Just a few years ago we passed them on the street without a second thought. Today, they’re political minefields. Statues are one way for a society to remember its heroes and its great moments. But amid a rethinking of our past, perhaps we need a new way to decide which heroes are worthy of remembering, and which moments were truly great. Setting aside the heated rhetoric and rampant vandalism currently determining the fate of Canada’s statues of historical figures, Lloyd W. Robertson surveys the global experience and looks for ways to reconcile public memorials from the past with present-day concerns.
The UN wants the world’s “migrants” – 258 million of them, by its own count – free to move about the world, presumably from poor countries to rich countries. It demands that those rich hosts not only open their arms, but make all their generous social programs instantly available. And, to help this process along, that countries clamp down on any “intolerance” – policing public speech, news media and even academic research. In short, it wants to shut down debate about immigration. In Part II of this special two-part report, with a federal election just weeks away, Lloyd W. Robertson illustrates the importance of talking about immigration while we still can.
A new Canada-U.S. agreement could see illegal migrants immediately returned to their countries of origin. This has raised concerns about Canada’s commitment to “non-refoulement”, i.e., keeping refugees away from countries where they could face torture or persecution. With an estimated 258 million migrants worldwide, Lloyd W. Robertson urges Canada to have a realistic conversation about immigration.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair recently confirmed the Canada-U.S. land border will remain closed until Nov. 21 at least. Rhetoric about the inevitability of global homogeneity, Lloyd W. Robertson reminds us, can’t entirely erase stubborn cultural differences. Ultimately, writes Robertson, there is something virtuous and rational in loyalties to nation and culture.
