February 2015

Canadian Government to Grant Millionaire Investors Permanent Residency

178113078The Canadian Government has begun accepting applications as of January 28 for its new Immigrant Investor Venture Capital Program. It is the latest version of a similar initiative started several years ago, and offers applicants a potentially faster track to permanent residency. The catch is that they are required to contribute $2 million to a government designated investment fund over roughly 15 years. Detractors call the program “cash for citizenship.”

The Details

Originally announced in December 2014, the final program details were made known in late January.

  • Up to 500 people may apply, but only 60 individuals and their families will be awarded permanent residency.
  • Interested parties can apply from January 28 to February 11, or until the maximum number of applications have been submitted.

Immigration Minister Chris Alexander stated, “This pilot program is designed to attract immigrant investors who will significantly benefit the Canadian economy and better integrate into our society, which contribute to our long-term prosperity and economic growth.”

Fund Directive

The investment division of the Business Development Bank of Canada will primarily manage the money, but there is no guarantee of success. The directive of the fund is to “invest in innovative Canadian start-ups with high growth potential.” Participants will receive periodic dividends if the investment choices prove to be profitable.

What It Means to Be a Permanent Resident

Permanent residents are not Canadian citizens, but have specific rights including the following:

  • They are allowed to live, work and study any place in Canada.
  • They are protected by Canadian laws and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.
  • They will be eligible for the majority of social benefits available to Canadian citizens such as health care.
  • They can apply for citizenship.

Permanent residents are responsible for paying taxes and abiding by all Canadian laws. They are not able to vote or stand for political office, and are ineligible for certain positions requiring high-level security clearance. Another requirement is permanent residents must reside in Canada for a minimum of two years out of five. If they don’t, their permanent residence status may be forfeited.

Famous Canadian Immigrants

There are many opportunities afforded to the residents of Canada. The country is a politically stable democracy, has a robust economy and offers superior healthcare. Many people have chosen to immigrate to Canada over the years for these and other reasons. Some of the more notable immigrants are:

  • Adrienne Clarkson

Adrienne Clarkson was born in Hong Kong in 1939. Her family moved to Canada in 1941 as refugees, and she grew up in Ottawa. Clarkson is a journalist, broadcaster and stateswoman. In 1999, Queen Elizabeth II appointed her the 26th Governor General of Canada and she served until 2005. After that position, Clarkson was appointed to the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada in 2005.

  • Robert Herjavec

When he was 10, Herjavec’s family immigrated to Canada from Croatia to escape the communist regime. He started the internet security firm BRAK Systems in 1990 in his basement. In 2000, the company was sold to AT&T for $100 million. His next venture was to found the software security company, The Herjavec Group. Herjavec can be seen on the Canadian TV series Dragons’ Den and the American TV series Shark Tank. Both shows feature extremely successful entrepreneurs interested in investing in other promising start-ups.

  • Eckhart Tolle

Born in Germany in 1948, Eckhart Tolle moved to Canada in 1995 and currently lives in Vancouver. He is a renowned spiritual writer. His books, The Power of Now and A New Earth, have both made the New York Times Best Seller list.

The 60 immigrant investors who are selected will be granted permanent residency in a great country. However, there is no free lunch in Canada, and those interested will have to decide if the $2 million fee is worth it.

 

Why Does Canada Still Have a Blasphemy Law?

166575816The killings at the Paris office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 15 has once again brought the issue of free speech front and center. Should there be limits to what is off-limits? Canadian media coverage in the days since the incident seems to largely portray a collective sentiment (with a few exceptions) in overwhelming support of free speech, no matter how offensive it may be to some. Canadian politicians vehemently condemned the killings and a number of media outlets showed the cartoons on TV and in print. However, this response does seem a little ironic since blasphemy is still technically illegal in Canada.

Section 296 of the Criminal Code of Canada

Per Section 296 of the Criminal Code of Canada, publishing blasphemous libel is an indictable offence and if convicted you can go to prison for up to two years. Anyone accused is permitted to defend himself or herself of the charge provided they use “decent language.”

  1. (1) Everyone who publishes a blasphemous libel is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years. 

(2) It is a question of fact whether or not any matter that is published is a blasphemous libel. 

(3) No person shall be convicted of an offence under this section for expressing in good faith and in decent language, or attempting to establish by argument used in good faith and conveyed in decent language, an opinion on a religious subject.

Definition of Blasphemy

There is a good chance many Canadians don’t know what blasphemy means and have no idea blasphemous libel is a criminal offense in their country. For those who would like a little clarity on the definition, it is “the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things; profane talk.” These days it is hard to miss all the blasphemy out there; from TV shows, movies, newspapers to video games, it is on full display.

History

The language outlawing blasphemy was first included in the Canadian Criminal Code in 1892. There have been a handful of times in the last century when Canadians have been accused of blasphemous libel.

  • 1927: Eugene Starry, a Toronto atheist, was sent to jail for 60 days after a being accused of insulting Christianity. He was ultimately deported to England where he had been born.

 

  • 1977: A poet who wrote about a gay Jesus Christ was charged, but not convicted.

 

  • 1980: Owners of a theater in Sault Ste. Marie were accused, but not convicted, after screening Life of Brian (a Monty Python movie), which is a spoof on Christ. An Anglican vicar who had seen the film had complained to local authorities.

The Pope Weighs In

Pope Francis unequivocally condemned the Paris attacks and said there was no way to justify them in God’s name. He said free speech was a fundamental right and it is the duty of people to speak their mind for the common good. However, the Pope also stated there are limits and a reaction of some kind when people make fun of the religious beliefs of others is not unexpected.

Other Blasphemy Laws

There are many countries that still have blasphemy laws and, in some cases, punishment for the crime is death. It is not particularly surprising that Afghanistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia have them, but it is that Ireland and Australia do as well. In 2008, the United Kingdom repealed its blasphemy law. In the United States, there are no federal blasphemy laws since they would violate the U.S. Constitution.

It seems more than strange in this day and age that a progressive western country like Canada would still have a blasphemy law, even if it has fallen out of use. Yet, it’s still there.