EDITORIAL: Time to get our priorities right

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Two recent news stories should make all Canadians pause and reconsider their priorities.

The first is the tragic account of how coffins containing the remains of an infant and a small child, abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, were returned to Israel following a grotesque display of cheering and jeering by Gazans.

Kfir and Ariel Bibas were kidnapped, along with their mother, Shiri, in a brutal act that was caught on video. Palestinian authorities returned a body they claimed to be Shiri but Israelis say it is not her. Their father, Yarden, was returned alive earlier this month.

The image of a terrified mother desperately trying to protect her two small children is seared in the hearts of all decent people. That anyone would celebrate their deaths is mind-boggling.

Those who try to justify it based on the number of Gazan children killed by Israeli bombs should remember there would have been no retaliation if Hamas hadn’t murdered 1,200 people and held hostage another 250 innocent people. Hamas has the blood of all the children on its hands.

The second story relates to 11 families waiting for permission to come to Canada.

Relatives of 53 Gazans awaiting visas are suing this country for not acting fast enough on their applications. They claim our government is prolonging their “exposure to life-threatening and inhumane conditions” by slowing their application process. There may be a reason.

A poll late last year showed an unprecedented drop in support for immigration in this country. The survey by Leger for the Association of Canadian Studies showed that 65% of Canadians believe this country has allowed in too many immigrants.

This is a major shift in attitude for a country that was built on immigration and where many citizens are — or their parents were — immigrants.

When our streets have been taken over by antisemitic protest, when Jewish schools have been shot up and Jewish businesses targeted with hate messages, it’s hard to escape the conclusion that many newcomers don’t share Canadian values of harmony, tolerance and understanding. We’re not a place that celebrates hatred and division based on race and ethnicity.

The death of a child of any faith or nationality is a tragedy. It should never be celebrated. If you don’t share that view, don’t come to Canada.