Sometimes I get sidetracked. I wrote this post a couple of months ago as part of a series, and then never got around to posting it. Given that the Middle East refugee crisis is likely to continue to dominate the headlines in 2016, perhaps it is time to look at the subject again.

I am hardhearted sometimes. I’m not sure if I should apologize for that. What my hard-heartedness means is that I struggle with the refugee issue. I think Canada can and should do more than it has in the past few years. But I am not sure all those claiming to be refugees should be considered as such.

That I know is a controversial statement. Of course they are refugees, I am told. They have left their homes, usually with not much more than the clothes on their back. They need a new place to live. Yes I know, but what are they fleeing? Is it warfare? Drought? Famine? Or is it that they just want a new place to live because economic conditions at home aren’t great?

A Yazidi boy looks out of a tent in a displaced persons camp in northern Iraq.

I heard bits and pieces of a radio documentary a couple of months ago about a young man’s struggle to stay in Canada and have his refugee claim recognized. He was, I believe, from Eritrea.

I know there is war violence and persecution of minorities in Eritrea. This young man however swam to Canada.

Don’t bother to look it up. No-one could swim that far, it is tens of thousands of kilometres. He swam here across the river from the United States. I didn’t hear why or how he got to the US.

My point though is that he didn’t come here as a refugee, not as I think most people define the word. He didn’t arrive here by crossing the nearest border to the closest peaceful country. He could have asked for asylum in the US or any of the other countries he passed through to get here. I can only presume that he is more of a migrant than a refugee, that he chose Canada for the economic opportunities.

Therein lies the struggle for all of us. What duty do we have to those who leave their country seeking economic opportunities elsewhere? These people aren’t fleeing war or famine, the just want more money. We all want more money.

When we see the waves of refugees washing up on the shores of Europe or overwhelming train stations we feel for those who are so desperate. It seems to me though that the destination is almost always Germany or England. Why is that? It might have something to do with all the money governments shell out to provide services to refugees, more generous than that provided by other countries. It is not that they are any safer than any other EU countries.

There are so many questions to ask, and so few good answers. Is economic desire a valid reason to be considered a refugee? Should all countries just open their borders to anyone who wants to live there? I know there are people who advocate just that. Does not agreeing with that position make me hard-hearted?

I am Canadian by accident of birth. That makes me privileged when compared to the circumstances of most people in the world. My ancestors came here with nothing and worked hard to achieve a better life here, but they came as immigrants, not refugees. What is my obligation, if any, to someone who wants to come here from somewhere that is safe but where economic opportunities are limited?

As a relatively small country in terms of population (35 million people) Canada accepts about 250,000 immigrants annually and about 25,000 refugees, less than one percent of our population. Is that enough? You tell me.