Are Tamil's "Real Canadians"

[WinterHawk]

NO, the TAMILS are just trying to carry on their fight here, safely within OUR country. You don't come to Canada to carry on a fight, if you've come here as a REFUGE you do not abuse our courtesy and hospitality by taking breaking our laws. You come to Canada to live in peace.

Personally I'd pack the whole lot up and ship them back HOME. Let them do their sit downs in Columbo.

 

[onthebottom]

NO, the TAMILS are just trying to carry on their fight here, safely within OUR country. You don't come to Canada to carry on a fight, if you've come here as a REFUGE you do not abuse our courtesy and hospitality by taking breaking our laws. You come to Canada to live in peace.

Personally I'd pack the whole lot up and ship them back HOME. Let them do their sit downs in Columbo.

Another enlightened Canadian heard from.....

OTB

 

[Rockslinger]

Here is my simple definition of a "real Canadian":

"Someone who is 100% loyal to Canada (forsaking all others) and will defend Canada against its enemies both foreign and domestic."

I have not voted in the poll because I think only a "real" Tamil can decide whether he/she meets the above definition. I can't do it for them.

 

[onthebottom]

Here is my simple definition of a "real Canadian":

"Someone who is 100% loyal to Canada (forsaking all others) and will defend Canada against its enemies both foreign and domestic."

I have not voted in the poll because I think only a "real" Tamil can decide whether he/she meets the above definition. I can't do it for them.

Doesn't Canada allow dual citizenship?

OTB

 

[Rockslinger]

My simple definition and the Canadian government's definition may unfortunately not necessarily be the same. (I have a higher standard.) Please don't get me started on those 50 million "Canadians" living in Lebanon.

The old hockey player in me says that when you join Team Canada you must be 100% loyal to Team Canada. Yes, yes, I know it is so UnCanadian to say this. Imagine being 100% loyal to Canada and not say 10% loyal to Canada and 90% loyal to Lower Svbobia

 

[bver_hunter]

What do we need the Tamils to do before we can say that they have integrated into our society and are now real Canadians? Eat more often at MacDonalds, or have a higher number of divorces in their marriages? Maybe, have some hot Tamil SPs being reviewed very positively. Seriously, no one condones what they are doing to stop the traffic on the Gardner Expressway, or blockading the streets during business working days - in fact these misguided and irrational actions need to be rightly condemned. But, we have got to understand that a number of them have their relatives i.e. brothers, sisters, aunts, grandparents etc. who are caught in the conflict. Easy to say that the Tamil rebels (OK we have to refer to them as terrorists because Harper says so) are using them as human shields. Remember not so long ago it was the turn of the Serbians to demonstrate and rightly so when they were being bombed by NATO and it's allies. Today many question why Canada even got involved in that conflict by taking sides - albeit the wrong side. Before the Serbians it was the turn of the Irish and the IRA with their many sympathisers mainly in the USA who were supporting the bombing in the UK mainland and Northern Ireland and even funding the terrorists organisations there. Back to the Tamils, once this problem is resolved for good, no doubt the Tamils will be back to being proud Canadian citizens just like the Serbians and Irish etc. - OK hopefully so, as I cannot speak for them. Is it worth my time voting in this frivilous poll?

 

[BoringBob]

My simple definition and the Canadian government's definition may unfortunately not necessarily be the same. (I have a higher standard.) Please don't get me started on those 50 million "Canadians" living in Lebanon.

The old hockey player in me says that when you join Team Canada you must be 100% loyal to Team Canada. Yes, yes, I know it is so UnCanadian to say this. Imagine being 100% loyal to Canada and not say 10% loyal to Canada and 90% loyal to Lower Svbobia

It hits the same place as Omar Khadr - Canadian not by choice, by desire, or by living, just Canadian because our government was batshit enough to let his parents in long enough to squat him out. He lives almost all of his life in the 'Stans and even his Mother says she hates Canada, and now we are suppose to go dig him out of prison and treat him like one of ours?

It's disgusting what passes for "Canadian" these days.

 

[WinterHawk]

It hits the same place as Omar Khadr - Canadian not by choice, by desire, or by living, just Canadian because our government was batshit enough to let his parents in long enough to squat him out. He lives almost all of his life in the 'Stans and even his Mother says she hates Canada, and now we are suppose to go dig him out of prison and treat him like one of ours?

It's disgusting what passes for "Canadian" these days.

That's whole family should been sent packing. If not, somewhere just south of the North Pole, like Baffin Island.

 

[sibannac]

Doesn't Canada allow dual citizenship?

OTB

Yes we do.

 

[onthebottom]

Yes we do.

So Canada first Canada always would be a poor test for a "real Canadian"?

OTB

 

[snowleopard]

The old hockey player in me says that when you join Team Canada you must be 100% loyal to Team Canada. Yes, yes, I know it is so UnCanadian to say this. Imagine being 100% loyal to Canada and not say 10% loyal to Canada and 90% loyal to Lower Svbobia

Lol ... I was wondering when the 'hockey' analogy was going to come up. Why not just come out and say it Rock? If you don't like hockey and Don Cherry, you're not Canadian (just kidding buddy)

But to be serious, to me, all this trite talk of what constitutes a 'real' Canadian (or for that matter, a 'real' Quebecois, a 'real' Sri Lankan, a 'real' Serbian, or a 'real' whatever), is just a load of over-simplistic nationalistic hyperbole (much like Don Cherry himself). I know I'm in the minuscule minority here on terb, but in this world of inter-connected globalization, I increasingly find myself bound to other people more by our common humanity than by our common citizenship, economic status, ethnicity, skin color, language, political ideology, religion, culture, etc. Depending on one's point of view, there are countless possible valid definitions of a 'Canadian.' And not one is more true than any other, other than one's belief that it is so.

IMHO, the old cliché patriotic/nationalistic paradigms just aren't relevant anymore. To continue with the hockey analogy, the 100% Canadian identity has gone the way of the 100% Canadian NHL team. Get used to it people.

Finally, let me pose a hypothetical question to all you 'real' Canadians out there. If one of your children were to marry a Canadian of Tamil descent, who happened to sympathize with the Tamil cause, and who happened to be one of the much maligned demonstrators, would you disown them as well? Just curious.

 

[oldjones]

Quote:
Originally Posted by oldjones
Tamil describes an ethnic origin, like Cajun, Mohawk, Tutsi, Navajo …, whatever.

Some ethnic descriptors, like Hawaiian, before the US annexation can also be national citizenships. Quibble all we like over Itallian, Danish etc. as ethnicities.

There are Tamil-Americans, just as there are Tamil-Canadians and Tamils all over Europe.

Are Tamils "Real Americans"?

Of course.

OTB

Thank you for clarifying your usage. I'm off to vote "Yes"

 

[Rockslinger]

I don't care where you are from or if you are white, yellow, black, brown or green, but when you join Team Canada I do expect 100% loyalty. Is that too much to ask? "Ask not what Canada can do for you, ask what you can do for Canada?" I know it is so UnCanadian to say this but I am a proud Canadian, I carry only a Canadian passport and I am not a "dual" citizen and Canada has my complete loyalty. Yes, my parents (bless them) were immigrants to Canada.

 

[Rockslinger]

There seems to be a thick layer of red neck racism just below the smug surface of the Canadian persona....

I completely disagree with the above statement. The "Rockslinger Crew" and our broader circle of friends and family are a mixture of white, yellow, brown and black folks (with a couple of Vulcans thrown in). We represent the diversity that is Canada. To a man and woman we disgree with the tactics employed by the Tamils. We would still disagree if they were white, yellow, black or green. Race is not the issue.

BTW When that plane carrying the "Protect Canada" banner flew over the Tamil protestors, the kneejerk reaction of some LLL's were "rednecks", "racists", "hate speech", "neo-nazis", "white suprematists", etc. The people who hired that plane were not white.

 

[sibannac]

So Canada first Canada always would be a poor test for a "real Canadian"?

OTB

We are suppose to be a tolerant multi-cultural society but you wouldn't know it by this thread.

 

[snowleopard]

I don't care where you are from or if you are white, yellow, black, brown or green, but when you join Team Canada I do expect 100% loyalty.

And I have no problem with your particular subjective definition of a 'Canadian,' except perhaps that I find it a bit idealistic. I'm just pointing out that it's not the only version, and that when it comes to subjective opinions, say as a opposed to legal definitions, IMHO there is no absolute truth here, to be found. Just a lot of different, but equally valid personal points of view.

At the risk of carrying the hockey/sports analogy too far, out of curiosity, are you as seriously bothered by NHL players, who hold dual citizenship, that go play for their country of birth during the Olympics, as you are about the Tamil demonstrators? Or are they UnCanadian too?

btw, you didn't answer my first hypothetical question.

 

[Rockslinger]

If one of your children were to marry a Canadian of Tamil descent, who happened to sympathize with the Tamil cause, and who happened to be one of the much maligned demonstrators, would you disown them as well?

My friends and relatives and I do not always agree on everything and they still remian my friends and relatives. However, the dealbreaker is if any of my friends or relatives were to do anything to harm Canada (which I seriously doubt they would ever do).

 

[Rockslinger]

At the risk of carrying the hockey/sports analogy too far, out of curiosity, are you as seriously bothered by NHL players, who hold dual citizenship, that go play for their country of birth during the Olympics, as you are about the Tamil demonstrators?

If I were to meet them on the ice, I would try to knock their block off. On a more serious note, I would say to them: "PICK A COUNTRY AND STOP FLYING THE FLAG OF CONVENIENCE!"

 

[sibannac]

If I were to meet them on the ice, I would try to knock their block off. On a more serious note, I would say to them: "PICK A COUNTRY AND STOP FLYING THE FLAG OF CONVENIENCE!"

Stop being such a loser, even the gung ho Americans accept dual citizenship from certain Countries. Here is a list of Countries that you either lose or can retain citizenship from the Country you immigrate from.

http://www.us-immigration.com/information/dual_citizenship.html

In Canada we have allowed for dual citizenship since 1979, it's the law so as good citizen of Canada one would think you would uphold Canadian Law.

 

[Rockslinger]

In Canada we have allowed for dual citizenship since 1979, it's the law so as good citizen of Canada one would think you would uphold Canadian Law.

It might be the law but it doesn't mean I have to like it, do I? Being a dual citizen is like having two wives.

BTW Does anybody know if they still have the "grandfather" rule in the U.K.?