they took our jerbs!

The hysteria surrounding the Temporary Foreign Worker's Program is much ado about nothing.  The panic among unemployed Canadians, spurred on by irresponsible yellow journalism and first class race baiting, is economically unfounded and frankly stupid.  There is no finite supply of jobs and it is well past time we stopped scapegoating newcomers to our shores. Instead of blaming immigrants for our own failings we should recognize that they provide valuable contributions to both the wealth and culture of our nation.  The real problem with this program is it's transient nature.  What we need more than this stop gap is a policy of open borders.

When someone comes here to work this benefits their employer (since why else would they be hired if they were not an asset to the company) and the individual in question who receives an economic opportunity greatly in access of what they would find back home, especially when the immigrant is from the third world.  They must of course purchase food and shelter here to survive and so everyone whom they interact with economically benefits as well.  Many of these workers send money back home, to their desperately poor relatives.  Here we have the best type of foreign aid - directly targeted to families in need where it will do the most good instead of being sent to shore up a corrupt regime, and at no cost to the taxpayer.

There are benefits to immigration beyond those conferred on the economy.  While not all cultures and or the ideas of all societies are equally valid, sameness is boring and it's delightful to encounter those who have different beliefs, attitudes and traditions.  Instead of demanding cultural monotony we should embrace the notion that Canada can be a home to people from around the world with their own distinct attitudes and philosophies.    

There is outrage over the serious unemployment this country faces, and it is a real problem, but the anger is misplaced.  Instead of scapegoating people who come here from different lands to work we should think about repealing government intervention in the labour market.  The minimum wage in particular makes it criminal to hire someone who's skill set and background demands a sub-minimum wage salary.  Repealing the minimum wage would go a long way to curing the endemic problem of people being out of work.  If we eliminated compulsory licensure and restrictions on apprenticeship this would also help ease this issue.  Finally we could drastically reduce government spending and put an end to inflation.  But let's stop blaming people who travel across the world looking for nothing more than an honest day's work and an honest day's pay; they might be a convenient target but the real problem is the state.