We Canadians like nothing better than to sing the praises of our health care system, yet it's riddled with holes, as is our Immigration Act. Case in point: A South African doctor was recently denied entry into the country over concerns her autistic daughter would cost taxpayers.
Is Autism An Elitist Disorder?
She's not alone. Apparently some 20,000 prospective newcomers a year are turned away because of medical conditions - from HIV to arthritis - all deemed a burden to our already burdened health care system. So says a 13 year-old section of our Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, a section described by some as "morally repugnant" and in contravention of our Charter of Rights.
“The act wisely provides a mechanism to ensure aspiring immigrants don’t unduly burden the system, because that wouldn’t be fair,” said Toronto lawyer, Sergio Karas.
I fully understand rejecting people on the grounds of medical conditions which pose a direct threat to public health. But autism? This country (and the province of Ontario, in particular) doles out precious little in the way of public services. As it stands, most families who can afford to do so pay for services privately.
This kind of decision should be taken on a case-by-case basis. South African physician Asmeeta Burra and her husband - an architect - applied for residency as skilled workers in B.C. Though there is no guarantee of the couple's income, it's fair to assume they would provide a significant contribution as taxpayers and an invaluable service to said broken health care system.
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Immigration officials concluded that although the family offered to cover any extra support their 16 year-old needs, those extras would cost around $16,000 a year (almost $10K more than the $6,300 average).
How do you put a value on a person?
I'm a Canadian by birth, and this legislation makes me queasy. Thankfully my son - who was born overseas - received his residency as a baby. Had we prolonged our move for three years—when he formally "became" autistic—would my native land have turned us away?
You tell me: Is this legislation fair?
Image Source: WikiCommons
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