4^th Wave - A Political Wave

By Volodymyr Paslavskyi

Recent endorsements of Bill C-394, an Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, otherwise known as “Once in a Lifetime” (sponsorship of relative), by the League of Ukrainian Canadians and later by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (Toronto Branch), have started a debate on immigration.

Due to the richness of debate and its opposite and even radical views, consensus in debate cannot be reached. It only adds to the confusion and disarray. In particular, positions that are opposite and trump any common ground and experience of many Ukrainian immigrants, often bring the whole debate to an impasse. This divisiveness is ironic and contradictory to some of the most famous Ukrainian unity slogans. The infamous stereotype of the old and envious Ukrainian man, who after experiencing bad luck thinks he has license to ruin the life of others, is very evident here: “      ”.

When people come out openly against immigration, they effectively deny the opportunity to their fellow countrymen to succeed. Newly arrived immigrants (NAI) only want what previous waves of Ukrainian immigrants wanted for themselves. Unfortunately, this fact, I feel, is overlooked. The rift that exists within the community on an every day level (  ) misleads many individuals. Labelling the 4^th Wave of immigration, for example, as an “economic” wave and the previous wave as “political” seems to suggest misunderstanding and even oversimplification. Personally, I disagree with this particular belief and always argue against it.

Conflicting arguments on immigration successfully block any intentions of achieving consensus. These arguments fall into a category whose premises are not acceptable or relevant to the topic of immigration. For instance, one argument says that all emigration from Ukraine must be banned because if all Ukrainians leave, who will be left to develop Ukraine – Russians or Poles? The red herring fallacy is obvious here. This argument disguises itself by making it look as if it addresses the issue of immigration, but in reality it answers the question of development. A better argument, in its genesis, would ask the immigration question “why do Ukrainians want to emigrate from Ukraine?” Sadly, improper questions shift our attention away from the right solutions.

So, why do Ukrainians want to leave Ukraine? Emigration is crucial to gaining new technology and capital. No doubt, NAI through remittance services bring into Ukraine a lot more capital than they would have otherwise. The popularity of Meest, Karpaty and KANTOR, Ukrainian owned companies that deal with currency remittance and exchange verifies this thesis. However, it is also a personal response (device) to misguided policies and bad governments that have failed to look after their own citizens. Indeed, by leaving Ukraine the NAI are attempting to preserve their self-respect, dignity and even freedom, especially if we include their mobility rights to be within essential and fundamental human prerogatives.

Undoubtedly, political decisions might cause people to want to emigrate. As A.L. Hillman in his book Public Policy and Public Finance: Responsibilities and Limitations of Government states, “the immigrants are seeking better incomes, but they are also seeking better governments” because immigrants substitute the authority of one government for that of another when they emigrate. “The people who emigrate will tend not to be the successful rent seekers, [people who legally/illegally get favours from and are treated differently by a government] but rather will tend to be people whose personal advantage is in working hard in productive activity”, he concludes in the same book. Thus, people leave Ukraine because they find the government in power does not provide for them nor satisfies them, whether materially, spiritually or politically etc. and in some other cases, government is openly belligerent to them. Hence, contrary to the popular belief, the 4^th Wave of immigration is a political wave, and not just an economic wave. It is just as good as the previous wave.

In conclusion, immigration is not a sign of unpatriotic feelings, but is a sign of a vigilant and viable society. It testifies to the fact that when people are left to their own devices, they will make personal decisions that often bypass traditional habits, like living in one’s place of origin, and ignore official institutions or organizations. A result of their self-reliant mind-set that discounts the value of social or public bodies, in part, explains why they do not participate in the community.

The time has come to recognize that emigration from Ukraine is needed. And the first step to recognizing the benefits of immigration is to support organizations, like the League of Ukrainian Canadians (www.lucorg.com) and legislations like Bill C-394, that can benefit Ukrainians. The second step is to sign LUC’s digital letter of support and petition prepared by Peggy Nash, MP for Parkdale-High Park in Toronto.

Volodymyr Paslavskyi is-an Undergraduate Student at York University in Toronto.