By Dr. Sawraj Singh
Canada is the number one destination for the migrating youth in Punjab. This migration should now be called an exodus. An unreal perception about Canada has been created by the vested interests. If our youth is a given a choice between going to heaven or to Canada then almost all of them are likely to chose Canada. Canada is presented as a land of plenty and super abundance where your life will become luxurious and super comfortable as soon as you somehow reach there. Moreover, Canada is presented as a much disciplined society where there is a great respect for law and order and a society which is almost free of crime. All of this may be true for Canada but when it comes to the Punjabi community, nothing can be farther from truth than these perceptions about Canada.
Let us look at the recent news coming from the three biggest centers of the Punjabi population in Canada; Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary. Guru Randhawa, a Punjabi singer, was attacked while performing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver. He needed sutures for the wound on the face as a result of a punch by an irate fan. Guru Randhawa said that he is never coming back to Canada. The body of Harmandeep Singh Bhinder was found floating in the Nith river in New Hamburg town of the Ontario province. This 23 years old young man recently migrated to Canada from Patiala. His father said that they had to sell a piece of their 7 acre land to send him to Canada. Then he asked for 10 lakhs so that he can get a work permit and permanent residency in Canada and he was in tension for the past week before he went missing. In Calgary, in the Punjabi area, shots were exchanged from two cars causing great alarm in the area and the city.
These are not just isolated cases but are a part of a much bigger problem. Gang violence, drug dealing, human trafficking and prostitution are some of the big problems faced by the Punjabi community in Canada. However, our pseudo intellectuals who frequently hold World Punjabi Conferences in Canada rarely talk about the problems faced by the Punjabi community in Canada.
Another problem brewing up in the community is the growing tension between the new comers and the people who are already settled there. Although this is not a new phenomenon yet the magnitude of the problem has greatly increased due to the massive migration. While the new comers are struggling the people who have already settled are better off financially. They have better houses, better cars and generally have a higher standard of living than the new comers. They have a tendency to look down on the new comers who are sometimes called “Boaters”. The word boater meant the people who just arrived by the ships. In old days the ships were bringing the new immigrants unlike the new immigrants who now arrive at the airports.
Another problem is the change in the class character and educational level of the immigrants. Before, bulk of the migrants came from the ordinary and the poor peasantry. Now the educated middle class is coming in growing numbers. Previously, the main challenge was to find a job and as soon as you find a job in a factory or a saw mill your struggle was mainly over. However, now it is a much longer and complicated process to settle down. Many new arrivals are on the study visa which imposes many restrictions to work. For the other people who were holding good jobs in India or are used to a comfortable life, it can be a very frustrating experience doing the hard work which the earlier immigrants did like doing 24 hour shifts.
Canada, like most other places on this earth, is neither a heaven nor a hell it is a mixture of both. The travel agents and the other vested interests paint Canada as a heaven on earth. This unreal perception can only lead to frustration and bigger tragedies. We should try to present Canada in a more balanced way. We should talk about the pros and the cons, about the merits and the demerits and about the gains and the losses associated with migrating to Canada. A more balanced perception will not only help Punjab and the Punjabis but will, also be good for Canada. The exodus of the Punjabis to Canada under the illusion that they are going to a heaven is not only hurting Punjab but it will also create problems for the Punjabi community in Canada and the Canadian society at large. When there are a large number of frustrated people in any society then it can destabilize the society. Illusion hurts but Truth never hurts anyone it helps everybody.
Dr. Sawraj Singh, MD F.I.C.S. is the Chairman of the Washington State Network for Human Rights and Chairman of the Central Washington Coalition for Social Justice. He can be reached at [email protected].
