You have to hand it to our esteemed Conservative far-right-wing MP Sir Jason Kenney and those who are enjoying the party in Ottawa.

I mean, he is almost single-handedly leading a devout, medieval-era crusade to rid Canada of the scum and heretics (those foreign-looking dirty buggers called Immigrants) that his pure Canadian constituents in Alberta have elected (and appointed) him to do.

It does not take rocket science to appreciate the importance of affordable apartments to struggling immigrants, young families and all working class people.

Yet, something morbidly greedy is happening all over Canada: unchecked condo construction instead of rental unit building and planning.

Citizenship & Immigration Canada, thanks to our hardworking, tireless far-right MP Mr Jason Kenney — the right(eous) honourable conservative Minister of Citizenship & Immigration — has decided that since they cannot handle so many applications for immigration, they will just throw away those applications!

There, you fixed your backlog… Bravo Minister!

Immigration doesn’t simply mean human displacement from one part of the world to another. On a personal level, it also means a complete system shock to one’s physical and emotional health — hence requiring a lot of acclimatization, so to speak.

And if other issues aren’t already enough to worry a newcomer, there’s growing evidence that something much overlooked is equally reaching an alarming level than your regular, run-of-the-mill ‘settlement’ or ’employment’ factors, something that is more damaging and costly in the long run: Health.

I‘ve always marvelled at how some of the most simple, no-nonsense approaches often completely escape Canadian marketers when it comes to selling products and services to immigrants.

A newcomer’s initial purchases in Canada are as emotionally significant as they are practical or objective. The purchases have nostalgic value. They will remember either with fondness or with disgust what they ‘bought first in Canada.’ The first purchases or services have the potential of becoming a lifelong attachment or avoidance.

Maintaining and increasing high immigration and population levels is a no-brainer solution for long-term economic growth in Canada. This has been well studied and documented.

Every sizeable developed economy that is also well-populated tends to be economically stronger. It achieves greater living standards and benefits for all of its citizens. On the other hand, a developed country with older or declining population almost always lands into a stagnant economy with declining living standards in the long run.

One of the greatest small pleasures of living in an orderly, clean, well-developed and law-abiding society like Canada is the sheer joy of taking long urban walks just on the sidewalks or footpaths. Especially if you hail from an overcrowded — often chaotic — third-world city, like I do.

Don’t be fooled. I’m not talking about long hikes out of town or elaborate camping weekends or bike trips up into the woodlands.