Canada and the World
Current Events with a Canadian Perspective
Last update
12 October 2011
Canada Keeps its
Immigration Numbers High
Public opposition to immigrants is growing but
Ottawa maintains a high level of immigration
is needed to maintain economic growth
The Great Recession has caused something of a group re-
Quiet Canadian Opposition to Immigration
Almost a majority of Canadians oppose more immigration. In September 2010, Tom Godfrey of the Toronto Sun reported on an Angus Reid public opinion poll that “found almost half, or 46% of 1,007 respondents, believe immigration is having a negative effect in Canada, while 34% said the result is positive.”
Jodi Shanoff of the polling company is quoted as saying: “Findings from this poll are inconsistent with how we have historically viewed ourselves as a tolerant, welcoming nation.”
An anti-
Immigration Numbers Stay High
Despite the opposition expressed by Canadians, the federal government intends to bring in a significant number of immigrants in the future.
While Ottawa makes it more difficult for some categories of immigrants, such as the unskilled, to enter the country, the overall numbers remain high. For the past 20 years, Canada has accepted a total of between 200,000 and 250,000 permanent immigrants a year.
Heather Scoffield of The Canadian Press (November 1, 2010) reported that, “In its annual report to Parliament on immigration, the Conservative government says it aims to take in between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents next year (2011).
“That’s the same target as this year and last.”
Scoffield writes that according to Glen Hodgson of the Conference Board of Canada those numbers need to rise to 350,000 a year by 2030 to replace retiring baby boomers and to meet the needs of a growing economy.
Temporary Status only for Unskilled Workers
The most sought-
The jobs Canada says it has trouble filling include: restaurant and food service
managers, insurance adjusters 
and claims examiners, architects, medical doctors,
social workers, cooks, crane operators, industrial electricians, etc. With the possible
exception of cooks, no occupation on the list could be described as low-
This has prompted critics such as Usman Mushtaq (Rabble.ca, July 8, 2010) to comment that “temporary workers currently have no means through which to gain residency in Canada unless they gain work experience in the 29 skilled work fields during their four years in Canada. This is practically impossible as most work performed by temporary foreign workers is clerical or manual work.”
Exploitation of Temporary Workers
Temporary workers tend to cluster in low-
In June 2010, Delphine Nakache and Paula Kinoshita of the Institute for Research on Public Policy published a report on this issue. Writing about their conclusions in The Winnipeg Free Press (June 17, 2010) they said: “If on paper, such workers have the same workplace rights as any other workers in Canada, this is not true in reality.”
The problem revolves around the fact that foreign, temporary workers are tied to one job, with one employer, at one location. If they are fired they lose their residency status. This makes them reluctant to complain if they are abused, forced to work unpaid overtime, or their workplace is unsafe.
The report’s authors say “Canada seems indifferent to temporary foreign workers’ future position in society.” The situation could be improved if such workers had the right to move from an exploiting employer to one with better practices and if there was better enforcement of workplace regulations.
Image credit
Bryan Costin
Sources
“Nannies Abusing Sponsorship Program.” Tom Godfrey, Toronto Sun, September 9, 2010.
“Canada Holds Immigration Levels Steady.” Heather Scoffield, Canadian Press, November 1, 2010.
“Jason Kenney’s Disposable Workforce of Temporary Foreign Labour.” Usman Mushtaq, Rabble.ca, July 8, 2010.
“Ottawa Keeps Immigration Levels, Lowers Target for Economic Class.” Delphine Nakache and Paula Kinoshita, Winnipeg Free Press, June 17, 2010.
© Canada and the World, March 2011
All rights reserved
GETTING
INTO CANADA
For the past 20 years, Canada has accepted a total of between 200,000 and 250,000 permanent immigrants a year. These new Canadians fall into one of several categories:
- Independent. Education, work experience, knowledge of one of the official languages, skills and demand for those skills determine whether or not a person is acceptable. A temporary foreign worker may also qualify. Under the Business Immigration Program, people prepared to invest $800,000 or more, and who can meet certain other requirements, are accepted.
- Provincial Nominees. People with “the skills, education, and work experience needed to make an immediate economic contribution to the province or territory that nominates them” are admitted.
- Family. Canadian citizens or permanent residents can sponsor a close family member – spouse, children, parent, grandparent – to become a permanent resident of Canada.
- Refugee. Applicants must meet the United Nations definition of being someone at risk of persecution should they return to their country of origin.
According to a November 2009 Gallup Poll “about 16 percent of the world’s adults would like to move to another country permanently if they had the chance. This translates to roughly 700 million worldwide.”