Listening to the introduction of one of Barack Obama’s speeches about immigration, I also realize what many citizens in Canada and the US have forgotten: the North American dream.

Compared to our fellow friends across the water, we live in green, open spaces. We live in a country where one can vote in a leader, send one’s children to a good school while working a decent job. Although these societies have innumerable flaws, they also benefit from details that most countries in this world do not have.

However – because people in North America live in relative isolation, as well as within this dream, many tend to forget the above-mentioned qualities. This is directly reflected in citizens’ actions, from both the US and Canada, to close their countries’ borders to discourage further immigration.

For many, this fight is happening not because they lack space or jobs, but because they are offended by the details of cultural diversity: whether they be religious, linguistic or other.

Understandably, borders of all countries need to be regulated in order to protect the citizens within. But, the reaction of communities in both the US and Canada also needs to be evaluated: the present disdain for immigrants in many cities and rural towns is a reflection on our society, and not a pretty one.

Immigration in Canada and the US needs to be developed into a comprehensive plan that treats everyone as a equal at the border and understands and considers the idea of a “dream” while also teaching the acceptance of ethnic diversity and the many benefits it brings our societies to its citizens.

Most importantly, the next generation needs to be taught that cultural diversity is an invaluable asset to society and further develops all aspects of life from intellectual, to artistic, to the economy.