Close Reading

I remember when my family immigrated here over 15+ years ago and my brother was only 1 years old. 2 weeks after coming here he slipped on the floor and cut open his forehead on the hinges of our door and he was bleeding everywhere (he later had to get 6 stitches to fix it), my father was out working and we didn't know how to contact the police or hospital because we didn't have a home phone yet. We used our neighbors and the ambulance came and I strictly remember that because we didn't have our health cards yet they wouldn't start work even though my father said he will pay when he gets there. I remember my mother and I feeling helpless while my 1 year old brother was bleeding out (the hospital staff tried to stop the bleeding with cotton ball and bandage) and I distinctly remember that they did not start helping my brother even WHILE my father was paying but only started work after the bill was completed. Even though my family felt helpless at that time and we felt it was unfair, we never blamed Canada because it was their policy and they have every right to follow protocols. So it makes me angry to see people who walked into our country illegally getting far better treatment than my family ever got even though it might not be anything as life threatening as ours was. It makes me angry that our hard earned tax dollars are used to help people who have no motivation to help the country that gave them asylum during war.. It's actually the opposite as a lot of these families call their free housing "disgusting" and compare it to "living like a slave". I'm angry because little girls at my brothers own school are getting shoved and assaulted by refugee boys as young as 6-7 and are let off with a simple "don't do that again" and a meeting with the parents. This is not the Canada my family came to love and call home so I can't imagine the hardships of Canadians who are living here for 3, 4, 5+ generations 😔😔

I used to live in Brampton and this is the city where I first landed. No hatred for the city but people have ruined it. I'm a brown guy myself so I can't be racist against my own people and tbh, some of the best people I know in Canada are Sikhs but even they accept the fact that there is a large number of bad apples in their community. Sikhs have played a major part in both positive and negative way, to make and break this city.\n\nInsurance scams in Brampton cost their citizens to pay one of the highest premiums in the country. Generally, drivers in Brampton have no fuckin' idea how to drive because the licences were literally bought. \n\nA large number of people of our brown community always hell bent on abusing the system, wherever they go. We bring the same back home mindset here in Canada rather follow the system. \n\nThe only thing mostly brown community is focused on is how to make money and that's all. Don't try to learn the language, don't like to mix with people, don't care about the laws or anything. They only like to have nice big houses, show off their leased fancy cars and that's all.\n\nI left this city for good and don't regret my decision at all when I see numerous videos about the bad situation in Brampton. I'd love to move back to Ontario but cannot live in this city anymore. One thing really pissed me off when I was there that most people expect every brown person to speak Punjabi and when I used to tell them that I don't speak or understand Punjabi, you could see the surprized looks on their face.

It's very easy to say I proud on my India and I love my India but the reality of life in India very terrible and very bad.\nNow the situation is like rich people getting more rich and poor people going more worst poor\nAnd in future India have nothing but increasing prices of Dollar currency & euro & pound \nmassive corruptions...cases &\nWe pay tax but we don't know where our tax money goes still we have dirty roads and no proper women safety & i shame to say this capital of India Delhi city is the rape capital city of India.\nIncreasing price of petrol desil & gas....Hindu & Muslims fightings.\nThat's why millions of people specially from north India and all over India want to go other country like Canada & never wanna come back & cool weather for Indians not a big deal if you ware three to four layers for four months that sets

I'll lay it out for you: Me: typical middle of the road liberal oriented Canadian. Non white, immigrant (I wasnt born here) I worked in a Refugee housing for over 4 years in Ontario. Most were not war areas refugees (Yes I know there are other types of refugees). I only encountered few refugees from war areas. ONLY 1 person from Iraq, about 2 families were from Afghanistan, 1 couple from Pakistan(I doubt they were real refugees they spoke fluent English, maybe political refugee), and a most from African countries. Its too far for real refugees to get here. Its Easier for them to go to other countries nearby or Europe. MOST SEEM TO BE ECONOMIC REFUGEES. Most were coming from Africa. Some are coming from Latin America, which shouldn't be happening. Once they showed up at our doorstep and we processed them into the system, they were immediately in the same class as a Canadian resident homeless person if they were making a refugee claim. We get money to house and feed them (from the government), and they are given a stipend for basics from the government processed through the Social Assistance/ Welfare system (they get less than a resident/citizen I think.). They then have to get their case processed by the refugee board, and most seem to get in. I've only heard of few getting sent back. One person I know at our facility, was given a subsided social housing apartment after a year in our facility. So they went straight from a shelter to a government/city owned subsidized apartment. (Didn't seem like it was a issue for the housing worker...they didn't report it (if they were not the ones that helped the person to get it), they were white, the housed person was Latin. This refugee claimant, and then month or two new Canadian resident person was given an apartment in a prime area of the city, instead of the 1000's of Canadians, those who came before them, and born Canadian citizens on an extremely long waiting list. How this was allowed to happen I don't know. The person was probably sucking on someone's straw. I'm just trying to think the barriers these people have to go through to get a job here. We are far removed from the time of the 80's and 90's., and housing and jobs are so hard to get. Lol the "Canadian government asks them to repay the traveling cost to Canada if they are sent back"....I wonder how much the government recoups?.....more like 0 probably. What a bunch of crap. How do you demand someone to repay their flight cost when they get back to their country?

I feel like this is just anti black propaganda to make us think black fathers are somehow more absentee then other races. I know plenty of white people who don't know their dads. I actually don't know any black people who's parents aren't still together. Maybe it's just where I live in Atlanta. I don't know what it's like in Canada.

Its hilarious to me that Canadians have this big image of what we are like with all of the war, food, and football etc... \nwhen people here kind of forget Canada exists. I literally don't know anything about Canada except the maple leaf and something about health insurance?

As a Muslim living in Canada, I don't see the harm in a woman wanting to cover herself, I wear the head scarf myself, but in my opinions I don't feel the need to cover myself to prove I am more modest or a better Muslim.  I believe everyone has free will and has the right in this Country to dress the way that the law has allowed them to.  No one has the right to tell someone how to dress, not even the Prime Minister himself.  Telling a woman what she can and cannot wear is oppression.  I truly believe that if Muslims want to live in Western civilization, then they should refrain from covering their faces because the face is our identity and People have the right to know who you are and what your face looks like.  You cannot vote with a covered face, you cannot cover your face in a passport photo, you cannot cover your face for your driver's licence etc... I am a Muslim woman and I say this.  It truly is a shame how the media is portraying Islam and the Muslim people as a whole, and it truly is a shame that Canadians have become so ignorant.  I see more ignorance and racism in Canada than I do in America and 9/11 took place in America.  If you want to know about Islam, learn about Islam from a Muslim, a Library, google Islam, or offer to spend a few days with a Muslim family for research to get a better understanding of Islam and Muslims.  As a Muslim myself I can understand the hatred and the ignorance because we act according to how we were taught and raised, and yes we have many extremists claiming to follow the Islamic faith.  These extremists are not only hurting Western civilization, but they are also hurting the peaceful moderate Muslims that value their rights and freedoms as Canadians.  I do not appreciate ISIS hijacking my religion, I do not appreciate Hamas or Hezballah hijacking my Religion because I am a very accepting person and a very open minded Muslim and to be defined by media as a problem or a terrorist is very hurtful and a shame.