Only In Canada: the Refugee Out-Collects the Long-Suffering Pensioner
There are moments, as a Canadian, that I have to feel shame…..
Just how damned stupid the bureaucrats that run government really are is no longer up for casual interpretation.
Or how moronic the politicians are who will not fire those bureaucrats responsible.
An old age pensioner, after having paid into the system that is supposed to cover them in their golden years, receives just over $1000.00 dollars per month for a grand total of approximately $12,000.00 plus per annum.
But if you’re a refugee to this country, you receive about $2000.00 per month and some almost $600.00 in supplementary social assistance. That means that as a refugee, you collect from the Canadian taxpayer, almost $29,000.00 per year.
That translates to this: That as a refugee, you take in more than $16,000.00 per year MORE than the average Canadian old age pensioner.
Is there no shame?
Incidentally, this incredible over-compensation rose exponentially under the rule of one particular national party: the Liberals.
These are precisely the kinds of issues where governments can realize efficiencies, and trim budget excesses.
So why aren’t the Conservatives doing anything about it?
My darlings, there are THOUSANDS of such examples, and over time, you will read about them here.
Well AT, no wonder the federal Liberals are thought of “The Party for recent new immigrants”.
Evern notice the federal Liberals in the past have marketed themselves to new arrivals? One only has to read between the
lines of a few federal Liberal candidates around here, especially
in Terminal City.
A product of that generous pass over of cash, they set that up, and then some genius decided within the federal Liberals to silently market their candidates to refugee, the supporting groups and to new immigrants.
Money like that should first go to seniors, and then if that refugee
makes it past the tests and becomes Canadian, then maybe a little year’s assistance to help them on their way.
If it were me, I’d completely flip that current situation around immediately, as in the seniors get the $2600.
But as you know dear boy, the federal Liberals would screech,
the human rights people would scream.
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Of course. And the bigger problem is that instead of turning ‘multiculturalism’ on its head, we gave it premium beef, mother’s milk and bread of the Gods. And now it threatens to eat us alive. The pandering to immigrants, particularly Asian and Indo-Canadian has turned successive governments into pushovers for such idiocy.
The Chretien years killed us. His was a brand of pandering that knew no bounds and essentially established the glorified immigrant–without reason, without sensibility.
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Thank you for exposing this B.S., if anyone were to bring this up on the national networks they would be shouted down as racists. I think that if the people give Mr. Harper a majority there will come changes to this and the criminal justice system that is totally out of control. Liberals, NDP and Parti Quebecois have stymied the Tory government on every attempt to clean up the mess. And you and I and all of us who are the children of immigrants understand the problems of starting out in a new country, but my forebears did it by the sweat of the brow, as most now do, as these scams just didn’t exist at that time. Instead they’d rather involve themselves in the lucrative drug trade, while ripping off their own immigrant base.
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Alex, there are plenty of items wrong with the refugee system process, but unfortunately I think you got most of your information on this post from chain emails. Refer to the Citizenship and Immigration website at http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/department/media/facts/aid.asp or Snopes at http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/refugees.asp.
If your argument is that it takes forever and many more dollars than we give to our pensioners to process the refugees (and subsequent have half of them “lost” while they are two years in the process to determine whether they should be in the country or not), then your argument is better expressed in different terms.
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No I didn’t. Please see the update that will be posted shortly. You have confused my posting with a not particularly similar one.
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Alex,
With respect, while any amount paid to a fraudulent refugee claimant is repugnant (and this happens all the time), I believe your post may be based on an urban myth.
See, for example, http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/facts/aid.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigrant_benefits_urban_legend
You’re comparing payments made to a senior on GIS/OAP (in other words, a senior who has never contributed to CPP, so a senior who has never worked) with fictional payments taken from a misinterpretation of a newspaper article a few years back.
Bogus “Refugees” can live in Canada and collect normal provincial social assistance while waiting for their claim to be adjudicated and appealed. This is truly an outrage, and Kenney is on the record as wanting to accelerate the process for obviously fake claims (refugee claims from Europe for example). But i think you got duped on your numbers.
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Hi Shaun–great to have you here. I’m afraid you’ve confused my posting with one not to similar, but similar enough. I’m nit aware of any urban myth, the information was passed along by a friend working in Victoria. Look for the update to see the information comparison in a clearer light. On a another note, I sure hope you;re keeping warm in Ottawa! Take care my friend.
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And further to your story ( which has always made me sick ), once they are settled ( usually within a week ), they are educated on how to CHEAT the system. My good wife works for the BC government and is ashamed at how these individuals lie & cover for each other to receive maximum benefits from the Ministry of Children & Family. Although the workers follow the rules set by government, workers are fully aware of the games these individuals play.
Can they do anything about it ? Yes in some cases but in far too many it’s difficult when they all stick to the same BIG LIE.
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It’s a sad situation made only worse by, as you quite astutely point out, a govt having turned the other cheek…
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Careful AGT. Urban myths are a bitch. Read snopes.com here:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/immigration/refugees.asp
The “pensioners vs. refugees” brouhaha began back in March 2004, when the Toronto Star published an article about plans for Canada to work in conjunction with the United Nations to settle asylum-seekers from a Somali refugee camp in some smaller Canadian cities (outside the usual immigrant magnet communities of Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver). As the Star’s ombudsman later explained, a single paragraph in the midst of the article was somewhat ambiguous about the amount of financial assistance the Canadian government would be providing to these refugees:
Halfway through the 1,500-word article, unforeseen trouble was lurking. In paragraph 16, the story said single refugees are eligible for $1,890 from Ottawa as a “start-up allowance, along with a $580 monthly social assistance, depending on how soon the person is able to find employment.” In addition, they get “a night lamp, a table, a chair and a single bed from the government,” the story said. In painful hindsight, those details could have been clearer. Actually, the $1,890 “start-up allowance” — including a $580 monthly social assistance cheque from Ottawa — was a one-time payment for basic household needs such as furnishings, pots and linens. The furniture is used.
Unfortunately, one Star reader who misunderstood the issue set loose an e-mail polemic about refugee entitlement without waiting for clarification, and the author of a follow-up letter to the editor published in the Star repeated the erroneous claim that the African refugees would be collecting monthly government allowances nearly double those provided to pensioners:
In quick order, two things happened after the article ran. First, a reader sent a nasty e-mail to the reporter. Among other things, it said charity begins at home and Canada should not “roll out the welcome mat” for refugees. The e-mailer assumed — erroneously — that the refugees would collect $2,470 a month. They’d be better off than Canadian pensioners.
More worrisome, the polemicist sent his rant to 100 recipients, some of whom likely spread the word to wider audiences. Ah, the wonders of the Internet! Alarmed by the e-mail, reporter Keung tried to contact the sender. It was too late. Having spread the misinformation, the e-mailer already had changed his address. At the same time, a second development occurred. The Star ran a letter to the editor that said the $2,470 “compares very well to a single pensioner who after contributing to the growth and development of Canada for 40 years can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement. “Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees?” reasoned the writer.
In short order, e-mail forwards like the following began winging their way into the inboxes of thousands of Canadians (and a good many Americans to boot):
Only in Canada.
Do not apply for your old age pension. Apply to be a refugee. It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890.00 and each can get an additional $580.00 in social assistance for a total of $2,470.00.
This compares very well to a single pensioner who, after contributing to the growth and development of Canada for 40 or 50 years, can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012.00 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.
Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!
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Wait for the follow up. You and a few others have pointed out the same column and item…but I recd this info form a friend in Victoria. It’s not a one lump sum payment and ongoing, but I’ll show you either tonight or first thing in the morning (Tuesday) how we should be appalled by it all.
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I was. Wondering for how long do refugees receive this windfall assistance, hopefully not very long, and what if any are the conditions , do they have to work or can they sleep all day on our dime.
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I’ll be doing a follow-up since it’s become so popular, and I will outline it all for you. In fact, there are no set limits. Frightening.
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To put this into perspective, a person making our current minimum wage of $8.00 per hour and working 40 hours per week would only earn $16,640 per year. Old Age Pension paid $516.96 per month in 2009 or 6203.52 per year. Canada Pension Plan payments are difficult to categorize as they are determined by the number of years one contributed and the level of income being earned while contributing. I suspect at present that the maximum one could get from CPP would be around $900 per month if one was in a position to pay the maximum each year since its inception.
My point is that to give newly landed immigrants the kind of money you state they get is ludicrous. What incentive do they have to make a new life for themselves the old fashioned way, working for it? There is definitely something wrong with this picture.
I do believe in compassion and helping the less fortunate to a degree, but to create a welfare state through importation is just wrong on so many levels. The more I hear and read, the more I am becoming convinced that the people least qualified to govern us are the ones we get to choose from.
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Cranky–wait for my follow-up and be THOROUGHLY appalled at the benefits, tax and otherwise, as well. Appalling.
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another example of how Canadian taxpayers are being fleeced is the family repatriation program. Immigrant families can bring their elderly parents to Canada.
After ten years, if they are over 65 years old, the parents qualify for 1/4 of the Old Age Pension and the maximum amount of the Guaranteed Income Supplement, assuming they have little other income.
If the elderly parents live with their adult children, their income is not included with the family income, therefore the adult children do not have to pay any more tax.
The parents qualify for assisted Medical Health Services premiums, and all sorts of tax credits such as GST, PST, Climate Action Dividend and probably the coming HST tax credit.
The adult children can use their parents money to pay for the mortgages on their monster homes.
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Incredible. Meanwhile, soldiers and pensioners are paid a pittance.
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Truly pathetic.
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Yes, truly…..
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The real crime is that most “refugee’s” are phoney. I ounce heard a former refugee official on the radio and he said, and I quote ” I have personally never met a claimant who actually fit the U.N. description of a refugee”.
Nuff said?
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Precisely. And I don’t think we ever will…
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Why should that money be spent there how about a mid 40s citizen wanting to re educate getting solid help { I am one and id love 2/3 of what they get ] and so many other places and it is the beurocratic nightmare that runs the country changes need to begin we have more than enough wealth in this country for our own they should get it first though.
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I’m thinking of applying as a refugee.
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What sources are you using? Not all refugees get that level of support nor anywhere near it. You might be talking about those who meet strict UN conditions, who are victims of torture, and who have families.
Overall the facts show that immigrants generally, and refugees in particular, add way more to Canada’s finances than they take, measured longitudinally such as over ten years.
I might also add that I have no desire to return to the immigration policies of 100 years ago that were predicated on hate, bigotry and racial prejudice. Additionally, as move forward, our aging population will need to be bolstered by a strong inflow of immigrants.
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Dear Faceless: Few, if any, meet the UN criteria. And I will certainly disagree that they add more than they take. They take a TON of money and when they are relative unknowns! While I do not yearn for an immigration policy book of 100 years ago, we have gone overboard in accommodation and funding. It’s disgusting. Replacing the aged? how bout with their children, some of whom might need funding for one thing or another, as CANADIANS FIRST. Too politically correct psychobabble has choked reason from the immigration equation. Look for my follow-up story later today or early tomorrow. Thx for stopping by. Much appreciation for your thoughts. Cheers!
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Given that refugee policy is federal, don’t treat a Victoria source as the end-all and be-all. A quick search led me to this from a federal government website:
“Financial support for government-assisted refugees
Is the support the same across Canada?
Support services under the Resettlement Assistance Program are the same across Canada. The monthly income support varies slightly from province to province, since it is based on provincial social assistance rates. A single government-assisted refugee who settles in Ontario, for example, will receive C$655 per month. This amount is meant to cover food, shelter and transportation.
In most cases, the first month’s income support payment is larger because it includes a one-time payment to cover the basic costs of setting up a household.”
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No true. In a few cases the first month support payment is larger. I have spent a good part of the last few days discussing this with immigration lawyers, politicians and a former immigration judge. As for my sources…I have been blessed in this life to have met many, many people–often in places where I can just pick up the phone and call, while others may need to make a series of calls. I make no apologies for this. It’s what brings the kind of heart-of-the-matter issues to light here. The post you are looking for will be up in a few minutes.
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An east Indian co-worker told me that immigrants tend to do the kind of jobs that Canadians won’t do. I agreed that this was true, but then most wouldn’t pull the kind of stunts some of the immigrants do, like not reporting employment while being paid cash, which is facilitated mainly by employees of the same descent, as was duly noted by the late lamented (by me at least) Doug Collins. The same co-worker also admitted that bringing their elderly relatives over can be profitable in that they can claim deductions of $400/mo. for baby-sitting services, and can usually get them cash jobs on farms and security companies that pay cash at below the minimum wage. If I’m not mistaken they are also eligible for the provincial Mincome.
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Alex, I agree with the basic premise here, that those who have contributed to Canada all their life deserve at least equivalent benefits as recent immigrants. As an immigrant myself, though not recent at all, I always felt in my younger days that any inability to look after myself could be grounds for deportation – though I don’t know if that was the case or not. Now that I am older and have built part of Canada and done my part of devastating its forests, I feel no guilt about availing myself of any government benefits which I have spent decades contributing towards.
I beg to differ though with two of your points.
1. Harper too panders to the immigrant community. If you will recall his first campaign visit to BC last so-called election consisted of him hiding out for the morning in a Chinese household in Richmond while the staff prepared the yard, by scattering toys etc., for the photo op to follow the sequestation in the house just before returning to Ottawa.
2. I hope your promised “update” clarifies some of the points discussed above and is based on more than your usual idea of reliable sources such as ” the information was passed along by a friend working in Victoria.” Sounds a lot like your friend with the Coastal Health Authority that knows more about drugs than the UCLA researcher who has spent decades doing research or the medical faculty at Harvard. Of course being your friend might be the main qualification for expert status, at least here at Rabble Rousing without a Pause!
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You are entertaining as well as informative and well-written. One UCLA researcher and Harvard Yard do not a reasonable argument make.
You’re point about the Pm is bang-on, I agree, I didn’t like that either. I was appalled, frankly.
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Thank you Alex for putting this out!! Many people have no clue about what goes on. But most people are scared to say much for fear of being labelled a “racist”.
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Then they are fools. I appreciate your kind comments. Thank you.
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As a senior, with no spouse, and on a fixed income, I know, I will not be able to keep my home, when the HST is imposed. I still have a small mortgage to pay. I, have no tax write offs, so, the tax man takes a chunk, even though, my income is very low. My house is not selling, as, there have been massive lay offs, in my community. However, the irony is, rent is more expensive than my mortgage. The cost of food has gone up, 27%, and, up north, heat and hydro costs are high. The only way seniors and low income families, can cut down their costs, are food and utilities. There is no assistance for, a young mother, with two children, and, living on Campbells famous minimum wage of, $8.00 an hour. She has to depend on a depleting food bank. Her rent just went up, so she will be homeless, even before the HST, is forced on her. This country is governed by corruption and greed. The, poor citizens are, cannon fodder to be exploited for the gaping mouths of the wealthy. The government is an ass.
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It’s truly sad to be reminded of the sad state of affairs across the board… You raise some very valid points.
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