According to the Bible's New Testament, the Good Samaritan was blessed for saving the life of a foreigner found wounded and dying by the roadside.
This Samaritan saw a fellow human, although not of his kin, in dire distress and in need of help. He did not demand a physical examination by officials before he helped the man. He did not require a security check.
Canadians now see millions of refugees from a wide and savage war displaced in foreign lands. Whole families, forced to flee their homes, now face winter without permanent shelter, warmth and food. They are in dire need and that need is immediate.
Our new government is endeavouring to bring many thousands of these victims of war to our shores. We should not demand excessive bureaucratic niceties of these desperate people. We should be willing, as a society, to take a chance that there may be a few undesirables among them. We have taken in refugees before and we have dealt with any miscreants.
I say to Mr. Zimmer and his followers that we should not be resting secure and smug on our side of the Atlantic while relying on the generosity of European nations to shelter the homeless.
We should be willing to accept this small burden as a proud nation, many of whose citizens are descents of refugees.
It is the least we can do.
James Loughery
Prince George
