Immigration

How well do Canadas

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

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, Canadas
government formally
apologized to Canadas
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, Canadas 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 that immigrants will takeour jobs

What does this case study tell us about peoples

attitudes toward multiculturalism in the past

Immigration Legislation

Immigration and Refugee

Protection Act
OBJECTIVES
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 Canadas 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
Canadas

modern Immigration and

Refugee Protection Act can deny an
immigrants access to Canada if they
pose a threat to Canadas 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

Family Class

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 Canadas
commitment to protect refugees (signed a UN
convention), reflect Canadas 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 persons 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 Canadas 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

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:

39%
15%
14%
32%

Toronto
Montreal
Vancouver
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

Often refugee students come with emotional

stress from the conditions they have
experienced before coming to Canada

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 Canadas multicultural

heritage and makes us a world leader in
race relations
Threatening Canadas 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%

Chinese: 10.0%, South Asian: 6.4%

Ontario

South Asian: 6.6%, Chinese: 4.8%, Black: 3.9%

Alberta

(12,028,895): Not a visible minority: 77.2%

(3,256,355): Not a visible minority: 78.4%

Chinese 3.7%, South Asian 3.2%

Manitoba

(1,133,515): Not a visible minority: 87%

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%

Toronto (5,072,070): Not a visible minority: 57.1%

Vancouver (2,097,965): Not a visible minority: 58.3%

Black 4.0%

Winnipeg (686,040): Not a visible minority: 78.6%

Black 4.7%

Ottawa-Gatineau (1,117,120): Not a visible minority: 84.0%,

Chinese 4.6%, South Asian 3.9%

Montreal (3,588,520): Not a visible minority: 83.5%

Chinese 6.2%, South Asian 5.4%

Edmonton (1,024,825): Not a visible minority: 82.9%

Chinese: 18.2%, South Asian: 9.9%, Filipino: 3.8%

Calgary (1,070,295): Not a visible minority: 77.8%

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%