We often say multiculturalism is a pillar of Canadian society. That’s because it truly is. Canada does not have much of a national identity, but our tolerance and openness toward others from all around the globe is a part of it. There is no better place to see this in action than on campus.
Colleges are incredibly diverse places, with a multitude of opinions, cultures, and ways of life. It’s this blend that truly makes college the experience that it is. Forget the academics—being exposed to ideas and perspectives is one of the best things a student can experience. This is why we must support immigration; we must support new Canadians and admit them into our classes.
We’ll put aside for now any moral or practical economic reasons for immigration, as this piece is about the merits it has for education and knowledge. While we must support and allow as many of our own homegrown students (who often come from a lower economic standing than international students) as possible, we must retain the current policy of internationalism.
Riding off of an anti-immigrant populist wave in the United States, a small but significant enough spike in similar sentiments is also on the rise up here. I encourage all students to resist this, to get involved, and—most importantly—to vote.
Within our own campus, students should also promote travelling abroad as education. Other countries do this. The amount you learn and understand from travelling is far greater and more valuable than most time you’ll spend sitting in a classroom or lecture hall. Now, of course you cannot obtain a degree from jetting across the world. But you also cannot experience the world—and humanity, to as rich of a level—from the confines of classroom walls, either.
Clearly, there is an educational value to international travel. It doesn’t always show up in traditional ways, but there is immense value. There is also immense cost, and students already have so little money—this is why we need more support and funding for travel in our education system.
Some options do exist, although mostly as part of pre-existing programs or as charitable missions. There’s nothing wrong with this, but choices are limited. The details to what should happen is a discussion for another day. The merit and need for such a program, however, is a conversation worth having today.