Margaret Wente and Ditchdiggers

ditchdiggers: Many of us speak from that experience. They did them happily enough because those jobs didnt totally define their lives. They bought and carefully tended homes, preventing downtowns like Torontos from becoming U.S.-type slums, at least until the Canadians started moving back downtown. Again, I know of what I speak. They were often mystified when their kids returned to streets they escaped. They were able to improve their lot, at least modestly, via union membership, according to The Star. She says, Canadas immigration policy is the most successful in the world because we select people with a lot of skills and education not ditchdiggers and hotel maids. But thats exactly who we brought in: ditchdiggers and hotel maids. Their kids, with the benefits of decent schools, are now teachers, artists, bankers, hockey players. Shes ticked about letting Filipina nannies apply for citizenship because they dont move up the income ladder. Well, uptitle nanny to early childhood educator, improve the pay, include benefits and see what follows. And by the way, who says ditchdiggers and nannies arent skilled? You try it and There used to be another word for temporary foreign workers. They were called immigrants. They did jobs that, we re told, Canadians now dont want to do. That included mining, assembly line manufacturing, construction and cleaning. They did them with relative verve because they were en route to being Canadians and so were their kids especially the kids. In an especially misanthropic Globe column, Margaret Wente rejects that model because it amounts to importing poverty. Sorry but thats what built Canada. We imported poverty and gave it a chance to mutate. What does she think the poor are? They re human, for starters. They have dreams and motivation with a little encouragement. And energy, often far beyond the rest of us. Without it, many would never have survived. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.