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Back Row
(L-R): Joanne Poon, Henry Yu, Denise Fong, Alejandro Yoshizawa, Jennifer Yip
Front Row
(L-R): Elena Kusaka, Wendy Phung, Rosanne Sia, Ethan Wong, Sarah Ling
Notice that Rosanne Sia (third from left in the front row) looks clearly mixed Chinese/white, although she looks more Chinese than white. As I said in this post, Chinese/white offspring will overwhelmingly associate with their Chinese background, rather than their white, Canadian one.
[Image from website Chinese Canadian Stories]
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Canada and China signed a trade agreement here [at the APEC Summit Sunday September 9] that Prime Minister Stephen Harper said will give Canadian companies firmer legal footing when they invest in China.Is there really a dearth of countries who will buy Canadian goods? Isn't Europe a better option (if only to increase current relationships)? Even Mexico seems like a better deal these days. And of course, there is the neighbor to the south, which Harper seems to be subtly undermining.
Harper and Chinese President Hu Jintao witnessed the signing of the Canada-China Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (FIPA) after the two men held a private one-on-one meeting on the margins of the annual Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit.[Source: Sun News]
Harper would rather negotiate with a secretive, ex-Communist country, rather than place some long-term bet on his European westerners.
...Harper said Europe has the resources to deal with the debt crisis on its own. He has rejected the idea of pledging more money to the IMF. Canada already pledged $10-billion to the fund in 2009. [Source: National Post]And in the guise of economic benefits for Canada:
...about 65,000 Chinese students attend post-secondary institutions in Canada every year. Those students are worth a $1.7 billion boost to Canada’s economy.[Source: Toronto Sun, February 10, 2012Harper certainly cannot be described as "wimpy," but I think his understanding of the world is skewed. He doesn't seem to understand that there are evil forces out there, and most of his actions and decisions seem to be based on economic gain. Why reduce immigration from poor countries, while leaving the door wide open to Chinese immigrants? His real purpose is that Chinese "engineers" and "scientists" will provide economic advantage to Canada. Yet, at this time of world recession, from which Canada is not exempt, what happens to the native Canadians and their prospects, with added competition superficially introduced into their mix?
Now to get to the main point of my blog.
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I was in Home Outfitters today looking for a coffee canister. I instinctively looked at the "made in" label, as I do these days. All of the, ALL OF THEM, were made in China.
And right across the aisle from me was a Chinese couple, with a toddler girl asleep in a stroller. They were diligently shopping for a variety of things from a sink cover to an oil and vinegar container to place mats. They discussed prices, compared products, looked at color varieties, and finally bought the container.
They were a youngish couple. They could be the university students that Harper is so wholeheartedly supporting these days. Possibly post-graduate students - it is common for married couples with children to have one member enroll in graduate school, with all the benefits including married couples housing, day care centers, social groups, and even extra financial aid just for being married. Of course, foreign married students with children in post-graduate programs get special preference.
I was intrigued by them. I waited for a while trying to see what language they were speaking. It sounded like Mandarin to me. They were clearly "new comers" from their abrupt and clumsy behavior at manoeuvrings around the store. I stood there watching them, wondering what their purpose was in coming to Canada. I doubt they will want their daughter to grow up culturally "Canadian" although they will make sure she speaks fluent English, and can compete with the best that Canada has to offer.
What a convenient turn of world events. Cheap Chinese, western-styled goods are amply available in Canada, and will continue to stream in for the foreseeable future. They can "support" China while living their cushiony lives in a modern, first world country with all the amenities of: decent, superior, safe and solid homes, with ample rooms and two-car garages; safe neighborhoods; excellent education system; freedom of speech, thought and to walk around (and shop around) wherever they please; pollution-free environment; fresh, healthy food; and of course, opportunity (and financial ability) to have more than one child, etc., etc. They can even plan trips back to China to make sure their children know first hand about their country of origin.
So, they become (quickly) Canadian citizens, but in name only. Everything else is a Chinese/Canadian hybrid, with emphasis on the "Chinese."
China, of course, wholeheartedly supports, and even encourages this. More Chinese in Canada only means more Chinese influence in Canada.
As I wrote here, another phenomenon that is occurrinng is the Chinese/white coupling that is prevalent, with a "new" kind of people emerging from that: the Eurasians (white/Asian admixture), who look different, although more Asian than white, and who behave differently (I find them slightly more aggressive and insensitive - to noise, to color, to food tastes, and of course my topic of concern, to beauty). They also tend to group together, so in effect forming a new society. Their strength is also that they draw in Asians from the Asian continent, thus increasing the overall "Asianness" of Canada. There is likely to be a large demographic change in Canada within the next twenty years, with an Asian (including the admixtures) majority or close to majority, rather than a white one.
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O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command. With glowing hearts we see thee rise, The True North strong and free! From far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free! O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. O Canada, we stand on guard for thee. |