OPINION

Canada has never been so popular. Migrants by the thousands are streaming into the country and it’s not a happy story. 

It’s tragic because they are coming in under false pretenses. Social media is to blame, with posts about Canada having an open border. 

Our prime minister is to blame for doing the same thing with his now-famous #WelcometoCanada hashtag on his tweet and not correcting the impression that Canada is an open bar.

Asylum seekers who are showing up at our border cite our prime minister by name.

The best we got from the federal immigration minister was a tepid Facebook post saying “Canada discourages people from illegally entering Canada.” Tough talk  

In the meantime, we are treating them kindly and with compassion which is very much the Canadian way. They are here for now, so we do have a responsibility to take care of them.

But the message must get out that we have a border. We must defend our sovereignty. The crossings we are witnessing now are illegal and the prime minister must say so here and around the world

We are a caring country, but we do have rules and laws. Generally, you cannot claim asylum or refugee status unless your life is at risk – not your life style.  There must be either a well-founded fear of persecution or danger of torture, death or other cruel punishment.

Haiti has problems too numerous to mention but the government is not posing a threat to its citizens and the truly awful part about all of this is this is a story of false hopes.

Many, if not most, of these desperate people will not be allowed to stay.

The process will be lengthy and complicated and expensive and, further, it makes a mockery of our immigration system where people wait years for a chance to come to our shores.   

Canada must control its borders. When we need to call in the army, it’s a crisis.

The estimates are that up to 40,000 people will enter Canada illegally and most will be here for only a visit.

We need real leadership on this but sadly, it seems to be on summer break.  

Desperate times, desperate measures for PQ and CAQ

The Quebec economy is humming along tickety-boo. In fact, we now have the lowest jobless rate since way back in 1976.

With a 5.8 per cent unemployment rate and just over a year to go before the Quebec election, Premier Philippe Couillard is sitting pretty.

There was a time not so many years ago that talk of Montreal’s jobless rate being lower than Toronto’s would have been considered sheer madness, but it’s true and by a pretty good margin.

Downriver, Quebec City is approaching full employment.    

That leaves the opposition parties grasping for straws, like looking for wedge issues. The CAQ will milk identity in an attempt to raise alarm bells of dissolution of Quebec values and immigrants invading La Patrie.

Surprise, surprise: the PQ is going after language.

The first order of business under a PQ government would be Bill 202–twice as nice as 101, I guess. I would think a better number would be Bill 911.

PQ leader Jean Francois Lisée has quite a shopping list.

There would be tougher rules for small businesses.

All newcomers would be required to speak French and all businesses under federal jurisdiction like banks and English TV stations would fall under the hammer of Quebec language laws. 

Lisée and the PQ are lost and out of touch and are desperately trying to save the furniture.

It’s said that patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.

In Quebec, it’s language.