Immigration
How well do Canada’s
immigration laws and
policies respond to
immigration issues?
2011 census
Canada is a nation of immigrants
 Our
Aboriginal population
consists of less than 5% of
our total population (2011)
 Early on we attracted
immigrants from “preferred
countries”



Britain, France, Germany
Later on – Eastern Europe
Much later on – Asia and
Africa
Why does Canada encourage
immigration

Economic factors

We need a strong workforce


We can attract skilled workers from around the
world
Demographic factors


Our population is not replacing itself (not having
as many babies)
Baby-boomers: large demographic cohort that
is retiring and needs younger workers to support
them in their retirement (pensions)
We are proud of our
multicultural heritage
“I speak of a Canada
where men and women
of Aboriginal ancestry,
of French and British
heritage, of the diverse
cultures of the world,
demonstrate the will to
share this land in
peace, in justice, and
with mutual respect.”
- Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Prime
Minister of Canada, April 17,
1982
EXAMPLES OF IMMIGRATION
ISSUES IN THE PAST
Chinese Head Tax

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Canada encouraged
Chinese workers to help build
the railway
Between 1885 and 1923,
Canada discouraged
immigration from China by
requiring every Chinese
immigrant to pay a fixed fee,
known as a head tax
Today people from Asia have
made up the largest group of
immigrants to Canada
In 2006, Canada’s
government formally
apologized to Canada’s
Chinese citizens for the head
tax
Komagata Maru

In 1914, immigrants from India
arrived in Vancouver on a
Japanese ship called the Komagata
Maru. At this time, Canada’s
government allowed people from
India to enter Canada only if they
sailed directly to Canada without
stopping anywhere. Since no
shipping line offered this service,
Indian immigrants were forced to
board ships like this one. Canadian
officials did not let the passengers of
the Komagata Maru off the ship for
over two months. The Indians lost
their case and the ship with all of its
passengers was forced to return to
Asia
Case Study:
The Boat People



Refugees displaced by the Vietnam War
In total Canada took in 60,000 refugees
Matching program: the government sponsored one
refugee for each one that was sponsored privately
 Opposition

views:
“Think of Your Own People First”
 fear
 What
that immigrants will take“our” jobs
does this case study tell us about people’s
attitudes toward multiculturalism in the past
Immigration Legislation
Immigration and Refugee
Protection Act
OBJECTIVES

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Provide social, cultural and economic benefits
Respect bilingualism and multiculturalism
Support minority official language communities
Support a prosperous economy across all parts of
Canada
Reunite families
Promote the integration of immigrants into
Canada society
FACTORS RELATED TO
IMMIGRATION
ECONOMIC FACTORS
 Provide
a workforce
 Much of Canada’s economy and
infrastructure has been built by immigrants. Ex.
the trans-continental railway
 Demographic changes include decreasing
birth rates. Without immigration there would
be limited labour force growth
 In some industries Canada either lacks
skilled labour or lacks people willing to do
those jobs.
POLITICAL FACTORS



Immigration laws and policies reflect the
interests of Canadians and the nation. The
government has to balance both
Different governments will create different
policies based on the beliefs of their party
and what they believe the Canadian public
wants
Immigration policy can also be influenced by
relations with other nations. Canada may
take immigrants and refugees in order to
maintain good relations or to protect people
from corrupt and unfair governments
HEALTH FACTORS



Immigrants must prove they are in good
health
May be refused entry if they put the
health or safety of Canadians at risk or if
their condition may put an excessive
demand on our health care system
These conditions do not apply to refugees
and family-class immigrants
SECURITY FACTORS
 Canada’s
modern Immigration and
Refugee Protection Act can deny an
immigrant’s access to Canada if they
pose a threat to Canada’s safety.

Includes criminal records, engaging in
terrorism, posing a threat to the stability of
government, or belonging to a known
terrorist or criminal organization
CATEGORIES AND
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING IMMIGRANTS

Economic Immigrants (Independent) – usually the largest
group

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Family Class

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
Skilled workers and business people
Need to match a need in Canada – job vacancies or
willingness to invest
Must qualify using the Points System
Spouses, partners, children, parents and grandparents of
people living here
You do not have to qualify under the Points System
Refugee Class - usually the smallest group


People escaping persecution, torture, wrongful
imprisonment, or cruel and unusual punishment
Purpose: to save lives and offer protection, fulfill Canada’s
commitment to protect refugees (signed a UN convention),
reflect Canada’s humanitarian ideals
Refugees
“So often the world sits idly by, watching ethnic
conflicts flare up, as if these were mere
entertainment rather than human beings whose
lives are being destroyed. Shouldn't the existence
of even one single refugee be a cause for alarm
throughout the world?”
Urkhan Alakbarov
POINTS SYSTEM
A series of questions designed to
determine a person’s suitability for
immigration to Canada
Applies only to economic immigrants
An applicant must score enough points to
be considered for immigration
Questions are based on skills, education,
and other factors related to successfully
integrating into Canadian society
Issues Relating to
Immigration
What languages do
immigrants to Canada speak?
According to a survey done in 2006, immigrants’ knowledge of both of
Canada’s official languages (English and French) was:
53%
- spoke English
5% - spoke French
9% - spoke both English and French
33% - spoke neither
The top 5 language spoken by immigrants coming to Canada:
1) Mandarin
2) English
3) Arabic
4) Punjabi
5) Spanish
How can this impact language minority groups trying to
protect their language and culture?
Protection of minority
languages

Quebec attempts to attract French speaking
immigrants.
 Canada-Quebec Accord



allows Quebec to choose a certain amount of
immigrants
can also require immigrants to send their children to
French-language schools
Francophone groups outside Quebec attempt to
attract French speaking immigrants to their
communities.
Aboriginal Perspectives
 Aboriginal
peoples are partners in Canada.
They have an impact on the creation of
immigration policies.
 Issue: when there are such conditions of poverty,
poor education, health problems and employment
for Aboriginal peoples, immigrants can be seen as
creating more problems as Canada seeks to fill
skilled jobs partly through immigration, and many
immigrants fill education and training spaces. First
Nations leaders argue we should be improving the
quality of life for those within our country before we
seek to encourage others to come to our country
Provincial Involvement
Provinces
o
o
o
have a say in immigration policies.
Provincial Nomination Program –
provinces can specify that they need immigrants
with certain skills. Some provinces have their own
immigration offices in other countries
Helps locate immigrants in places where their skills
and labour are needed
Alberta receives about 20 000 immigrants per year.
Ontario and Toronto receive the most
Many immigrants choose to
live in large urban areas
Where immigrants settle in Canada

Top 3 locations in Canada where immigrants settled in 2007:
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39% Toronto
15% Montreal
14% Vancouver
32% the rest of Canada
One objective of the Immigration and Refugee
Protection Act of 2002 is to share the economic
benefits of immigration across all regions of
Canada. Based on the information above, how
well has Canada achieved that goal?
Pressures on Schools

With many new immigrant families come
children who may not speak English or French

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Often refugee students come with emotional
stress from the conditions they have
experienced before coming to Canada

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Funding for ESL programs
PTSD
Cultural differences can cause conflicts


Eye contact
Equality being affirmed
What percentage of immigration to
Canada does Alberta receive?
 50%
Ontario
 18% Quebec
 17% British Columbia
8%
 4%
Alberta
Manitoba
 3% rest of Canada
Perceived Changes to
Canadian Society
 Depending
on your perspective, the
increased number of visible minority
immigrants is either


Great as it adds to Canada’s multicultural
heritage and makes us a world leader in
race relations
Threatening Canada’s culture and
changing our country in a way that is not in
the best interest of Canadian-born citizens
Is there a threat to non-visible minority
populations in Canada? (aka white people)
Visible minorities by province

British Columbia (4,074,380): Not a visible minority: 75.2%
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Ontario (12,028,895): Not a visible minority: 77.2%
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Chinese 3.7%, South Asian 3.2%
Manitoba (1,133,515): Not a visible minority: 87%
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South Asian: 6.6%, Chinese: 4.8%, Black: 3.9%
Alberta (3,256,355): Not a visible minority: 78.4%
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Chinese: 10.0%, South Asian: 6.4%
Filipino 3.3%, 17% Aboriginal
Quebec (7,435,900): Not a visible minority: 91.2%
Nova Scotia (903,090): Not a visible minority: 95.8%
Saskatchewan (953,850): Not a visible minority: 96.4%
New Brunswick (719,650): Not a visible minority: 98.1%
Prince Edward Island (134,205): Not a visible minority: 98.7%
Newfoundland and Labrador (500,605): Not a visible minority: 98.9%
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Toronto (5,072,070): Not a visible minority: 57.1%
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Vancouver (2,097,965): Not a visible minority: 58.3%
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Black 4.0%
Winnipeg (686,040): Not a visible minority: 78.6%
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Black 4.7%
Ottawa-Gatineau (1,117,120): Not a visible minority: 84.0%,
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Chinese 4.6%, South Asian 3.9%
Montreal (3,588,520): Not a visible minority: 83.5%
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Chinese 6.2%, South Asian 5.4%
Edmonton (1,024,825): Not a visible minority: 82.9%
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Chinese: 18.2%, South Asian: 9.9%, Filipino: 3.8%
Calgary (1,070,295): Not a visible minority: 77.8%
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South Asian 13.4%, Chinese: 9.6%, Black: 6.9%, Filipino: 3.4%
Filipino: 8.7%%, South Asian: 3.5%, Aboriginal: 11.7%
Quebec City (704,185): Not a visible minority: 97.7%