Gya: Canada's quest for skilled Guyanese migrants creates waves

THE controversy over the aborted attempts by a Canadian agency, IPACS, to recruit skilled Guyanese to work and live in Canada has spilled into the political arena.

The PNC/R told reporters yesterday the Government was embarrassed by the recent meeting at City Hall that IPACS convened "to advise Guyanese on emigration to Canada."

Said the PNC/R in a statement issued at a news conference: "Guyanese are flocking to leave these shores in even greater numbers because: · many have become despaired of the Government’s confused and inconsistent economic policies; · they have suffered enough from the deteriorating security and crime situation; · those who are public servants have become fed up with the arrogance and callousness of their treatment by the government and can see no future for themselves and their children."

The party's stark conclusion: "People are fed up with this regime."

For a poor country whose population is less than a million and whose endowed natural wealth remains largely untapped, emigration is hardly a laughing matter. It is something that should be addressed by our leaders across the country's sociopolitical divide.