be one or the other. Which one is it for Canada?

I'll be honest with you right now, there's an underhanded reason why I'm writing this article. One day I'm hoping, that maybe, I can work for someone or a company, writing articles full time.  I also want to share my writings on my blog for others to see, hopefully, my writings will inspire someone to offer me a job. You see, there are always reasons why people do the things they do. The difference though, is being honest in what you are doing.

We know from experience, that the government has no credibility at all in being honest that is, declaring legitimate expenses in the day to day running of government matters. We know that of course from the previous Conservative government and the constant scandals that saturated all the news media.

By the way, I'm not just talking about the Federal government; the Alberta Provincial government is no better. I can't talk about the other Provincial governments, as I know very little of how they run things. However, seeing that we are all human in that respect, I have to presume, that they have the same deceitful problems. We only hear about it though when they're caught and the scandal is made public for all to see. I love the media so much for exposing those cheats who take advantage of taxpayer's money. 

So what about those on the street? Is the government willing to help house those people too? Are we willing to give them short term loans as the refugees are receiving to get them on their feet? I heard this on the news this morning as declared by John McCallum. That the government is giving the refugees short term loans to be paid back. So, why not do this for the street people?

Now, some people will argue, and I've heard it many times. "But the people on the street like living on the street". I'm afraid, that is just a load of hogwash. You mean the people on the street have become so accustomed to living on the street, with no way of getting off the street that they just put up with it.

If we are really a humanitarian country, which I believe we are, that is, for the majority of the population. Then showing love and concern for humanity should start in our own backyard.

Written by Chris Turner

January 19, 2016.