The refugee crisis in Europe has prompted many Canadians to demand that the government admit large numbers of refugees for permanent resettlement. Most of these demands are motivated by humanitarian sentiments but they are also supported by libertarians who argue for unlimited immigration on the grounds that it would benefit all Canadians, just like it has in the past, creating a country of social harmony, high incomes and a quality of life that is one of the best in the world.
The Post’s Terence Corcoran recently made this argument (‘Open our doors to the world,’ Sept. 11). However, the libertarian analysis is no longer valid in today’s world. First, there is no more fertile empty land on the prairies that requires immigrants to cultivate. In fact, technology used by farmers now is so efficient and labour-saving that people are leaving the land to settle in towns and cities.
Of course, what lies behind this is a misguided sense of childish altruism. You are at your kindest and most compassionate when you draw limits and make sensible policies. Then all can benefit. Our present “open the floodgates, Canada has plenty of room” mantra is pure idiocy. No one will truly benefit, and Canada will be fragmented into tiny principalities. It takes a mind like Trudeau’s not to be able to grasp this simple reality.