Let’s be honest here: our border has become something of a joke.
What took so long?
It has become a bit of a political pickle for him but if we have a problem, and surely we do, then it could have been mitigated earlier this summer with swift government action.
The message needed to be sent out in the strongest possible terms that Canada is not an open bar for asylum seekers.
The sad thing is that many, if not most, will not qualify to stay.
It’s a tragic story of false hope of people and leaving everything because of wrong information and Canada doing nothing to correct it.
They should have been told that they were welcome to apply to come to Canada through proper channels.
The prime minister was late, way too late, in appearing prime ministerial, and even then he refused to use the term illegal, opting instead for irregular.
“Yes we are facing a challenge of irregular migration.”
“Even with irregular arrivals.”
“There are no advantages to irregular migration over regular migration.”
Maybe next time I get a parking ticket I can plead that my parking may have been irregular but certainly not illegal.
So when thousands line up at the convention centre next week to claim their first welfare cheques my bet is that it is not going to sit well with most people and it will bring out some of the lesser-desirable elements of society to protest.
But, now that asylum seekers are here, we must ensure they are taken care of properly and ensure that their cases are expedited quickly.
Trudeau says the integrity of the immigration and refugee system is being maintained.
I’m not sure you would find many who would agree on that point.
Much of this could have been avoided much earlier.
We lacked leadership and the response has been... borderline.
No answers for Formula E
Maybe the definition of insanity is to ask the same question over and over hoping for a different response every time, but that’s what Projet Montreal tried to do this week in nailing down the number on the mayor’s Formula E race.
How much did it really cost? How many tickets were actually sold? How many did the city buy and give away?
The mayor says just wait for the final report, a final report that won’t be ready until long after the November election.
Surely we have a right to know how many tickets were actually bought and it seems to me to be easy enough to find out, if there was a will.
Rodeo on out of here
The Montreal rodeo: celebrating the 375th anniversary of the founding of a religious colony by French calf ropers and steer riders.
It seems the city is up to its old tricks by giving away tickets to boost the number of cowpokes in the seats.
Veteran councillor Marvin Rotrand wonders what’s up.
“This went out to all city employees desperately saying anyone who wants free tickets to the rodeo we are giving eight tickets to any municipal employee,” he said.
Whether we need to hold this event at all is a big question.
The animal rights folks certainly are upset.
The SPCA says it subjects animals to stress and no doubt it will subject taxpayers to stress, if and when we ever find out how much we doled out for a questionable weekend of the Wild West on the dusty trail to the November 5th election.
