Immigrant blasts free services
Langley Advance
Published: Friday, December 12, 2008
Dear Editor,
As emigrants, my family and I had to speak, read, and write English or French before we could apply for immigration from Africa to Canada.
Not only that, but we had to prove that we had enough money to live here for six months without any help.
I would like someone to explain to me why I now have to pay for someone to speak English and to pay for settlement services.
If the ESL and settlement services are for refugees, that is understandable, but not for immigrants.
Although my family and I struggled in the first five years of being here, we did not receive one penny in help from the government.
It looks to me like there are different rules that apply to different ethnic groups and some are more equal than others. The requirements should be the same for everyone across the board, with no exceptions.
This money can be better spent benefitting Canadian taxpayers who have contributed to the system over a number of years: our pensioners, the disabled, Canadian children whose parents cannot afford for them to do after-school activities or afford dental for their children, to name but a few.
Kevin Edwards, Langley
