By Marylee Stephenson,
Special to The Post

At 8AM on a Saturday morning, I am out for a morning stroll through my local North Vancouver plaza.
There are special tents erected today and standing watch over them is a lone security man. In the Lower Mainland this is often the ubiquitous Sikh security guard, usually in his senior years.
This one wears a crimson turban and is reading a book while seated on a folding chair.
“Is it a good book?”
“Yes — come sit,” he says “Let’s talk.”
“Is it interesting?”
“Yes — I read to stay awake.”
His cell phone rings. The conversation is entirely in Punjabi, but I can catch one word, ‘resume’.
When the call ends, I ask what kind of job he’s looking for. There is a pause, and I can feel the reluctance as he answers, ‘security’.
“Have you been here long?”
“Seven years.”
“But your English, how did you get so good in just seven years?”
“We moved to Malaysia when I was five, it was British, and all education was in English. And this nice English lady next door would teach me, ‘say this way, not that,’ and I’d learn.”
In Canada, after nearly a year of looking for jobs, he finally got a casual security job. So after the last six years of insecure work he still is in security, still trying for something at least more stable.
Really interested, I went into near-interview mode. “What other kinds of work have you done? What kind do you want to do?”
The too-typical story comes out. In Malaysia he had years in mid-management, took a number of upgrading courses and diplomas, learned to do corporate training. None of this recognized here in Canada. “I have the skills, it is good to share them.”
I mention his heavy accent, repeating how excellent his English is. His frustration bursts out, “But you know, there is not a person in all of North American who does not have an accent.”
His wife calls again. ‘resume’ comes up again.
Turning to me he says, “They tell us, Canada wants people with skills. They say that, but you get here and you can’t work. There are thousands of doctors and nurses – Canada needs them, but no — they cannot work here.”
So they come here but have to go overseas for work. They do contracts, they come back here, try again, go overseas again. And you know what that does? People won’t feel loyal to Canada. “We’re Canadian citizens but still we don’t get jobs.”
Like I talked to someone at a call centre the other day and the person can give me the address, but they can’t say, ‘oh, it’s near the hospital, just walk over there.’ They were somewhere in the Philippines. Somebody local could do have told me that.”
Time for me to jog on – wondering as I go, how long can he go on?
When does hope go and bitterness set in?
Passing by the next day the display tents are gone – no more need for site security.
But for him the need for security continues.