The Ideal Family
By Joseph Sinasac - 9/26/2007
From www.catholic.org
The Catholic Register

Just as Canadians were waking up to discover that for the first time in history married couples were in the minority earlier this month, they were also reminded of what they had lost. The words came from Pope Benedict XVI, and they were the epitome of common sense.

In remarks to Slovak ambassador Jozef Dravecky on Sept. 13, the pope had some comments on the value of the family – the family that Catholics know of as man and woman, married, and, with good fortune, in many cases children.

“The family is the nucleus in which a person first learns human love and cultivates the virtues of responsibility, generosity and fraternal concern. Strong families are built on the foundation of strong marriages. Strong societies are built on the foundation of strong families. Indeed, all civic communities should do what they can to promote economic and social policies that aid young married couples and facilitate their desire to raise a family.”

It’s worth quoting a little more of the pope’s comments in this regard: “Far from remaining indifferent to marriage, the state must acknowledge, respect and support this venerable institution as the stable union between a man and a woman who willingly embrace a life-long commitment of love and fidelity.”

In Canada, today, we are a long, long way from that ideal. The Globe and Mail front-page headline the very day of Benedict’s remarks was “Canada redefines family.” The article described a Statistics Canada report which revealed that 51.5 percent of the adult population is not married (the first time married couples have been a minority), that 15.5 percent of all couples lived in common-law relationships (a 19-percent jump since 2001), that 15.9 percent of families were led by single parents, that same-sex couples comprise 0.6 percent of all couples, and the percentage of divorced Canadians is 8.1, up from 3.5 percent two decades ago.

The nature of the family is changing in other ways, too, though not all are negative. Young adults are living with their parents for longer periods and more men are acting as single parents, reflecting a growth in their willingness to accept responsibility for their children.

It must be stressed what the pope is not saying about public policy and family life. He isn’t saying that other forms of family cannot provide much-needed love, support and care for children or for the spouses in those relationships. He is saying that the traditional family serves a unique and necessary role in supporting healthy societies.

But the pope’s starting point is foreign to our society’s way of thinking. The prevailing wisdom says families exist to provide maximum benefit to the individual, and that the individual has no duty beyond his/her own happiness. The pope sees the individual and families as being at the service of humanity and God. That emphasis makes all the difference. Joseph Sinasac is the publisher and editor of The Catholic Register.

Faster immigration sound Harper goal
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/lifestyle/index.html
The Edmonton Journal
Thursday, April 03, 2008

There are a least a couple of things all of us might agree on in the emotionally charged immigration file. One, there is a massive backlog of applications, even if some are essentially duplicate submissions.

As of December, an estimated 900,000 prospective new Canadians were waiting for a decision. Secondly, there is a pressing need -- especially in Alberta -- for skilled and, to some degree, unskilled workers in this land.

Recent figures indicating the second straight quarter of net migration away from this province -- which hasn't happened in 18 years -- is a sobering statistic.

Yes, training Canadians and landed immigrants to meet current and future labour demands must remain a top priority. But the actuarial tables are quite clear. We simply must look outside the country for newcomers to sustain our prosperity and strengthen our future.

We are not the only jurisdiction faced with the same inevitabilities.

Competition reigns in all realms to attract immigrants of quality.

The federal Tories have rightly introduced new amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Act that they promise will oil and accelerate the creaky machinery into faster action. Immigration Minister Diane Finley has said her priority was to get the legislation passed first, "then to find the most efficient and effective way to reduce the backlog and speed up the processing time for all categories."

Given the increasingly poisonous atmosphere on Parliament Hill, it's not surprising that opposition parties would quickly find fault with the proposed amendments. And typically, the Harper government, rarely able to resist a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, introduced the changes in a manner guaranteed to humiliate and outrage the opposition Liberals. In an American-style hardball political move, the government embedded the immigration act revisions in a budget implementation bill.

That would make the entire package a matter of confidence. If Stephane Dion's Liberals wanted to vote down the immigration changes, it would bring down the government. As a variety of sources including the Canadian Bar Association have declared, the proposed changes are flawed. Whether they are fatally flawed is up for grabs and likely moot, since they will almost certainly pass as part of budget bill C-50 unless Stephane Dion decides to pull the plug.

He might do well to consider that -- how often can one's nose be rubbed into the pavement? -- but that's another story. In fact, the immigration reforms are laudable in the stated desire to un-jam the backlog and give priority to economic migrants. Keeping folks waiting for many years is cruel and, at least in some cases, self-defeating for Canada.

When it comes to the blame game, all parties share some responsibility for lengthening queues and a sluggish bureaucracy. The opposition parties' rhetorical fear mongering is unconvincing, as they fulminate against the supposed wholesale trashing of the immigration system.

But they are correct in questioning the wisdom of handing over even more powers to the immigration minister: a key provision in the new fix. While that will certainly speed up processing of some applicants, the choice of the lucky fast-tracker will essentially be at the discretion of the minister. Other worthies may be given short shrift, and for the wrong reasons. The lack of transparency is an issue.

And forgive us for remembering that ever so occasionally, government ministers can be faulted for policy decisions rooted in political considerations. In the end, we will see if the amendments to the act begin to clean up the mess and clear the way for those waiting to find their place in a country that needs new blood.

By 2012, it is reckoned that immigration will account for all net labour growth in Canada. Albertans will be among the most interested to see that we streamline the process. Almost any reasonable reform movement is welcome. Yet it seems a shame that critical legislation which