The federal government will bring in 300,000 immigrants in 2017, the same number as this year, but plans to boost those numbers in coming years.
That鈥檚 welcome news 鈥� sa国际传媒 has been good to immigrants, and immigration has been good for sa国际传媒.
In announcing the government鈥檚 immigration target this week, Immigration Minister John McCallum wouldn鈥檛 say how much immigration numbers will rise in the future, saying only that 300,000 is the baseline figure. A council of economic advisers guiding the government on growth strategies has recommending increasing immigration levels to 450,000 a year over the next five years.
The council says that without boosts to immigration levels, the country faces a crisis: labour shortages and too few working-age Canadians to pay for the social-safety net, which includes health care and seniors鈥� benefits.
鈥淚 do believe that it is true that more immigrants for sa国际传媒 would be a good policy 鈥� and we have today laid the foundation for that future growth,鈥� McCallum said Monday.
Immigration can be a rocky road. Newcomers often face language barriers and massive cultural changes. Even though immigration is seen as a solution to labour shortages, newcomers can be trapped in low-income jobs.
Despite that, few regret coming here, according to a research paper on immigration done for Statistics sa国际传媒.
鈥淩egarding the perception of immigrants of their life in sa国际传媒, in spite of difficult economic outcomes experienced by many in recent years, by and large they remain positive regarding their decision to come to sa国际传媒,鈥� says the paper.
鈥淲hen asked about their views of sa国际传媒, after four years immigrants entering sa国际传媒 in 2000 indicated that they most appreciated the freedom, rights, safety and security and prospects for the future that sa国际传媒 had to offer.
鈥淎mong the challenges they faced, many pointed to economic issues such as locating employment. After being in sa国际传媒 for four years, about three-quarters of the 2000 immigrants said that they would make the decision to come to sa国际传媒 again.鈥�
Many come to sa国际传媒 not so much for themselves, but so their children can have a better life, and the Statistics sa国际传媒 paper backs that optimism.
鈥淢ost second-generation Canadians attain very high levels of education, and as a result, do very well in the labour market,鈥� says the paper.
鈥淭heir educational and economic outcomes are seen, on average, to be equal to or better than those of their Canadian-born counterparts.鈥�
sa国际传媒 has not experienced the struggles with immigration that besets some European countries. One of the reasons is that immigration has always been a part of our culture, not a threat to it. Granted, racial and ethnic bigotry were too much a part of Canadian immigration practices in the past, but policies have become more enlightened.
鈥淢ost Canadians take pride in the ability of the country to welcome people from many different cultural backgrounds,鈥� says the StatsCan paper, 鈥渁nd they expect immigration to contribute positively to the growth of the nation, as it has done in the past.鈥�
Immigrants come to sa国际传媒 looking for a better life. It鈥檚 not a one-way street 鈥� when they succeed, they add to sa国际传媒鈥檚 cultural and economic well-being.
