• psvrh@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    Canada used immigration as economic equivalent of taking methamphetamine and painkillers to get things done, instead of eating right, exercising well and seeing a doctor. Yes, it works in the short term, but it’s really only kicking a problem down the road and making it worse when it’s too big to ignore.

    We got here because we decided it was more important to give tax cuts to the rich and mortgage the futures of the poor, and when we ran out of poor people to strip-mine, we imported more, and it looks like we’re going to continue to elect governments that will twist themselves into knots trying to not get the rich to pay their fair share.

    If there’s any consolation, it’s that we’re not alone among western countries that have snorted the neoliberal line, but we are one of the most vulnerable because we have precious little that anyone wants, outside of oil, and when that wobbles all that we have left is selling houses to each other. At least the Americans and Europeans have industries.

    • Jerkface (any/all)@lemmy.ca
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      5 months ago

      Rich pay their fair share?? That’s so backwards. Canada was created to transfer value from natural and human resources TO the wealthy and powerful. That’s what colonialism is. This isn’t some new thing, this is how it has been since the beginning, and it’s never ever ever changed. Canada exists to exploit the vulnerable.

      • psvrh@lemmy.ca
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        5 months ago

        I said we’re strip-mining immigrants for value. I’m not vilifying immigrants, I’m vilifying a system that treats people like a resource to be exploited.

        I’d be totally fine with high levels of immigration if it came with investment in infrastructure. But it doesn’t and the reason it doesn’t is because we’re using immigration instead of investment because we’re bringing people in to avoid having to have an adult conversation about taxes.

        Immigration because it’s the right thing to do? Sure. Immigration because Galen Weston doesn’t want to pay workers a fair wage, nor pay more in taxes? Nope.

        • BZ 🇨🇦@lemm.ee
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          5 months ago

          Sure, I can get behind that. The issue with our country isn’t immigration though. Like you said, it’s handing over our money and future to the Westons, etc. While we should be focused on that, we’re discussing immigration. This isn’t a new tactic and people fall for the bait so very easily

      • FireRetardant@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        They aren’t villifiying the immigrants. They are villifiying the immigration policy. Too many too fast is unfair to immigrants as well as they may struggle to find good housing and jobs, things they were promised Canada would have. Many immigrants are also being exploited as cheap labour, sometimes being forced to ignore workplace safety or rules like breaks.