The Cost of Being Canadian - Redux
September 20th, 2006 | by MadHacktress |Okay, so here’s the deal. The Canadian people forked out 85 million bucks to bring some 15,000 people home back to Canada from Lebanon. But the real kicker is that only 6 weeks later, with no guarantee that hostilities have ended, 7000 of them have gone back.
On August 1st, I posted a commentary about The Cost of Being Canadian. Now more than ever I believe in what I wrote then.
Non-resident citizens and those with dual-citizenship should have their status considered a luxury. They should be asked to pay a tax, a fee or spend a certain amount of time on Canadian soil.
As I said then I will say again, I don’t blame anyone for wanting to get out of a war-torn area. No one in their right mind wants to stay in such a place if they don’t have to. But, at the same time, you cannot expect the Canadian citizenry, with whom many have only a passing acquaintance, to foot the bill for your escape.
7000 people have had coin enough to make it back to Lebanon after only seven weeks of having been shipping back - seems to me that those poeple could have coughed up the cash to pay for their ticket here in the first place. The Canadian government, according to The Globe, usually asks citizens to repay the fare for their return. Canada’s New Government, however, has opted not to make that request.
Our citizenship rules needs to be revisited. Something needs to change. The government should absolutely be there to stand behind its citizens in their time of need. Citizen, however, is a term that this government needs to more strictly define.
As I said before, if you except the protections afford by the Canadian government you should live within the borders of Canada… or pay a fee. Nothing in life is free…
…except a plane ticket home from Cyprus.
Entry Filed under: General, In The News, Pure Opinion
Well, the only caveat that I would add here is that it may have been impossible to get a commercial flight out of Lebanon at the time. That doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t reimburse the government for their evacuation, however. The only ones that should be exempted from reimbursement would be the foreign ministry staff who were working in Beirut as representatives of the government; ambassador and embassy staff.
I absolutely agree that people who are in these places doing the work of the Nation should be exempted. They are there on our behalf and that is commendable.
And yes, commercial flights probably were impossible to secure at the time. Yes, even if they had paid a “non-resident citizenship fee” they would have required the Canadian government to go over there and rescue them. But, at least the 5700$ per person cost could have been partially defrayed by the fee/tax.
That’s how it should be in the future.
Another fine example of government waste in action. Well done; govermental agencies spend how they see fit. Usually at their and special interest groups particular to who they support.