Number 105 - July/August, 1998

How Did YOU Celebrate "Canada Day"?

A nation is judged by how well it treats its citizens (not just the high-profile charity cases and "PR class"). Canada may have ranked first in the United Nations Human Development Index for four years running, but when an "Ottawa Sun/Roper Canada poll surveyed 1,202 Canadians from coast to coast, ... only 16% boasted that it's the best country to live in. [A Roper Canada spokesman said] 'People are starting to say 'something's wrong here.' ... There's an outdated perception of Canada in the eyes of other countries and the UN." (Toronto Sun, June 15, 1998) People are waking to the fact that multiculturalism incorporates the worst excesses of apartheid and StatsCan confirms it whenever it releases data from Canada's first census-by-ethnic-origin (1996). Despite rosy prospects for the usual deserving immigrants, minorities and women, the overall portrait of employment in Canada details an infirm society offering bleak prospects unless you rank among the new elite. This once-blessed nation has a chronic unemployment rate of nearly 10%, and "almost 10% of Canada's population is living off welfare." (Toronto Sun, March 31, 1998) According to Stats Can, "in 1995, more than 7.5 million Canadians worked full year, full time." Thus, less than 25% of the population luxuriates in full employment, full taxation, and the sense of pride that comes with knowing 75% of the population depends on you to get up at 6:30 and go to work. In a reinvented Canada, if you happen to be a member of one of the promotable groups, your job prospects brighten accordingly: "In 1995, over 2.8 million earners were immigrants, accounting for 19% of all people with employment income."

Note that StatsCan suddenly neglects to mention what portion of these jobs are full year and full time -- a crucial oversight. A vibrant and healthy society offers component members the guarantees of stable, secure employment. An economy cobbled together from contract labour, patch-work part-timers, and under-the-table black market jobs is the Third World sweat-shop route: enriching the employer without contributing anything significant to employees or the general welfare. "About 10% of all people who reported employment income in 1995, or about 1.5 million individuals, were members of the visible minority population. [Again, no indication what portion of this is full year, full time] ... Just over 253,000 earners in the visible minority population reported that they were Canadian-born. ... Only one-third of the individuals in the Canadian-born visible minority population worked full year, full time in 1995, compared with one-half of other Canadian-born earners." (Surely a euphemism for Canadians of European derivation) Oddly, for all its ethnic awareness, StatsCan does not elaborate on employment trends among Canadians of European descent. One can't help but wonder why? As StatsCan presents the figures, and media and government "interpret" them, it is easy enough for the multiculturalist to make the increasingly common assertion that: "immigrants are supporting lazy Canadians who don't want to work." Even if it were true that every last Canadian-born-Canadian was subsisting on welfare and disability payouts, it is difficult to see how this would 'improve' Canada or represent a 'net gain'.

Given the fact that Canadians (especially Canadian men) must now compete for full year, full time employment with preferred quota groups (nor has previous work experience prepared the average Canadian to settle for third-rate, poorly recompensed insectoid occupations), little wonder then if the heart has gone out of the job hunter. "The average income of men was 7.8% below their average income in 1990. [Among 'newly-empowered' women, the injury is less dramatic]-- down 2.1% from 1990. ... In 1970 and 1980, the average earnings of young people aged 15 to 24 were around one-half of the overall national average. By 1995, they had declined to 31%." Not much danger of responsible young people starting families in Canada, is there? The quality and calibre of employment prospects, so central to individual well-being, do not necessarily translate statistically. So, while immigrant, minority and female opportunities may buff Canada's reputation at the UN to a high gloss, do those figures represent real jobs and real progress, or a conglomerate of make-do arrangements? Canada has spawned a bewildering variety of agencies, commissions and watchdogs guaranteeing access in all things for the perpetually deserving groups. These policies (regarded as exceptionally modern) are actually the old, old story. Introduced species do not "revitalize" native populations -- they replace them. While our own hopes and aspirations continue to be compromised to an endless supply of newcomers, dispossessed Canadians had better resign themselves to scorn and dismissal as little more than 'social burdens'. Before we got multiculted and invaded (when we still celebrated "Dominion Day" not Canada Day) this great dominion was a land of prosperity, opportunity, jobs and hope - even for the native born.

Familiarity Breeds Contempt

Without accounting for visible minorities, the total foreign-born population in New York is just 28%. "Toronto's non-white population makes up 48% of the city's total -- and by 2000 it will grow to 54% ... that's up from just 3% in 1961. ... Toronto's immigrant population is growing at a rate of 70,000 a year, making the city home to 42% of Canada's total non-white population. ... More must be done to address 'huge inequities' in employment, education, income and housing, the [city's Together We Are One] report says." (Toronto Sun, June 8, 1998) As Toronto's "remnant population" of Europeans is learning, the city is no longer very comfortable or very secure as ever more jobs must be freed up to accommodate a "more representative" workforce. While 42 per cent of immigrants speak neither English or French when they arrive, Torontonians are incessantly reminded that "immigrants bring above-average skills, high education and ... higher average incomes than others. This is even more true of visible minorities." (Toronto Star, June 11, 1998) Really? Just two weeks later, the same newspaper laments that the nation's first scientific health survey of the Chinese community found, "less than 55 per cent of the survey's participants had dental check-ups in the last year. ... Chinese translators were used [because] even though the majority of people have been in Canada for more than 20 years, 40 per cent of them still didn't speak or understand English very well." (Toronto Star, June 26, 1998)

According to another source, it's worse: "Half of those interviewed spoke only Chinese, and 44% had no access to interpreters." (Toronto Sun, June 26, 1998) Yet another ethnically sensitive taxpayer-funded report last October covered most of the same demographic information, while deploring Toronto's lack of tolerance. Even though it was less tolerant by a fraction of a percentage point, that just had to be emphasized. "Torontonians display more racism than people in other parts of the country, the report concludes. It calls the finding 'disquieting,' since Toronto is home to the largest number of racial-minority immigrants." (Ottawa Citizen, October 6, 1998) Has it ever occurred to the Tolerance Squad that refusal to learn the prevailing language after more than 20 years might indicate racism and intolerance on the part of the newcomers? Of course, it's easy to see where all this is heading: soon it will be imperative to provide professional translators and interpreters of all stripes to accommodate people who have courageously resisted every temptation to learn English or French. Multiculturalism doesn't seem to work elsewhere either, "France is the xenophobic black sheep of Europe, with two out of five of its citizens openly admitting to racist feelings, according to a study published in the daily Le Monde Thursday. ... 'The French position is all the more surprising because, apart from Luxembourg, our country is the one with the greatest mix of peoples in the EU,' wrote Jerome Jaffre of the Cecop Polling Institute." (Nando, July 1, 1998)

Multicultural Mayhem

It won't be long before Canadians need frequently issued score cards just to keep track. While it remains forbidden for us to notice or comment on the increasing number of "ladies in chadors [veils]", it is permissible for expatriate Iranians to suggest that this indicates a frightening influx of Moslem fundamentalists. Hadi Ebrahimi, editor of the weekly Sharvand-e newspaper in Vancouver says, "Long-term immigrants look at the ease with which newcomers gain access to Canada and wonder 'how can this be a safe place?' ... [There is] a mounting sense of alarm at a new wave of Iranian arrivals in the past two years -- well heeled, middle-class immigrants with close ties to the mullahs in Iran. ... There are also concerns about students on Tehran-sponsored scholarships, reputedly connected to Savama, Iran's feared intelligence agency. ... [Ebrahimi says] 'We have experience in Germany and other countries, such as France and Belgium, where they have assassinated people.' ... Dozens of Tehran's active opponents have been slain in Europe over the past few years, human rights activists say, and countless others harassed and spied upon." (Globe and Mail, June 16, 1998) Good grief! So, have we unwittingly harboured anti-Tehran factions for years, (who are only now beginning to 'draw heat'?) OR, is it that pro-Tehran agents are only now discovering that Canada is the kind of rich, mouth-breathing dupe terrorist dreams are made of? Would Canadian Immigration officials know what to look for in either case?

We already know they can usually manage to locate infirm octonagarian Central Europeans. How many stories actually appear in the ethnic press, lamenting Immigration Canada's unerring ability to set the lowest possible institutional standards while consistently failing to meet them? Even the most lunatic liberals are slowly discovering that inclusiveness is a one-way street paved with Christian European traditions of generosity. "The store-front Muhammad Mosque, located in midtown Toronto ... officially opened at the end of last month. While Caucasians may visit, the door is currently closed to them becoming members. ... Hubert Schwartz, president of the city's Metro Black Clergy Community Association, had nothing critical to say about the mosque's decision to not include whites as members. 'They're black Muslims. If they want to be just black, that's fine,' Mr. Schwartz said. " (Globe and Mail, July 3, 1998)

Grits Poll Like Mad, Then Suppress Results

As noted here more than once, it seems to be a point of pride down at Immigration Canada to disregard and belittle majority opinion. Canadians need hardly be reminded that "polls are not for setting policy". But significantly, Immigration Minister Lucienne Robillard's printing costs were close to the highest in the House of Commons last year. She "spent nearly $30,000 getting the message out." (Toronto Sun, June 16, 1998) When the Prime Minister turned his back on hepatitis C victims, he emphasized his complete and utter indifference to polls. Yet, "Reform found that government polling under the Liberals has increased, from $7.2 million in 1994-95, to $9.2 million in 1995-96, to $11.8 million in 1996-97." (Toronto Sun, May 25, 1998) But somehow, once the results are tallied, they're reckoned to be exclusive Liberal Party property. The taxpayer foots the bill: the Liberals suppress or selectively release results -- until election time -- when the most unpopular must be reversed to assure a popular win! (How else should an out-of-touch ruling elite know which policies are resented?) And masochistic Canadians love it. Party Boss Jean Chretien has never been more popular! He's Tops, according to an Ottawa Sun/Roper Canada poll, "With 70% of Canadians now rating his performance as satisfactory or better [peaking to 80% in Ontario]." (Toronto Sun, June 16, 1998)

We Say: You Pay

Immigration -- the federal policy with the local price tag. Provincial and municipal efforts to publicize the ruinous costs of welfare and ESL have failed to resonate in federal ears. On the contrary, over the past three years, Ottawa has been quietly unravelling Canada's famous social safety net, reducing Canada Health and Social Transfer payments to the provinces "by 35 per cent ... while reducing its other spending by only 6 per cent. ... Currently, the three richer provinces -- Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia -- get less CHST as a proportion of their population than do the seven provinces receiving equalization payments." (Globe and Mail, June 16, 1998) Thus, the three "immigrant magnet" provinces have to make do with a smaller per capita fraction of the pie than provinces which are not providing for large numbers of immigrants. The local taxpayer has been forced to shoulder an ever-increasing proportion of ESL, health care, education, social services and attendant costs of accommodating a quarter million new arrivals each year.

Whatever else we're told, immigration has an immediate negative impact on our quality of life. Not yet as mightily attractive to immigrants, Alberta remains Canada's least-taxed province. >From 1992-1997, "Albertans recorded a gain (if you can call it that) of 0.2 per cent. ... But it might look good to Ontarians, whose average real income fell 6.7 per cent [and] British Columbians, down 4.8 per cent." (Globe and Mail, June 15, 1998) Now that hospital closures, pollution, gridlocked traffic, and the cumulative effects of a deteriorating infrastructure are beginning to raise hackles, the provincial finance ministers have jointly asked Ottawa to restore some of their CHST funds. With the innate grace of a money changer, Jean Chretien twanged: "They ask for something and offer nothing". Mr. Chretien surely knows that "they" continue to provide the lion's share of immigrant settlement services and, with the exception of Quebec, see fewer federal dollars each year to ease that burden. "In health care, Ottawa knocked $5.5-billion from the funds transferred to the provinces from 1993 to 1998." (Globe and Mail, June 16, 1998) Under the assurances of the Health Act, if an Albertan has a heart attack while in Ontario, Alberta is obliged to fully compensate Ontario for medical costs incurred.

Editor of the Financial Post, Diane Francis, notes, "But Quebec, in all things including this issue, is handled with kid gloves by our Quebec-rooted prime ministers. ... Former separatist premier Jacques Parizeau announced the day after he lost the 1995 referendum that not only would Quebec refuse to pay doctors' fees, but from that day onward the full cost of hospital stays in other provinces would not be reimbursed, thus violating the Health Act further. [Under the present system, the Ottawa General Hospital charges a special discounted "Quebecois rate" of just $450 per day - the difference, under an agreement with Ontario's health ministry, is eaten by the Ontario taxpayer] ... If a part of Quebec actually wanted to leave and was allowed to, Ontario hospital rates for such foreigners would amount to $2,000-$3,000 a day. This is today's rate for non-Canadians. ... Quebec City politicians, meanwhile, are allowed to break the law to save money." (Toronto Sun, June 16, 1998) Under Chretien's guidance, Canada's once-great health system is in danger of drowning. Now it has A. Rock tied to it.

The Case of the Boasting Boatswain

The legal side-show orchestrated by Rudolpho Miguel, Esmeraldo Esteban, Juanito Ilagan and Ariel Broas (of Maersk Dubai fame) ultimately had less to do with Romanian stowaways given the old heave-ho on the high seas, than with mounting a successful refugee claim in a nation of credulous rustics. The extortionate nature of the scheme was evident by the time the klieg lights had warmed up. Even before making landfall in Canada, Rudolpho boasted "he had an ace up his sleeve and was coming to North America to stay." The four Filipinos wanted to, but gosh, couldn't testify until their families were assured refugee status here. As embarrassing evidence of that sincerity, the men wept copiously as they posed for photographers on the courthouse steps. It cost the nation of credulous rustics well in excess of $100,000 to discover that (no matter how racially charged the events at sea) international maritime law is well outside Canada's purview. Since it costs about $50,000 to process a refugee claim, the four presumably account for another $200,000 in the more than two years devoted to taking their claims seriously. However manifestly unfounded, refugee claimants enjoy the resources of the land for however long the determination and appeal process can be spun-out.

Our American neighbours are less naive: "Since the early 1990s the INS examines in priority applications considered as 'frivolous' ... so as to devote significant time only to those applications that have a chance of succeeding." (Committee of the North Atlantic Assembly, October 1996) Surely it's redundant to add that the Filipinos "are staving off a deportation order that would have been effective July 2 by asking the federal Department of Citizenship and Immigration to allow them to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds." (Globe and Mail, June 29, 1998) As they used to say in pick-up bars of Subic Bay, if the first line doesn't work, perhaps the next one will. The men say they are in danger of retribution for testifying against the Taiwanese officers of the Maersk Dubai if they return home. Get the punch line? These people (whose manipulation of Canada's immigration and court system actually predates their arrival here) now expect that same system to efficiently protect them from "Taiwanese toughs". If this bit of humour is intentional, let us hope the IRB will laugh too.

"Hate's" The Focus, But Foreign Gangs Are the Problem

"Organized crime in Canada is so pervasive that police have been reduced to putting out isolated fires in a blazing underworld economy, said RCMP Commissioner Philip Murray. 'While we're focusing all of our limited resources on the bikers, what's happening with the Mafia? What's happening with Asian-based crime and so on?'" (Globe and Mail, June 27, 1998) He might want to ask B.C. Attorney General Ujjal Dosanjh what he thinks happened. "Hatred" has been Mr. Dosanjh's primary focus for so long that when he did wake with a start, it was to find organized crime flourishing not only in his patch, but within the ranks of the law-enforcement community he had been meant to oversee. "Triads in Canada are believed to be involved in drug trafficking, gambling, extortion, prostitution, money-laundering, armed robbery, alien smuggling and counterfeiting of credit cards. ... Allegations of police corruption were raised in B.C. last November, after police arrested 34-year-old Wing Fu Hau, a member of the Big Circle Boys gang, [see Immigration Hotline # 98] for killing five month-old Shu Hin Wong." (Globe and Mail, June 3, 1998)

In the intervening months, Mr. Dosanjh has found many opportunities to "fight hatred" although he is now, belatedly called for "a three-month outside review of the ability of law-enforcement agencies in British Columbia to combat organized crime. He said the review was not prompted by arrests last week of a provincial Asian-crime investigator [Philip Tsang born Chiu Ping Tsang] and a provincial bail supervisor [Mike Yau] on charges relating to alleged betrayals of police information to a person under investigation." (Globe and Mail, June 10, 1998) "The two men are accused of counselling an alleged thug named Jack Ng (who is charged with plotting a home-invasion robbery) to commit perjury. ... The big shock, however, is in the other charges: attempted obstruction of justice and breach of trust in official duties, both relating to the alleged disclosure of confidential information to [another] person under investigation. ... Joseph Chu, a Taiwan-born beat constable in Vancouver's Chinatown, speculated that if an investigator gave information to a target ... a leak in a major investigation could easily get an undercover officer killed. ... Police privately rank Vancouver as the leading port of entry on the west coast of the continent for heroin, most of it bound for the United States. ... An important force in this trade is the Dai Huen Jai, or Big Circle Boys, a loose-knit criminal movement that emerged from southern China via Hong Kong after the chaos of Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution. In Canada, it has eclipsed the old-line triads as the top Asian criminal enterprise." (Globe and Mail, June 15, 1998)

Good luck to whoever takes on B.C.'s law-enforcement disaster. In the chaos of Canada's Multi-Cultural Revolution, some might ask, whether ethnic crime can be investigated, when one hissing word - "Racist!" - has the stopping power of a bullet. For fostering that climate, Mr. Dosanjh has done more than his share, and really should acknowledge his contribution to Canadian security. Reporting to NATO, North Atlantic Assembly Chairman, Lord Lucas of Chilworth, sums up our prospects: "Warnings that the spread of lawlessness across our borders could, in the short term, undo the democratic fabric of our societies should not be underestimated. ... The necessity to protect citizens against spectacular terrorist acts should not exonerate governments to protect them against the possibly less visible, but in the end more treacherous infiltration of our societies by criminals. ... The relationship between crime and aliens appears to be a tricky one. In the countries where it has been looked at (Germany and Poland), statistics show that organized crime is linked to foreigners in 60-70% of the cases." (Organized Crime and Illegal Immigration: Findings and Conclusions from a Seven-Country Inquiry, Sub-Committee on Civilian Security and Co-operation, October 1, 1996)

Dominican Druggie Deported

"The younger brother of [Edison James] the prime minister of the Caribbean country of Dominica has been deported from Canada. Rogerson Carter James, 35, ... had his Canadian landed immigrant status revoked after being convicted of possession of narcotics in November 1996. He was arrested again in August 1997 on possession charges. A warrant was issued when he failed to show up for court and he was arrested yet again." (Toronto Sun, June 17, 1998) It's true - it's not what you know, but who you know!

Khat Smugglers Caught

"Sheetal Kumar Persad, 48, and his wife, Swarsaty Kumar Persad, 46 ... have been charged with importing khat after [Halifax] customs officers found 55 kilos of the narcotic in luggage aboard a flight from London. Khat is the green leaf of the Catha edulis plant, a shrub native to East Africa. The plant, which can be chewed, brewed in tea or smoked, produces a stimulant effect similar to amphetamines." (Toronto Sun, June 16, 1998) The couple are residents of Toronto. Who thought these two would be a positive addition to "the Canadian family"? Name of the approving immigration officer please.

Sri Lankan Pervert Bounced

Sri Lankan "Mohanarasa Sinniah, 24, a former refugee, was ordered deported last week by an Immigration and Refugee Board because of his violent criminal record. Sinniah's first brush with the law was in August 1993 when he grabbed a woman's buttocks while cycling. The board said when the woman screamed, he turned around and rode back to her and grabbed her breast. He 'squeezed her breast with sufficient force to leave visible bruising.' ... The board rejected Sinniah's argument that he innocently brushed past the woman and she began hurling racial slurs at him. ... Sinniah was given another year's probation for committing an indecent act in November 1997. ... He was also jailed for nine months in August 1996 for aggravated assault and possession of a weapon after a man in a downtown coffee shop was beaten by three men with baseball bats. The assault, which stemmed from the stabbing of a gang member, was caught on security videotape. ... The board said Sinniah had spent his first four of eight years in Canada living off welfare and other benefits." (Toronto Sun, June 22, 1998) Who was the judge? The welfare worker? The immigration officer? Here's a revolting development. If this trend catches on, Canada's grotesque deportations record may actually worsen. "Two immigration officers were jumped by three punks at Pearson airport in a failed bid to free a two-time Scottish deportee who was being turfed for a third time. ... Anthony Fallis went berserk last Thursday night while being led to an Air Canada flight for Glasgow. And, for a second time in two weeks a pilot refused to transport Fallis, 32, because he wasn't being escorted. ... Pete Foster, of the Air Canada Pilots Association, said unescorted deportees also pose an ongoing problem for pilots and crews." (Toronto Sun, June 21, 1998) Why not make it harder to get IN?

People Smuggling Potpourri

The following stories make you wonder why people who have paid a fee to be smuggled into Canada are invariably regarded as objects of pity by Immigration authorities. According to the patronising logic: "They couldn't possibly understand that what they were doing was wrong."

Are We Stuck With Suck?

"Suck Ho Han, 42, a Queen St. E. [Toronto] retailer, has been charged with two counts of smuggling aliens, illegal entry into the U.S., assaulting a federal officer and conspiracy to violate U.S. laws ... after a U.S. Border Patrol vessel was rammed twice by a 14-foot boat on the St. Lawrence River. ... Cops said the man had been sought for two years and is alleged to have smuggled more than a hundred South Koreans into the U.S. ... Domestic workers Boon Ju Ha, 37, and Jae Ok Ham, 46, both of South Korea, have been charged with illegal entry into the U.S. ... An agent suffered minor injuries when he was assaulted." (Toronto Sun, June 12, 1998) What is Suck's status? Are we stuck with Suck?

Iranian Confidence Man Deported

Mehrdad Alibabaie, (AKA John Baldwin) 37, was escorted back to Iran by two immigration officers who "weren't allowed to leave the plane at Tehran airport. ... [Alibabaie/Baldwin was] the mastermind of a record pyramid scam that ripped off 10,000 people for about $100 million. ... Police said the victims, most of whom live in the Toronto area, cashed RRSPs, took out loans against their businesses and even took cash from their children for the get-rich-quick scheme that began in May of 1995. ... Alibabaie was convicted in December 1993 of managing an illegal scheme ... January 1995 of fraud ... and February 1997 of fraud. ... None of the victims recovered their money." (Toronto Sun, June 16, 1998) Shouldn't we be expecting him back? Is he on a Watch List?

Romanian Conmen Caught

"Three Romanian refugee claimants ... Cristian Fratila, 23, Niculae Nastase, 21, and Marius Constantin, 20, all of no fixed address, are charged with theft, impersonating an officer and forcible confinement. ... The scam involves one man pretending to be a tourist clutching a map and asking victims for directions. After the bogus tourist leaves, two others in suits approach and flash fake police badges. The victims, told they were seen speaking to a major criminal, submit to a search of their belongings. The thieves take cash, give the victims a 'tough cop' lecture, and tell them to leave town." (Toronto Sun, June 11, 1998) This is fairly sophisticated stuff, they're probably not novices . Was it too much to hope for a criminal background check?

Tamil Fraud Artists Foiled

A Scarborough couple by way of Sri Lanka, Subaschandiran Sundarraj, 30, and his wife, Harina De Silva, 23, have been charged with "defrauding at least three banks of $326,000. ... Det. Paul Clark, of the Tamil Task Force, said the couple would rent office space and establish dummy companies, which gave them access to a line of credit at banks. He said counterfeit U.S. cheques would then be written on the bank accounts and the money would be withdrawn or transferred to other accounts. ... About $50,000 was channelled to Sri Lanka and the U.K. ... None of the money has been recovered. ... [they] were released on their own recognisance." (Toronto Sun, June 18, 1998) On their own recognisance?!

Sex Blackmail Ring Smashed

"Jia Rong Lu was the 'operating mind' behind the twisted scheme which involved sex, a gun and nude photographs, said prosecutor Kerry Hughes. Lu, 32, ... received a jail term of three years and seven months. ... His co-accused, Tuan Van Tran, will be sentenced July 10 for extortion, robbery and use of a weapon. A woman, Khan Jun Qiu, was acquitted of charges. [An American businessman] came to Toronto and began an affair with waitress Qiu. One night, while they were having sex, Lu and Tran burst into their room, said Hughes. Tran was armed with a gun and Lu demanded: 'What are you doing with my wife?', although the relationship, if any, between Lu and Qiu is unclear. Lu and Tran then took naked photographs of the victim and Qiu, making them co-operate in various poses. The bandits then scooped the man's business card and driver's licence and told him if he didn't give them $150,000 they'd send the pictures to his wife and copies to both his U.S. and Toronto offices. Lu also threatened that if he didn't give them the money he'd go to the man's home and rape his wife." (Toronto Sun, June 19, 1998) Why is the female presumed to be the real victim in this badger game? This story ought to boost Canada's status as a world-class trading partner!

Nigerian Forgers & Welfare Fraudsters Nabbed

"The RCMP have smashed a Nigerian ring allegedly using fraudulently obtained Canadian passports to commit crimes here, including smuggling people into Canada and defrauding the welfare system. ... Franc Aina, 28, also known as Francis Abiodun, of Toronto, has been charged with two counts of uttering forged documents and two counts of making a false statement to obtain a passport." (Toronto Sun, July 2, 1998) Shouldn't this be a fairly serious infraction? Or do Canadian authorities join the world in snickering at Canadian passports?