Immigration and refugee policies in Canada are no longer just a joke. They are life-threatening to Canadians and to the rest of the world. Diane Francis, Jan 4 2000 – National Post

Yes, quite literally immigration can kill you. Canada takes in over 200,000 immigrants a year. Another 25,000 people sneak into Canada illegally and make refugee claims. Many of these take years to resolve. Although these people are required to show up within 60 days for medical tests, many dont. There are few consequences for not doing so. Someone entering Canada illegally probably wont feel too honor-bound to comply with a request to show up for a health examination (particularly when they erroneously believe that such minor details might sink their refugee claim).

Diseases formerly eradicated in the West are back with a vengeance. Many of these diseases are extremely contagious and can kill you!

Consider the following:

On the weekend of February 3-4, Colette Matshimoseka, a 32-year-old Congolese visitor, arrived in Canada desperately ill. It was suspected that she had Ebola fever. Most victims die from shock after days of high fever, vomiting and massive bleeding out. The worst of the viral hemorrhagic fevers have been ruled out, but her ailment remains a mystery. Seventy people are being closely monitored, including five who were splashed with body fluids. Although she was asymptomatic on her various flights, it is disturbing to note that the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the Newark airport, was not even notified that a possibly infected passenger had traveled through the airport. Health Canada, citing privacy laws, still refuses to confirm the womans identity. As hard as it is to believe, Canada has no screening processes for arrivals from high risk areas like the Democratic Rep. of Congo.

Canada does not test immigrants for AIDS. Should Canada begin to do so, the Minister of Immigration has already stated that refugees would be exempted. HIV and AIDS are sexually transmissible. AIDS is deadly!

Last December, it was revealed that Gaspare Benjamin, a 37-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic (DR) had been improperly assessed. He has multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. This man, who lives in Hamilton, Ontario, infected his wife along with scores of others. No one can say whether multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is curable,but it can cost up to $1,000,000 to treat ($500,000 has already been spent on Benjamin and his wife). In the case of Benjamin, Immigration Canada has admitted to a string of errors that permitted him to infect Canadians; and yet it is Mr. & Mrs. Benjamin who have launched the $500-million lawsuit! (Benjamins doctor in the DR insists the man was aware of his condition prior to emigrating). Health authorities at the expense of taxpayers have tested over 1,200 people with whom he had contact. The cost for this alone has been $1.4-million so far and mounting!

In Montreal, a Peruvian refugee and welfare recipient, Victor Miguel Sebastian-Rosales is similarly infected with Multi-Drug Resistant TB. He has defied two direct court orders, and resisted the efforts of 16 doctors, 18 nurses, 14 police officers, assorted ambulance attendants, interpreters, social workers, community workers, immigration inspectors and a lawyer who have tried to convince the man to take his medication. Still, Mr. Rosales refused, even after infecting his girlfriends 5-year-old daughter. On one occasion he spit in the face of ambulance driver despite knowing the nature of his condition. In desperation, the public health department applied to have the man incarcerated. Showing no regard for public health and safety, the judge has given Mr. Rosales yet another chance, warning that this behavior could reflect poorly on his citizenship bid.

Late last year, a number of government-sponsored refugees from Rwanda were found to have malaria. Southern Ontario was a hotbed of malaria in the last century. This was one of the many diseases modern science and Western sanitation had thought conquered. Malaria is communicable. We have the Anopheles mosquito and the three months of warm weather necessary for an outbreak to occur. Now, we have infected people in our midst who are carriers. Thanks to non-existent screening, per capita malaria cases in Canada stand at nearly ten times the US rate.

In 1999, several stewardesses and aid workers involved in bringing over 5,000 Kosovar Albanians to Canada came down with tuberculosis. Of course, the government had promised to have the refugees tested beforehand. At first dismissive, (they might have contracted the disease in Canada) Immigration Minister, Elinor Caplan, admitted that the Kosovars had not, in fact, been screened prior to their arrival.

Toronto is home to 57% of Ontarios TB cases. There are as many as 500 new cases each year three times the national average. About 20 per cent of those cases are a multi-drug resistant strain. (Toronto Sun, March 25, 2000)

Ninety per cent of the Toronto [TB] cases are found in new immigrants and refugees. (Toronto Star, December 6, 2000)

Only 1,000 of 1,500 refugees red flagged for tuberculosis treatment this year reported to city health officials. (Toronto Sun, December 7, 2000) Reviewing the Immigration Department last year, Auditor General, Denis Desautels noted that: Since 1994 fewer than TWO percent of applicants have been turned down for reasons of health, criminality or security. (Ch. 3.98 Auditor-General Report)

India, China and Russia major sources of immigration to Canada are all hot spots for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

Official attitudes to imported diseases underwent a fundamental shift the year the Liberals came to power: in 1993, most responsibilities relating to the health of immigrants and refugees were quietly transferred from Health Canada to the Immigration department. While Health Canada has at least a monetary stake in safeguarding national health, Immigration Canada labors under no such constraint. Overnight, public health (what had been the heart and soul of the programme), was all but written off to stress higher overall admissions and policy liberalization instead.

It is unrealistic to expect newcomers to comply with rules when the government of Canada exhibits such consistent and dangerous lapses. Ottawa exists on our sufferance not the other way round! The present batch are no more civil than they are servants.

What you can do:

1. Call your Member of Parliament or Immigration Minister Elinor Caplan Tel.: (613) 992-0253 Fax: (613) 992-0887 e-mail Caplan.E@parl.gc.ca

Demand that they put Canada and Canadians first. The public health and safety of Canadians will be compromised until Ottawa decides to make public health the priority it should be. This time, your call really is important.

Also demand that all immigrant and refugee claimants must be given medical tests before they come to Canada. There actually ARE regulations in place to restrict those who would represent a health threat or public charge lets enforce them!

Visitors from any high-risk area must be subject to the strictest screening procedures. Immigration Canadas overseas medical personnel programme is a shambles that must be improved and upgraded.

Now is the time to stand up and make your voice heard!

This flyer was distributed to over 6,000 people in Hamilton warning them of the potential dangers of Imimgration.