Saturday, January 8, 2011

Immigration in Canada - Part One; WHY Immigration?

The next couple of posts will focus on the shape of immigration in Canada. Part One (this post) deals with WHY Canada aggressively pursues immigration. Future posts will look at the WHAT of immigration legislation and HOW legislation (and immigration) is actually experienced (including massive backlogs in the system). In each case, I hope to tease out some theological connections and questions to ponder.

How many people actually migrate to Canada each year?

Canada's current population is a little over 34 million. Each year we grant permanent resident status to approximately 250,000 persons. Here's a breakdown of 2009 numbers (rounded to the nearest hundred):
2009 Permanent Residents (252,200):
  • 153,500 - Economic Immigrants
  • 65,200 - Family Class
  • Temporary Foreign Workers
  • 22,800 - Refugees (includes government sponsored, private sponsored AND asylum seekers granted refugee status in 2009)
  • 10,600 - Other immigrants (see below under "sources")
2009 Temporary Residents (382,300):
  • 178,400 - Temporary Foreign Workers
  • 85,100 - Temporary Foreign Students
  • 34,200 - Humanitarian Population (primarily people seeking asylum--refugee claimants)
  • 84,600 - Other (temporary permit or visitor status granted without the right to work or study)
Stats Canada Data
  • Stats Canada expects that by 2017 seniors (65+) will outnumber children (0-14)
  • By 2036 seniors will represent a full one-quarter of the Canadian population
  • In 1971 the average Canadian was 29 years old
  • Now the average age is 39.5
  • By 2036 the average age is estimated to rise to between 42 and 45
  • Canada's fertility rate is 1.6 (population replacement = 2.1)

Economics or Humanitarianism?

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that natural growth rates are insufficient to support the changing Canadian population--to either maintain CPP or to fund health care (to name just two implications). I think, therefore, it is safe to say that the focus of immigration is economic prosperity. It is the only way Canada can hope to maintain economic growth and its standard of living. It has oft been noted that the day will soon come when the sum total of economic growth in Canada will be as a result of immigration. Expect this before 2020.

So despite claims of being motivated by our generosity and compassion, Canada is not in the migration business for humanitarian reasons any more than a given corporation produces its goods and services so that it can provide glasses for children living in poverty. We need immigrants to support the ongoing growth of the Canadian economy--and it must grow to support our way of life. This alone ought to put a different spin on how many people speak of immigration.

My daughter, Jessica, is in the midst of a "mock election" for her high school civics course. One of the issues on which her team must take a position is the safeguarding of the Canadian health care program. Many claim it is unsustainable. I contend that it is only sustainable via immigration. I believe we need to seriously consider revisiting previous government targets of 1% immigration--that is, to bring in approximately 350,000 immigrants per year. But I have quite a different take than the government of Canada in terms of whom we should welcome in (all for another post).

And, as a side note, the economic rationale behind migration is the reason there are dollars allocated by the government for settlement. The smoother we can make the transition to life in Canada for new arrivals, the sooner they can contribute to the economic growth of the country.

If this sounds somewhat crass and utilitarian, well, it is.  But make no mistake: this is WHY Canada actively pursues immigration and why many are deeply concerned about:
  • Cuts being made to settlement services ($55 million cut in December)
  • Immigration policies that are favouring temporary foreign workers (consider the many struggles in Europe that have resulted from this practice)
  • The image of Canada being portrayed to prospective economic migrants who hear from those who go before them that this is, in fact, not the land of opportunity
And there are many others, including me, who raise a voice for the humanitarian obligation of a profoundly rich and comfortable country.  We can do so much more than we are doing.  But more on that later.

Reflecting as a Christian ...

I am struck by the history of the early church, how its members, for instance, would stay behind in plague-infested cities of ancient Rome and--at considerable risk to themselves--care for people who were abandoned by their families. Talk about counter cultural! Should not the Christian response to migration issues be similarly counter-cultural given the grave risk of economic exploitation in our current practices? What place should economic considerations have in a Christian response to immigration? What other factors need to be considered?

And since I have raised the issue, to what extent is Canada guilty of USING migrants, treating people as commodities for which we compete on the international stage? What does luring the richest and brightest from developing countries do to these nations (and I'm not even going to bring up the real human price these countries pay for our way of living in terms of child labour and sweat shops ... oops, I brought it up!).

Jesus, when asked to explain his ministry, chose Isaiah 61. Then he went around healing people, reaching out to those society rejected, opposing the powerful elite, and proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand. "Repent and follow me," he said. "Anyone who wishes to come after me must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

What informs your response to questions about immigration? 

Sources
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