As a Canadian watching the slow agonizing obvious political and economic demise of The United States I could not help but wonder what will or could happen to Canada? Stewing over this thought and reading mainstream media I was assured that Canada is safe, sound and strong economically with our “Big 5” financial institutions leading the way. Politically Canada has a little disorder and confusion but nothing our nation can not address. The Loonie is on the rise and the recession should be over in a year. So what could be the threat if any from the demise of the United States? Then it hit me North American Refugees!
Some estimates claim close to 1 million residents and rising are homeless in the US and with the current economic crisis it could be higher. Unemployment in The US is at a 26 year high with no end in site. Bloomberg reported World Bank President Robert Zoellick warned policy makers that fiscal-stimulus plans are insufficient to turn around the “real economy” and rising joblessness threatens to set off political unrest across the globe. Therefore this must include the US and Canada.
What is political unrest? Political is defined as “of or concerned with government, the state or politics” Unrest is defined as “disturbed state; restlessness; disquiet; uneasiness; Trouble; turmoil, especially with regard to public or political conditions and suggesting premonitions of revolt”. So basically the economic and/or political demise of the US will cause US citizens to be downright angry and on the verge of revolt if not revolting. What could this political unrest in the US mean for Canada? Dare I say refugees!
A refugee is defined as “one that flees to a refuge; especially: a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape conflict including political, disasters man made and natural or persecution”. This definition is exactly what a US citizen fleeing to Canada would be considered. Now to see the US refugee as a threat it has to be understood that Canada is a small nation in terms of population but huge in reputation as a peaceful, prosperous and resource rich nation. This small population of Canada is estimated to be 33.5 million people as of July 2009. Of the 33.5 million Canadians approximately 90% or 30.15 million of Canada’s total population lives within 160km of the US Canada border. The Canadian population is concentrated very close to the US. In contrast of the 306.5 million US residents 24.2 million or roughly 7% of US residents live within 145km of the US Canada Border that is two thirds ofCanada’s total population. Now take into account that the 49th parallel is the longest unprotected border in the world!
Histories of mass refugee migration are not uncommon and can amount to thousands if not millions of people fleeing the unrest to neighboring countries! Canada being successful and resource rich and only 145km north of 24.2 million of the closest US citizens or a mere 7% of the total US population, do I have to spell out what a close, accessible refuge Canada is? If even 1% of the closest US residents or 240 thousand US residents were to refugee to Canada that would be the entire City of Saskatoon, just under half the population of the City of Vancouver proper, or close to a 0.7% total population growth rate. That 0.7% increase would be more then two thirds of the 1.163% total population increase (including birth and immigration) estimated by Stats Can for 2009 or of more concern is that Stats Can states that 1% has been the average annual growth rate for 16 years 1990-2006 and that growth rate as of 2007 is expected to slow to 0.7% over the next few years if not decades. Now if 1% of the total US population or 3 million USresidents were to refugee to Canada? That would amount to a near 10% increase in total population or 9 times the 2009 estimated population growth an absolute unheard of population explosion considering the baby boom average annual population growth rate was only 2.7%. A population explosion of 10% would be equivalent to acquiring half the population of the Toronto Mississauga area or the appearance of Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa. How would Canada house, clothe, provide food, clean water and sanitation or even find parking for thousands if not millions of potential US refugees? These refugees will be family, friends and citizens of a former free nation fleeing unrest. How could or would Canada say no?
The US Canada Border or 49th parallel is the World’s longest unprotected border. When refugees flee unrest to a neighboring country they try to enter the country by any means and may not enter through a border crossing. So how would Canada control the flow of refugees? How would Canada protect the border? How would Canada deal with the refugees? How would Canada protect or control the food and water supply? What about refugees who want to stay in their new home? What about those that wish to return home after the unrest? What about those new family or friends who wish to return with the refugee after the unrest? Who will pay for the cost to track all of this? Strangely enough, enter the Security and Prosperity Partnership.
The Security and Prosperity Partnership fact sheet of March 31, 2006 states 5 priority goals of SPP which includes the Smart Secure Borders that implements streamlined border access through biometrics. The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Key Accomplishments since June 2005 includes this: Strengthen the integrity and security of asylum and refugee status determination systems, the United States and Canada launched a pilot project to share information on refugee and asylum claimants based on a comparison of fingerprint records. So once anyone claims refugee status in Canada the SPP assures Canada will send the refugee claimants fingerprints right back to Obama!
Even if a US citizen is or is not accepted as a refugee by Canada their biometric information is returned to the United States, in effect merely a change of address allowing the system to keep tabs on the refugee in North America thus by default creating a North American citizen data base through biometric collection at all Federal, provincial and state levels. In other words, refugees could be used as potential building blocks for implementing a North American Union through the settling of traceable US refugees in Canada. Also the SPP allows US troops on Canadian soil in times of civil unrest, natural disasters natural or man made. Could a large movement of refugees to Canada cause or be considered civil unrest? If so, this would be the source of military occupation of Canada something that has never happened before.
In short, I see potential for a mass migration of US refugees to Canada as long as Canada is a peaceful, prosperous and a resource rich nation only a couple hours drive, days or weeks walk away from conflict, misery and unrest. These North American Refugees will be a threat to Canada through encumbering refugee costs of all stature, including possible military occupation.
Jeffrey Rosenau, a Burnaby, BC resident, grew up mostly in BC and briefly in Alberta. He has been a high school dropout, a Douglas College grad, and Simon Fraser University dropout. In the course of regurgitating an art in the midst of a paradigm shift he came to a realization that the only reality is philosophy and says he has now had to change his major…and accept that the greatest school is life and time is the greatest teacher.
Jeffrey can be reached at: baily421@telus.net
