Rapport från ett soligt påskupprop

 Så är den stora manifestationen mot utförsäkringarna genomförd. Det blev mycket lyckat. Vi inledde med en samling i Heliga Trefaldighets kyrka, där det var tal, sång och bön. SVT:s Sydnytt var där och gjorde ett fint reportage. Ett 100-tal personer gick sedan i ett "solroståg" till Lilla Torg. Ytterligare ett antal personer anslöt och lyssnade till protesttalen. Elin och Eldgrim berättade personligt och som representant för Ekumeniska Rådet i Kristianstad läste jag ur det öppna brev som Sveriges Kristna Råd skrivit till regeringen.

Vi fortsatte sedan tåget till Diakoniforum, där det blev sång och musik, först av Anders Engberg och sedan av Lasse Berg m.fl. En trivsam gemenskap med gott fika dessutom.Tydligen har Påskuppropet genomförts på ett stort antal platser i Sverige. Vi får hoppas att det ger effekt. Ekumeniska Rådet räknar med att följa upp hur det går.
Se referat i Bladet, och i Dagen från Påskuppropet i Sverige.

Påskupprop mot utförsäkringarna på måndag

Från många håll hörs förtvivlade rop och protester mot de orättvisor som många sjuka i vårt land får utstå. "Man måste vara stark för att orka vara sjuk" är ett gammalt uttryck som många kan känna igen sig i. Sveriges Kristna Råd har i ett öppet brev till regeringen den 10 mars påtalat de konsekvenser som sjukförsäkringsreformen fått för enskilda och för familjer i Sverige. Man "önskar förändringar som tar tydligare hänsyn till individernas olika omständigheter...". Inte minst de som arbetar diakonalt i kyrkor och församlingar har mött många medmänniskor som hamnat i kläm när olika myndigheters beslut inte är samordnade. Det öppna brevet finns på www.skr.org
Också flera andra upprop har kommit med liknande innehåll, bland annat från ett 100-tal läkare.
I Kristianstad liksom på många andra orter kommer manifestationer att ske på måndag, annandag påsk. Det är därför det kallas Påskuppropet. Den arbetsgrupp som är arrangör består av engagerade, enskilda personer samt Ekumeniska Rådet i Kristianstad, dvs de kristna kyrkornas samarbetsorgan. Kl.13.30 inleds arrangemanget i Heliga Trefaldighets kyrka. Ett "solroståg" går sedan till Lilla Torg där det hålls tal, varefter man fortsätter till en avslutande gemenskap på Diakoniforum.Elin berättar mer i Bladet.
Visst kan man säga att det handlar om politik, men det är inte partipolitik. För ett antal år sedan genomfördes ett annat påskupprop. Då gällde det asyl för flyktingar, och kraven ställdes till en annan regering än den nu sittande. Vi vill i alla lägen värna människovärdet!
Mer om påskuppropet.

Canada Day på Högskolan i Kristianstad

Igår var jag inbjuden att medverka i ett konferens om Kanada på Högskolan i Kristianstad. Mitt ämne var: Vad Sverige kan lära av Kanadamodellen - Om immigration och jobb. Jag utgick från boken Kanadamodellen, redigerad av Hojem och Ådahl, och utgiven av tankesmedjan Fores 2011.Reaktionen från publiken var uppskattande, men flera som själva kom från Kanada menade att bilden av deras land var alltför positiv. Rasism och segregation finns även där. Jag är själv ingen expert och var därför tacksam för dessa kompletteringar.
Yesterday I was invited to participate in a conference about Canada at the University of Kristianstad. My subject was What Sweden can learn from the Canadian Model: Immigration and Jobs. I made a summary of the book The Canada Model, compiled by Hojem och Ådahl and published by Fores 2011. The reactions from the audience was nice, but persons who come from Canada themselves, meant that the image of their country was too positive. Also there you can find racism and segregation. I´m no expert and therefore I´m thankful for those complements. Here is my "paper":

1. What is The Canadian Model? Three aspects:

A.      Attitudes are important. In Canada there has always been a positive attitude to immigration. It´s a historical immigration country. Multiculturalism has been since the 1970´s part of the official policy.

B.      Civil Society plays a major role. The state, according to Howard Duncan, has placed much of the responsibility for integration on NGOs (Non-governmental Organizations). Those are often run by immigrants!

C.       A well-functioning labour market. Canada has fewer regulations for employment and salaries than, for example, Sweden.

2. Canadian Immigration

A.   The unique point system for labour immigration.

It was in the 1970s that the point system was established. Until then, most immigrants had come from Europe.  In later years, most immigrants have come from Asia. More than half of the immigrants and their families are chosen in a process where you are given points for language knowledge, age, and how familiar you are with Canada. This system has been a success both for Canada and for the immigrants.

B.  Humanitarian immigration

Integration on the labour market is essential for a good immigration policy.  Humanitarian immigration is a big part, but for this category you can of course not use the point system.  Thus they have a harder way to good integration and job. But it is remarkable how the positive attitudes created in the Canadian society by labour immigrants are also a benefit to refugees and others. A combination of immigration for economical needs and humanitarian immigration is said to be the best.

C.  Effect of Social capital

It is also of great importance for the integration how you use your spare time and what kind of relation you have with family, ethnic group and other individuals. The chances to get a job is often depending on if you have a good personal network. But the effect of personal ties is more important in the country than in cities.

3. Differences

Large-scale immigration is a relatively new phenomenon in Sweden, and the majority of immigrants have come for humanitarian reasons. In Canada, most immigrants come for economic reasons. Both in Sweden and in Canada, it is more difficult for humanitarian immigrants to get a job than for those coming for economic reasons.

Another important factor is language. Not many migrants in the world speak Swedish! That requires a focus on language training, prolonging the integration process. Immigrants to Canada are often more familiar with English or French.

4. Recommendations

Governments  should emphasise the advantages of immigration and promote a positive image of it. To increase diversity on the labour market, governments also need to work for employment of minorities, particularly in public authorities.

Jeffrey G. Reitz points out that the Canadian success cannot be copied in other countries. He argues that Canadians need to rediscover their own politics in the light of new circumstances.  The modern knowledge-based society makes it more difficult to integrate foreigners into the labour market than in earlier times.

Support for integration of immigrants is an important part of Canadian politics, and this is something to be emulated. Canadians want immigration,  and the state has made the integration project its highest priority.  Howard Duncan, chief of the Metropolis Project, says about the idea of Multiculturalism: There is a difference between making it possible for minorities to take part and forcing them to conformity. (Hojem and Ådahl: Kanadamodellen, Fores 2011, page 31.) He then refers to some European countries where cultural minorities are expected to give up their traditional values. In Canada immigrants are mostly warmly welcomed by authorities, employers and citizens.

5. Reactions

The Swedish Minister of  Integration Erik Ullenhag has said, when the book Kanadamodellen was presented at a seminary in Stockholm on 3^rd of March 2011,  that Sweden could very well be inspired from the Canadian point system for labour immigration in the future, but to help people in need must be our highest priority.  The panel in this seminary emphasized that the civil society needs to play a bigger role  in the work

 for integration, and Mr Ullenhag meant that this is already slowly coming in Sweden.

A Swedish Church Magazine (Svenska Kyrkans Tidning 7^th April 2011) writes that “It´s in our heads”. We need a new knowledge, recognizing that today problems with for example segregation are global and so are the solutions . Here the “volunteer forces” can help us to get an attitude of welcoming also those who are different, because they can support  the common good.

Canada is a country built on labour immigration. Sweden also has voluntary immigration. In the 1960s, thousands who came from Italy, Turkey and former Yugoslavia immediately went to work in the industries. Today the situation is quite different, both in Canada and in Sweden. People come as refugees or to be reunited with their families. Many of them come having endured traumatic experiences. We should expect even more of this kind of immigration. A new category is the climate refugees. When will they be knocking on our doors?

Let´s see immigration as a privilege. Diversity makes us all the richer if we handle it in a positive way. That´s a challenge both for Sweden and for Canada.