Hearing the word ‘immigration’ scares many people in Canada. They believe too many will be a threat to our jobs, even lowering wages across the workplace. As well, the welfare system will be misused and the government budgets climb. Despite all the rhetoric, this way of thinking is not the case.
As a matter of fact, most Canadians (59 per cent) hold positive views on key aspects of immigration and few see immigrants and refugees as a pressing national concern.
Canadians’ level of comfort with immigration is grounded on the belief that it is good for the country’s economy. In Ontario nearly 80 per cent of respondents agree.
Integration of immigrants to adopt to Canadian values is a concern. Half believe that they are not fully integrating. Learning new customs and ideologies takes time. Younger immigrants adapt more quickly. Second generation ones will be as Canadianized as you and I.
I had a first-hand experience with an immigrant from Morocco while living in Toronto. During the 90’s when employment suffered, we advertised ‘Room and Board’ available. This young man was our first customer. He had studied computer science in Paris and arrived in Canada with little knowledge of our country and only a few words of English under his belt.
He moved in on a Saturday and for supper it was pizza. His picking off the pepperoni from the pizza was only the first of many surprises. I looked across the table and asked him if he was Jewish. He said, “No, Muslim.”.
That opening provided me the opportunity to approach other immigrants rather than pretending I didn’t notice them. It became a keenness to learn of new customs and ideologies and to personally welcome the ones I got to know.
I worked for many years with new Canadians or those waiting to become one, without any bias. I made acquaintances with Chinese, Jamaicans, Jordanians, Argentinians and so many more. All appreciated my interest from where they came. They were more than willing to talk about their lives and were eager to hear about mine.
Royal Bank of Canada said travel restrictions and border closures due to the pandemic saw permanent-resident additions drop 30 per cent in March compared to the previous year. “We expect to see 170,000 fewer permanent residents entering the country in 2020 than planned — all in a year that was supposed to see a record number of newcomers,” RBC said.
“Canada’s population grew 580,000 people (or 1.6 per cent) last year, with immigrants driving 80 per cent of the increase. Two-thirds of immigrants are in prime working ages.
Without new immigrants, Canada will be heading towards ‘a fiscal cliff’, as the price tag for fighting COVID-19 has already hit $160 billion, and Ottawa needs to generate revenues to start paying off the mounting debt.
Benjamin Tal, an economist at CIBC World Markets Inc., also believes immigration flow will drop precipitously this year with no clear path to recovery. But there are external factors that could push some immigration.
Canadian citizens living in Hong Kong could start returning as that region sees turmoil amid the Chinese clampdown on civil liberties. “The virus is also working to freeze the ‘brain drain’ as less Canadians will be moving to the U.S. during the crisis,” Tal said. “In fact, to the extent that the post crisis environment leads to increased levels of remote working, it is reasonable to assume that more Canadians who would have moved to the U.S., will be able to work for American companies from the comfort of their homes in Canada, on a permanent basis,” according to Tal.
The economist estimates more than 3.5 million Canadians live abroad, with majority living in the United States, apart from around 400,000 in Hong Kong and close to 100,000 in the U.K.
The absence of foreign students from universities will also rob the economy of at least $6 billion in revenue and a valued source of future skilled workforce. In 2019, around 11,000 new permanent residents had previously studied in the country.
When I returned to reside in the Valley, I had a distinct detachment of seeing so few visible minorities. When I left here after school, I had to adjust to mixing with so many people from other countries. Upon returning, seeing so few ethnicities was a shocker.
