Canada's immigration policy attracted a record number of foreigners, in an attempt to address labor shortages. Last year 429,649 immigrants moved to Canada. Unlike their southern neighbors, Canadians appear less afraid of international outsiders taking their jobs.
Needing more workers, Canada's government is trying to speed up the permanent resident process. Currently, 900,000 applicants are backlogged, some waiting up to six years.
Unlike in the US, where immigration rhetoric and policy can make or break a politician, immigration holds a less rousing place in Canadian politics. Still, describing Canada's labor shortage is a tricky task. There is a debate surrounding whether Canada is actually short in low-skilled labor.
Do you think citizens are more likely to welcome educated professionals, rather than low-skilled foreigners? If Canadians don't want to take unpleasant low-skilled jobs, should employers push to hire foreigners, or raise wages to attract natives, remembering that the price of goods may rise with wages?
Lrg
IRO
Emporio Armani
With unemployment on the rise in most western nations due to the export of jobs that require an education as well as those that do not (call centers) I do not believe any nation need import employees. Most countries have enough people on the dole to be able to force some of them back into the work force and fill these low end positions. Britain is so busy importing doctors their health care is in jeopardy, Australia imported murdering physicians and terrorists when it brought in workers and Canada as a whole is changing, not for the better due to their immigration policy. Importing workers is not what it was a century ago when you brought in skilled, though uneducated laborers who wanted a better life for their families. You can have any country inserted for Canada (the US, Britain etc...) for this debate.
It is only a matter of time when immigration will hold a bigger place in Canada's election but then again people have always said the streets of America are paved with gold and people still want to immigrate here. I guess they feel Canada's streets are covered in snow.
What really needs to be altered is the welfare systems to force legal and native citizens to work instead of collecting a government check and food stamps.
1As an immigrant to Canada, I am studying there I can say that people don't have a problem with immigration where I am. I live in Newfoundland and so many people are leaving in search of higher wages that your argument of forcing people back into the workforce doesn't work or apply samantha as a lot of the population is aged and WHY WOULD YOU FORCE SOMEONE TO GO TO WORK! Another thing is that with healthcare your education blows! Why do a four year undergrad then a four year medical degree when other countries do it in four years and as for right now Canada needs all the doctors and healthcare professionals it can get, so if it can't get them within it's own borders it will have to outsource. and Britain's healthcare crisis is not due to importing doctors, it doesn't have enough healthcare professionals as well. I doubt immigration will ever be such a big deal as it is in america as illegal immigration to Canada while it exists is not as high as that in America. give me an immigrant who is happy to be here and works hard than an ungrateful spoiled Canadian who doesn't know how good they have it.
2"give me an immigrant who is happy to be here and works hard than an ungrateful spoiled Canadian who doesn't know how good they have it."
I think this about Americans too!
3"WHY WOULD YOU FORCE SOMEONE TO GO TO WORK!"
The question to me is, why am I paying for people who refuse to work? And I am not talking about the people who are legitimate. But I have more friends then I would like to admit who have not worked in litterally YEARS who are perfectly capable, but work the system so that the tax payers are paying for them to sit on their butts and play video games, or they have another child so that they can collect more money. It is sad, but it happens all the time. There needs to be a welfare reform, if we are going to continue to have welfare.
"give me an immigrant who is happy to be here and works hard than an ungrateful spoiled Canadian who doesn't know how good they have it."
I agree with this statement, as long as the immigrant is legal. I think that socialistic programs are the problem. We give people a sense of entitlement, not a sense of you have to earn what you receive. Many immigrants don't have these luxuries, and in return, know that you should work for what you want and what you need.
4Oh and Top O' the mornin to ya!
5top o' the morning to ya my dear
oh and in response to your comment,
6cine i don't get why people want to live on welfare but do you think any of them are going to be productive if they do have to work since they are used to sitting around and doing nothing all day long. Near my university there are apartments where those on welfare live and let me tell you nearly all of the apartments have satellite dishes they all drive really nice cars and they give birth like rabbits to get more welfare, it totally sickens me. I think the fact that Canada is opening it's borders for skilled workers and giving out visaas to those who prove they have te skills is a good idea it lessens illegal immigration while bringing those much needed skills. i do like the fact that's it's so multi-cultural, you learn a lot about the world.
7top of the mornin to you too but it ain't so grand today we're getting 50cm of snow.
nyara, I don't get why people want to live on welfare either, but I suppose if they have cable television, drive nice cars, have health insurance, and all the luxuries of a working person, but don't have to do the work, then why not? If we put people on a time frame for welfare, and don't reward them for having more children, if we use this money for job training, and yes force someone to work, then they just might gain a sense of accomplishment. People might start having pride in their work and in their country. Would it happen over night? No. But I truly believe it would happen.
And I can't wait for spring to be here!
8I love that frog! It brightens my day!
9First and foremost, the blurb up tops makes it seem as if America is trying to close its border to immigration. The big issue within the US isn't immigration as much as illegal immigration. I'm not trying to close any doors, but I sure want to know who is trying to walk in!
"i don't get why people want to live on welfare but do you think any of them are going to be productive if they do have to work since they are used to sitting around and doing nothing all day long." - WHAT!? You're saying because people are lazy they just shouldn't have to work and we should flip the bill? That's ludicrous! How about we cut welfare and then we see how motivated someone becomes to start working!? How's that for motivation to be productive?
10i'm not saying they don't have to work I'm just saying forcing them into work isn't a viable solution either, you have to educate them first off or give them jobs that require few skills or just plain hard labour cos let's face it they aren't exactly rocket scientists yet mymellow and training them will take time and money. alot of jobs that need to be filled here are trades jobs like fitting and turngin and welding and my dad trains apprentices so I know how much training and work you have to put in to become one. for me if there are people who are ready, willing and able to work I'd rather give a job to them regardless of where they come from rather than some incompetent people who don't know squat about breaking a sweat. We don't have welfare in my country so this is the first time I've seen it first hand. I mean jeez i had a friend who was a refugee and was living with her 3 younger brothers she got $1000 for herself and $1500 for the boys that was $5 500, more than a lot of people earn here, yet she went to school became a nurse and works for her money now. I just don't get it, I love working, more than I love school, I can't wait till I work full time.
11But letting people not work and reap the benefits of those who do is not a viable solution either.
I think our compromise will have to be that it is ok that they don't work, but they don't get benefits for not working.
12yeah mymellow, if you want to sit around and pop out babies that's your own choice but you don't benefit from it. Girls here have babies and then get paid to go to university like WTF??????
13nyara,The abuse drives me insane, and takes away from the people who really need it. Yet another reason why I am totally against federal welfare, and believe it should be taken care of at state level.
14I'd go!
15I think increasing wages so that canadians on welfare are enticed to work low-skilled jobs would be a better idea...
I also do not see a problem with hiring skilled foreigners.
I really love that Canada is so multi-cultural.
16Sometimes people just need a kick in the bum to get going and off of welfare. It has worked here in NYC but you also have to start to deduct money for every thing they spawn "like rabbits" while in the system.
You seem pissed Nyar about those sitting around with nice cars, clothes, satellite dish TV what would it hurt to put a broom in their hand and have them sweep the streets or wash dishes.
People are not walking away from jobs to find higher paying ones, these days they are being fired as we outsource to India and cheaper labor. There is no reason for them to come here when we send our jobs to their doorstep. Yes, here in the US its a touchy subject since it seems a lot of our problems stem from those sneaking into our country. Crime being a big point but they also drain our resources.
If immigrants were as you seem to be - looking for education and wanting to work, I doubt this would be an issue.
As for your education in health care - Canadians and those of socialized medicine are traveling all over to have procedures done that they have to wait years for. Doctors in general are getting out of the system or are being driven out. Have you read any of the medical stories coming out of Britain re: their imports, in particular their dentists. I would rather be here in America and have over trained doctors then your four years and poof here's a scalpel. I have had to have medical treatment when traveling and each time it makes me more grateful for our doctors here.
Do not knock what you have not experienced.
17Samantha not i said in Newfoundland where I live not anywhere in the US, people are leaving to find higher paying job in fact a lot of people are moving to Fort Mcmurray or Fort McMoney as they call it. Outsourcing doesn't seem as major as it is in the US as their immigration polic leans towards recruiting skilled immigrants, people aren't fired to make way for cheaper labour in India they retire as over here the popultion is an aging one. You seem to be talking about the US whereas I'm talking about Canada. I'm not pissed just not impressed. As for healthcare Samantha people don't get the procedures cos they aren't enough doctors so therefore if Canada can get well trained qualified doctors from outside what is the problem there certainly aren't enough here. And as for "imported" doctors I haven't yet met an incompetent one but I have met a Canadian one who told me I had TB because of a vaccine every Zimbabawean is forced to get as a kid and made me spend more money proving I wasn't. i haven't heard a single Canadian complaining about immigration yet neither have i heard it brought up as many times as it is in the US media.
18and I'm not knocking what I haven't experienced I'm only saying it how I see it as an immigrant having lived in Canada for the past 3 years and about to qualify for permanent residency is all since the topic was Canadian immigration after all.
19The population is aging everywhere it is not an excuse to import labor. I have seen tremendous changes to Ottawa and Toronto over the years and not for the better due to immigration. I have friends out of work in Canada and are being told they are told old (at 45) to be employed or they can get cheaper, younger help. What you are implying is that Canadians are not breeding enough so you need to import and yet you say those on the dole are breeding too much. Again, force them to work.
Sorry about your TB but that is another problem immigrants bring - curable and preventable disease. Diseases we did away with are on the rise due to unvaccinated or poorly vaccinated immigrants. Another reason to keep them out or bring in tighter restrictions.
20Oh boy I can't wait to jump into this can of worms, hehehee!
As for Canada's decision to allow a little more water to pass through the damn so to speak I would imagine that it is in response to a host of issues which I am not going to even begin to pretend I'm an expert on such as the NAFTA, projected career trends, out sourcing and social welfare trends among others. My gut tells me that this is a let's try it and see how well it works kinda deal. I really don't think that they can project how well it's going to work, because they may have a strong need for such labor in say Quebec but if the majority of the migrants end up in British Columbia because of nicer weather than they're displaced and struggling to find work in a place where they weren't needed so much.
I just hope it doesn't turn out like the Chinese when they came flooding into California during the gold rush. When the gold started to dry up the Chinese were left to compete with the urban white population for employment which caused some racial tensions. Aunt Jenny was more than happy to have the Chinese workers crawling around the gold mines so she could have her gold earrings but as soon as they started competing for that cashiers position down at Woolworths she was fit to be tied.
As for the U.S. I have always been frustrated with a lack of a strong national advocacy to relocate mentally & physically able bodied homeless to work in certain industries where foreign migrants are taking jobs. For those who are of able body & mind it will allow them to have a sense of worth and structure in their lives once again.
It has also been my long standing opinion that if the U.S. was really that concerned with illegal immigration from Mexico in particular than one obvious way to slow the stream is to invest in the economic infrastructure of Mexico so that they can build, produce and sustain their own population with out them feeling the need have to come to the U.S. in order to survive and support a family.
Although my maternal family is from Mexico, my grandparents immigrated here in 1932. I take strong issue with both sides of today's U.S. immigration issue with Mexico. Our government needs to be bold in distinguishing that they disagree and condemn strongly any racial/cultural motives for limited immigration which they have not been so far in my opinion. As for Mexican immigrants here before you condemn the U.S. government so severely take into consideration the money it takes to subsidise medical, education, and other social services for illegal immigrants. Just like anything in this world there are limits whether we like them or not. If we were to simply continue the status quo and allow the system to implode upon itself that would be a judgment fit for fools and we are not going to go there. In the end I feel that if both sides are more sensitive, diplomatic, and genuine than we can actually get somewhere agreeable to to most.
21Samantha I DON'T HAVE TB, never have and knock on wood never will are you even reading my posts correctly? And as for disease I'm sorry to say diseases are found everywhere it's incredibly ignorant to say that immigrants bring disease with them. It is very infuriating when people say that and other immigrants will agree when first world nations have their own diseases that we've never heard about before. Canada has always been good with immigration and this is not a new or hot topic actually, immigration is just a hot topic to Americans and the British.
22I'm coming, Canada! Let me in!
23nyara, immigrants do bring disease, but it is ALL immigrants, not just ones from developing nations. Americans bring disease, Europeans bring disease. It is the way of the world. Always has been always will be. However, that should not deter legal immigration.
24nyara: I don't know the situation in Canada, but in education in the US we have to have periodic TB tests. Sometimes people are exposed, whether through travel or whatever, and the skin test shows up positive. Then they have to have a chest Xray, even though they have never actually had the disease. I presume your situation is something similar? The extra trouble was really just a confirmation of a sketchy test, which is not uncommon.
hypnotic: From the reports I've heard, there's so much government corruption in Mexico, any aid is often diverted and doesn't reach the people it should. Also, why should the US be spending our tax dollars to prop up ineffective policies in another country?
Regarding welfare: I believe there is some useful work that almost anyone who is not severely handicapped (or of retirement age) can do. I think we should insist on public service of some kind for welfare money.
25Oh for heavens, obviously we wouldn't just throw money at them and say here fix your problems. The U.S. has helped countless countries around the world build their economic infastructure for decades, that is a fact. Some investments were better than others sure, this is why we must be aggresive with a strategy and a plan that works for the betterment of all not a defeatist attitude that says well ya'll messed up so tough. Every mistake can be a new path of enlightenment. In the end both sides would get what they want.
26I feel like I'm living in a broken record.. except the visual version I guess.
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