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From: kcho@watdaisy.UUCP
Newsgroups: can.politics
Subject: Foreign students treated unfairly.
Message-ID: <8178@watdaisy.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 5-Mar-87 10:53:46 EST
Article-I.D.: watdaisy.8178
Posted: Thu Mar  5 10:53:46 1987
Date-Received: Thu, 5-Mar-87 21:00:01 EST
Reply-To: kcho@watdaisy.UUCP (Mariaurora Mota)
Distribution: can
Organization: U. of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 139

A copy of a letter sent to B. Mulroney:


Foreign students in Canada face many problems. 
At least two national organizations have recognized the lack of coherent 
planning and the confusion of international responsibilities:

1) The North-South Institute issued a report entitled "Foreign 
Students in Canada - A Neglected Foreign Policy Issue" in November 1985.

2) In the report entitled "Closing the Doors?", the Canadian Bureau for
International Education places the blame for the drop of the number of 
international students in Canada on federal and provincial governments which
have failed to agree on policies.
(See Shore86b for a summary)

FOREIGN STUDENTS PROBLEMS.

International students have problems at national, provincial and county
level. The most important ones are:

a) Foreign students pay tuition fees that exceed the cost of their education. (Green87)

b) Graduate foreign students must contribute part of their Teaching or Research
Assistantship salary to the Unemployment Insurance Plan.
They are not allowed to collect benefits. (Shore86b and Mota87b)

c) For FS, the procedure to collect Family Allowances and Child Tax Credit
is very complex. (Fam86)

d) Foreign graduate students must pay $50 to obtain an Employment
Authorization. They also contribute $50 for the renewal of their spouses'
and children's visas. 
These expenses are not tax deductible.

e) FS cannot collect the Ontario Tax Credit.
(Ont85)

f) Some provincial health insurance schemes require special premiums from
foreign students or do not cover them at all.
(VISA87b)

g) The county boards of education could deny education to the children
and spouses of foreign students. 
This has happened at least once in the past.

h) FS are not informed by the Universities about these issues.
They find out only when they have committed themselves to a program of study.

i) Foreign students and their families are not allowed to engage in
employment or self-employment.
(VISA87a)
One exception is Graduate Students that can work as Teaching or Research
Assistants.

Many of these problems are generated by rules that violate not only the
Canadian Charter of Rights but also the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and other International Covenants (UN87).

In the future, most of these laws will no doubt be abolished because they are
"unfair".
For example in British Columbia, the issue of Medical Insurance for 
foreign students was taken to Court.
The students finally won.
The issue of Unemployment Insurance is also being taken to Court using
the Charter of Rights as the main instrument. (Mota87c)
It is very likely that again this case will be win.

Foreign students were invited to come into Canada by the Universities.
There should be a good understanding between them and the government.

IT IS A SHAME THAT INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WITH LIMITED RESOURCES MUST USE
THE CANADIAN LEGAL SYSTEM TO FIGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS. 
EVERY COURT CHALLENGE IS A WASTE OF TIME, MONEY AND A LOSS FOR THE 
INTERNATIONAL IMAGE OF CANADA.

Canada does not have any obligation to bring in Foreign Students;
however if they are accepted, they should not be discriminated.

The benefits for receiving foreign students are countless yet very 
difficult to quantify. For instance:

* Did you know that your colleague, the President of Mexico, 
Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado obtained a Master's degree in Economics at
Harvard.
Without doubt, his policies have been influenced by the fact that he lived
for a while in a free and democratic society.

* The former Ministry of Finance of Mexico, Jesus Silva Herzog; who has
been in Ottawa many times renegotiating the external debt was a foreign
student at Yale.
If he had been an alumnus from a Soviet or French University, he would
probably have already repudiated the debt and unbalanced the capitalist
system.
Canada would certainly be affected.

* Vinicio Baqueiro an alumnus from the University of Waterloo
with a master degree in Computer Science returned to his country , Ecuador, in 1983.
In six months, he developed the computer environment necessary for the
presidential election of January 1, 1984.
The opposition (right wing) charged him with a "plot to commit a scientific
fraud" (this was the first time a computer have been used).
In April 17, 1984, there was an attempt to kill him. He suffered a broken leg.
He is now working in the University trying to bring democracy back into his
country.
Was he influenced by Canada in his political views? 
Was there a change in his mind because he was out of the country for a year?
Are there benefits for Canada in keeping Ecuador a democratic society?
(I include a copy of a personal letter; it is written in spanish).

* I am so impressed with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that I
think Mexico, my country, may likely need something similar.
Will there be benefits to Canada in the fact that Mexico may have a 
document inspired in the Charter of Rights?

* Members of my family have made 20 visits to Canada that they would not
have made if we were not here.
They injected at least $20,000 into the Canadian economy.

On the other hand, Canada is not obtaining all it can from foreign students.
Most international students leave Canada with a Bachelor or Doctorate degree
say in Engineering but without any knowledge of other things Canada has to
offer.

I would recommend the design of a course compulsory for foreign
students that will introduce this information.
For example: the export potential of Canada, parliamentary law,
principles of democracy, the founding of a multicultural society,
the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (I am in love with it,
as you can see), the division between federal and provincial
governments, the solution of the Quebec problem, 
environmental issues, the equality of women, etc.

Can you imagine 50,000 leaders all over the world being aware of
these marvels of the Canadian system?

Hoping that soon there would be a national policy toward foreign
students, I thank you for the attention given to this letter.
MAriaurora Mota