The evolution of "Canadian Values"

I’m an immigrant who landed at Pier 21 in 1956. Immigrants who landed here in 1956 were determined to do whatever they had to do to make a go of things. They had bills to pay in the new country, and since there weren’t any government welfare programs at the time, they took whatever jobs they could. After all, that was always a Canadian tradition. Why did people come here? Opportunity! Often the newcomers saw opportunity where the locals didn’t. That’s why so many successful entrepreneurs can trace their origins to a Jewish or German or Italian or whatever forebear who got off the boat and grabbed whatever job they could, which often meant grabbing a shovel. My father started his life in Canada shoveling coal at Kloepfer Coal in Guelph. The Farm Manager’s grandfather, the guy who brought their clan to Canada, paid the rent in those bleak early years by digging ditches. That was the Canadian way, and it wasn’t just about the immigrants. Historically, Canadians went to where the jobs were; that’s why I’ve encountered Newfies galore in every one of the four provinces I’ve worked in, none of which were Newfoundland. Doing honest work to pay your bills was a Canadian value. It was viewed as a civic duty in my parents’ house to help other newcomers. The first refugee immigrants we sponsored were from Viet Nam. They took whatever jobs were there, worked their butts off, and the extended family are now productive and tax-paying Canadians. Canadian values circa 1975. The next batch were from Afghanistan. We sponsored a Muslim family. Both Mom and Dad had been university professors in Kabul before the US-created Taliban took the country back to the middle ages. Both worked in menial jobs here in Canada for years before getting traction in careers commensurate with their qualifications. Canadian values circa 1995. Over the past few years I’ve been peripherally involved with a refugee family the Canadian immigration system randomly plucked out of a refugee camp in the Middle East. Both parents and two of the kids are on disability pensions. Two other kids are in school and show great promise. The oldest son, physically and psychologically whole, and at age 25 the father of three children, has had difficulty finding his way. He tried fast food for a few months, but that didn’t agree with him. Then he took a shot at construction, but that wasn’t for him either. He hasn’t worked in months, but just came back from his pilgrimage to Mecca, leaving his pregnant wife and three toddlers to fend for themselves. Sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do to find your true authentic self. Canadian values circa 2024.