A public school division senior administrator should be sanctioned for distributing "crap" that denigrates refugees, says Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council executive director Marty Dolin.
Dolin said that an e-mail distributed recently on school division e-mail by Richard Bidzinski, the secretary-treasurer of Turtle River School Division, has been circulating for at least three years.
Dolin: e-mail message unfair to refugees
"You're promulgating myths that dump on refugees that supposedly rip off the system," Dolin said.
Bidzinski forwarded an e-mail to media members and others on his mailing list that says Canadian pensioners should apply for refugee status because they'd supposedly get far more money from the federal government.
"I had it forwarded on to me. I thought you might be interested in it," Bidzinski said from the Turtle River office in McCreary. "It's interesting a refugee could get more than a pensioner."
Bidzinski said he forwarded the message to people in his address book, but was unaware where the e-mail originated.
"That's an outrage. This guy should be sanctioned for doing this," Dolin said. "These are people we're protecting who've gone through hell. There are 12 million refugees in the world and we take 7,000 a year."
He said refugees get a start-up grant to buy basic furniture and clothing, then get the equivalent of their province's welfare rates until they're settled.
An official with Immigration Canada's Winnipeg office confirmed Dolin's statements Thursday. She said Ottawa is aware of the e-mail, which she said goes back at least four years. Refugees receive up to $1,330 as a one-time payment to buy essentials when they arrive with just the shirts on their backs, and then receive their province's welfare rate from Ottawa for food and shelter for one year, or less if they find employment.
Details are available at www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/facts/aid.asp
The e-mail that Bidzinski distributed says, "Do not apply for your old age pension.... Apply to be a refugee. It is interesting that the federal government provides a single refugee with a monthly allowance of $1,890 and each can get an additional $580 in social assistance for a total of $2,470.
"This compares very well to a single pensioner who, after contributing to the growth and development of Canada for 40 or 50 years, can only receive a monthly maximum of $1,012 in old age pension and Guaranteed Income Supplement.
"Furthermore, if you had the wisdom to have a RRSP and made other income generating investments, you may have earned the right to receive nothing from the Federal Government as they claw your Old Age Pension back because in their opinion you do not need it!!!!!
"Maybe our pensioners should apply as refugees!
"Let's send this thought to as many Canadians as we can and maybe we can get the refugees cut back to $1,012 and the pensioners up to $2,470, so they can enjoy the money they were forced to submit to the Canadian government for those 40 to 50 years.
"Please forward this to every Canadian you know," the message distributed by Bidzinski concludes.
nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca
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