Julie Burton Delivers a Heart-Felt Response to Me and Gregory

My dear big brother ... I thought you learned your lesson!

It seems I am not the only one who doesn't appreciate your demeaning debate style.


Gregory took the time to put his opinions together and risked putting them
out there. I applaud his spanking of your rebuttal.


I must, however, enter into this discussion and try to redirect Gregory's
position since you could not. I am not a great thinker or a great writer
and so I am sure any of you will find many holes with which to distort and
manipulate my words for your own point of view. Be that as it may, I cannot
ignore the fact that my nephew does not know what Canada is or chooses not
to articulate it.


Canada is a country in which women have already fought the major battles for
rights and equality. These battles continue as we try to elliminate the
violence against women. However, Canada is still light years ahead of many
of the countries from which these immigrants come. I teach students who
come from countries where women are still completely covered (actually there
are many in Brampton who still are covered except for their eyes) and they
have no respect for me ... let alone "love."


Canadian values toward women are not perfect but they are values that I
expect immigrants to accept. This is part of Canadian values and they are
different from many countries of origin of our immigrants.

Canada is a country with a highway that spans from one coast to the other.
While driving this highway you see what Canada was and quickly is losing: a
nation of hard workers, a nation of innovators, a nation of peace, a nation
that values her builders, a nation with water, a nation that many choose.

We have a history, with mistakes, like all other countries (Gregory mentioned
the treatment of the native population but this is certainly not our only
error in judgement: japanese internment, Chinese mine workers etc..).
But right now our greatest mistake is raising a generation of youth who do not
know what Canada is, who do not know her history, who do not consider themselves
Canadian. I actually had a student say to me on Remembrance Day - "What do I have be
silent for; what did they ever do for me?" His family immigrated here from another
war torn country.


But it is not just recent immigrant families who do not value this place. I have taught in
Woodbridge for most of my career. The Italian community there are the hardest workers
I know. They immigrated here, worked, earned a living ... but in many cases they never
called themselves Canadian. If you ask third and fourth generation Italian kids what their
nationality is - most say Italian. They are not alone in this attitude. Why is it important to
"be Canadian?" If you do not value something; you will not take care of it.


If you do not respect something, you will not love it.

Canada has two official languages and we need not get into that but ...without a common
language we cannot hope for this "love" and world of mutual understanding that you,
Gregory, aspire.

In my humble opinion, Canada is not multicultural. A "label" does not a country make.
Multicultural implies to me that many people from many countries live harmoniously
together sharing their culture and accepting the cultures of others. I live in the city
of Brampton which is now the destination of choice for most immigrants entering Ontario.
Cultures remain separated and divided because there is no common language to allow them to
intermingle. Immigrants are not being required to learn English. Instead workers are only
being hired if they can speak the language of these immigrants. Youth have formed ethnic
gangs. Church names include words like "Chinese" to denote who will worship there. Each year
Brampton has a cultural festival. Each of the ethnic groups has a pavilion and the idea
is that people will visit all the different pavilions and learn about our neighbours countries.
But very few people do that. Most people go to their pavilion and socialize in their language
with their people.

So my point, Gregory, is that a common language is crucial in
order for multiculturalism to work. We cannot love our neighbour if we cannot
understand and communicate our differences. Immigrants need to learn English and
French so they can speak about their lives and share their stories and ask for what they
need. If I were moving to Pakistan the same would apply to me. I would have to learn
the language of that country.

The national anthem issue is huge for me. Without a love for our country, immigrants
and non-immigrant’s alike will not value the things that are the reason immigrants
come here. And if we do not value these things we will not fight to preserve them.
The natural beauty will be lost, the crime and hatred will increase, the feeling of isolation
of various cultures will continue. I feel great empathy for people who immigrate here
because they were forced to leave their country. I believe that we should help them
settle in. In the same way, I feel much empathy for children in my classes who come
to school from homes with abuse, alcoholism and divorce; but I do not let them do what
ever they want because it makes them feel better. There are expectations in my room
that allow the classroom to function well and with love and consideration for all. In the
same way, while we need to be compassionate, we also need to establish the wonder
and the love for this country that is so sadly lacking. The singing of the national anthem
is a symbolic gesture of the love we have for this country.


I cannot repeat enough that if we do not love Canada, we will not take care of her,
and if we do not take care of her, we will soon find the horrors of the world are
no longer "across the pond" but right here. When we sing the anthem together,
in a common language, we are communicating to all the strength of a people who
are truly Canadian. My students have to be reprimanded on a daily basis to stand silently for
the national anthem. I would ask them to sing it but that would require that they know
the words. The teachers who teach them do not stand at attention. It is a sad, sad,
commentary on the value Canadians, both new and old, place on their country.


No one thinks more about "love" than I do Gregory. I wish that it could heal the world.
But we have been raised to love ourselves ... because some idiot decided if we don't
love ourselves first we cannot love others. (A topic for another day!) You might be
saying to yourself - "that's my point!"


But you see, when immigrants come to Canada and want things in their language,
when they want to treat people the way they did in their homeland, when they want
their values to override the values of their new country ... you must realize that love
includes teaching right and wrong, teaching values, and teaching others that there
might be a better way.


And yes Gregory, I believe in Canada we will live a "better way" than in many of
these countries where immigrants come from.


I am going to close with a personal story Gregory about you and me. When you
were a little boy you were, shall we say, a bit difficult. When I was around you I
was very tough on you. One day your father said to me " Why do you have to be
like that with him? Do you want him to be afraid of you?"


My answer was "yes." I knew it was not me you were afraid of. It was the
consequences of your behaviour that you were afraid of and you knew that Aunt
Julie would see it through. I also knew that what began as fear, would turn to respect,
and that respect is an important component of love. What does this story have to do
with anything ... well, many immigrants are like my students. They are testing the
waters to see what they can get away with, they are afraid and uncertain, and they are
beginning a chapter of growth that will be difficult because there is much they do not
understand. As "Canadian teachers" of these immigrants we need to provide direction
and establish expectations as they grow to be Canadians.

My Favorite Critic - Nephew Gregory dishes it out!

First of all, why are we so afraid of our culture changing?
What is Canadian culture?

This country was built on colonial capitalism; economic imperialism.
The country was created by those who paid no attention to theimportance of culture (eg: systematic destruction of First Nations heritage...)
and thus has always experienced confusion and conflict concerning its cultural
roots. It's nothing new, and that should say something to us.
I highly doubt that all immigrants come to Canada solely because it is thecountry of choice. Obviously if that were true they would not care abouthaving the national anthem sung in Hindi.
It seems more likely that most immigrants would much rather live in
their own countries, but they end up being forced out because ofviolence or economic instability...most often violence because of economicinstability; economic instability created by those in control of an incredibly
nearsighted and often malicious Global Economy which our "culture" works
hard to maintain, and has worked hard to maintain since its conception.It is because of the common citizen's ignorance to the absolutely terribleforesight inherent in our system, and our lack of recognition of ourpersonal contribution to the atrocities being experienced by so many aroundthe world that a Global culture of exploitation and out-of-control consumption(especially apparent during Christmas, which has been twisted to the pointthat most of us cannot consider the Idea of Christmas without thinkingabout spending money) is allowed to continue to exist and to perpetuate the
difficulties forcing people to leave their own Nations and come to ours. And
we're fine with it until they don't pay their taxes or try and speak their own language.If we really want to ameliorate this situation we will look at the real roots of the problem,
and stop blaming the victims of our own ancestors' Bigotry and Greed.

Maybe this Christmas we can begin to figure out who really
s most in need of charity.Somehow, out of all people in the world, I doubt it's upper-middle class,white, English, Canadians like Bruce Allen.