We need legal immigration in Canada, especially immigrants of doctors, skilled trades, and company creating investors. So I’d like to make it clear I am an immigration fan of properly managed immigration. That being said, the Liberals blew by the maximum level of properly managed immigration years ago, to the disservice of immigrants already here, because like the rest of Canadians, many have no family doctor or they can’t find an affordable home as supplies have diminished and home prices have skyrocketed! That being said, we have many immigration problems. Let me start with the worst example of a foreign government hitman entering Canada from India and killing Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. I have also heard of cases of people flying into Canada having expensive AHS medical treatments including surgery, but are “borrowing” AHS cards from a friend as they are not Canadian citizens, let alone Alberta residents. Our current health card is particularly vulnerable because it has no photo identification. I have heard of cases where refugees in Canada “borrow” children from their friends and neighbours and take them to the social service interviews passing them off as their “own” children to up the money they will receive from the government in social service financial benefits. I have also heard of many abuses in terms of motor vehicles, from driver examiners selling “passes” without even the person having to take the driver’s test, to stolen vehicles being secretly “Re-VINed” to allow criminal enterprises to legally sell stolen vehicles. I’m sure Canadians will agree an immigrant truck driver who did not respect the “Life-Saving Rules of the Road” and caused the Humboldt Hockey Team bus collision is a tragedy we don’t want to see repeated. Canadian immigration kindness is being abused and is also giving a bad name to good rule-following immigrants. I am absolutely a strong supporter of the UCP Government’s decisions and initiatives to strengthen controls on all Alberta driver’s licences and Alberta health cards as a Canadian, and I welcome full citizenship identification on each and every driver’s licence and government card. These security enhancements cannot come soon enough. Alberta taxpayers are paying the bills for these financial abuses!
Chris Robertson
Stony Plain, Alberta
