In an opinion piece published in the Calgary Herald titled “It is time to stop scapegoating immigrants and govern responsibly,” Ryan Andersen, lead organizer for Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, addresses the role of immigration in Alberta’s economic and political challenges.

In this article, he argues that:

When the French philosopher René Girard wrote about scapegoating, he helped us understand how communities avoid taking responsibility for their own internal issues by picking an innocent victim to blame. He called this process scapegoating, based on the ritual sacrifices that once characterized many religions.

Article content

What we saw our premier doing in her speech on immigration on Feb. 19 was using immigrants as a scapegoat, instead of taking responsibility for the economic challenges our province faces.

• Jobs — Many Albertans are struggling because good jobs in the oil industry are now hard to find. This is because of automation in the oil industry, not immigration.
• Housing — Housing has become unaffordable for many over the past few decades. The reality is that this has been caused by decades of governments failing to fund affordable housing, restrictive zoning in cities and low interest rates driving the financialization of housing, not just a recent increase in immigration.
• Budgets — Our governments have chosen the politically easy path of cutting taxes, such as corporate taxes, that grow as our population and economy grow. Because of this, as our economy and population grow and require more services, we do not have the corresponding increase in revenues to support the services Albertans value when oil prices drop.
• Rapid population growth — It is telling that our premier spoke about the rapid population growth Alberta has experienced and did not once mention the “Alberta is Calling” campaign her government launched, which helped drive this growth. Our premier dodged taking responsibility for the consequences of her government’s own actions and instead blamed immigrants and Ottawa. Taking responsibility for the consequences of one’s actions is a baseline of maturity we must expect from any leader.

The reality is that immigrants bring amazing gifts to our province. Immigrants are often some of the best and brightest from their home countries and come to Alberta because they are eager to share their skills, talents and ambition. The dynamism they bring is a critical factor in building the economy and culture of our province.

We must also remember that, unless you are Indigenous, we are all immigrants or the descendants of people who immigrated, and were given opportunities and support as we built a life here. Trying to turn immigrants against those who immigrate after them is an old technique of political manipulation, not responsible government.

When Girard wrote about scapegoating, he wrote about it as a destructive force. South of our border, we are witnessing the repeated pattern in history of the horrors that unfold when people in power avoid responsibility and instead scapegoat communities with less power.

As a pastor, I can speak with clear authority to say that the Judeo-Christian tradition has at its very core a rejection of scapegoating. Instead, this tradition calls us to remember that our ancestors were once migrants and slaves in need of a land of safety.

As Christians enter Lent and move toward Easter, the message of the cross is clear: when we scapegoat, what we crucify is the gift of God’s presence among us.

 

Read this article in the Calgary Herald.