Immigration: Issues facing Canada

Immigration What is immigration? The process of people establishing homes, and often citizenship, in a country that is not their native country.

Roots of immigration to Canada Everyone in Canada (except for people of Aboriginal descent) are immigrants… it just depends when we came here. Immigration to what is now Canada started with the “Age of Imperialism” and continued on to establish British North America, Upper and Lower Canada, and finally the country we know today.

Roots of immigration cont’d… Imperialism was an age when countries expanded beyond their borders and wanted to control other areas of the world. Great Britain and France were the powers that controlled the area we know as Canada.

Roots of immigration cont’d Of course, we know that when the explorers “discovered” North America, there were already people living there. The native peoples became colonized and found themselves under the rule of the “mother country” (Britain or France in Canada)

What immigration means in Canada Canada has a tradition of immigration and has had many different policies concerning immigration and refugee admittance to Canada At times Canada has embraced immigration openly, while at other times we have closed our doors. Why might a country like Canada have different policies at different times?

What immigration means in Canada Examine the images and captions on page 163 of your text and consider: “What challenges and opportunities does immigration create for Canada today?”

Think Critically… Why might people WANT to come to Canada? What factors might contribute to the decision to come to Canada? What factors might contribute to the government allowing people to enter or turning them away.

Policies of the Past In the past, Canada favored people of British ancestry and restricted immigration from Asian countries. See film Passport to Canada: Land of Hope – Joe Mah Apology for the Chinese Head Tax

Policies of the Past Why would Canada’s government favor certain countries or areas of the world over others?

Implications of Immigration Policies Most immigrants were from British colonies Most immigrants were men What does this mean for Canada?

Immigration and Refugee Policies of Today Today no one is excluded because of race or country of origin… today people are assessed based on skills and education. Family Class

Immigration/Refugee policies of Today Immigration in Canada is governed by the immigration and Refugee Protection Act (2002) It establishes categories and objectives outlining who can come to Canada –Ex. Categories: Refugees, Family Class, Economic immigrants, Other –Ex. Objectives: respect the bilingual and multicultural character of Canada; reunite families in Canada; pursue social, cultural and economic benefits for all Canadians.

Why Immigration? There are over 33 million people in Canada… why do we need more? Read the excerpt from Citizenship and Immigration Canada on p. 168 in your text Demographic: to do with the characteristics of populations Labor Force Growth: the growth of the number of people who can work

Why Immigration? What implications do the ideas expressed in your text have on the lives of Canadians? What do you think the government policy would be towards immigration considering the current economic downturn in the world today?

Who is allowed in? Canada has a points system to allow people into Canada based on their education and work background. The points system applies to only economic immigrants. Family and refugee class has a different system of entry The immigrants using the Points system are the biggest group of immigrants to enter Canada.

Who is allowed in? Economic immigrants must provide proof that they are in good health. They may be refused entry if: –Their health could put Canadians at risk (ex. Tuberculosis) –They have a condition that could endanger public safety –Their health could put an “excessive demand” on Canada’s health system (ex. HIV/AIDS) Take Self assessmentSelf assessment

Who is allowed in? Family class immigrants must have a sponsor to enter the country. Canadian citizens and permanent residents living in Canada who are 18 or older can sponsor close relatives who want to become permanent residents of Canada. Sponsors must promise to support the relative or family member for a period to three to ten years to help them settle in Canada. The “close relatives” that are included for sponsorship include: –Parents and grandparents –Dependent children –Siblings, nephews/nieces or grandchildren who are orphans –Any other relative if you have none of the above in Canada or abroad The key objective of this family class immigration is family reunification. The applicants and their family members are subject to medical, criminal, and background checks.

Who is allowed in? The applicants and their family members are subject to medical, criminal, and background checks. Even with these checks, the same health restrictions do not apply to refugee or family-class immigrants Passport to Canada: Land of Hope - Isabel

Refugee Status Refugee: a person who seeks refuge in another country because of danger or persecution in their home country. Why might Canada have a different category for refugees? Iraq Boarder

Refugee Status As part of Canada’s commitment to the UN (United Nations) we signed the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1951). In the 1950’s and 60’s Canada offered shelter to refugees in response to specific world crises In 1976 policy changed to allow a steady flow of refugees instead of on a crisis by crisis basis.

Objectives of Refugee Status Save lives and offer protection to people who are displaced and persecuted Grant fair consideration to people who claim to be persecuted, as an expression of Canada’s humanitarian ideals Offer refuge to people facing persecution because of race, religion, political opinion or membership in a social group, and to people who face torture, or cruel and unusual treatment of punishment.

Changes in policy… Policy surrounding refugee status has changed in Canada since 9/11 Look at the two sections of immigration law from 1976 and 2002 on p. 179 in your text. Briefly outline the differences and how the changes may have been influenced by world events.

The Charter and Immigration In the past, immigrants claiming refugee status had no recourse if their claim was refused. In 1985 that changed and refugees now have the opportunity to plead their case in a hearing This right was granted under section 7 of the Charter which grants fundamental freedoms to “everyone who is physically present in Canada”

Where do immigrants go? According to the map on p. 188, 68% of immigrants to Canada settle in Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver. Why might that be? What could Canada do to encourage immigrants to settle in other areas?

Provincial Influence Although immigration is a federal government concern, the provinces can have some say in immigration Ex. If Alberta needs more engineers, or trade trained workers, they can “nominate” that immigrants allowed into Canada would have those types of skills

Provincial Influence The Canada-Quebec Accord (formal agreement) allows Quebec to nominate immigrants that suit their population needs The accord allows Quebec to require immigrants to send their children to French language schools and allows them to seek French speaking immigrants. Overall, more non-French speaking immigrants settle in Quebec than Francophone immigrants.

Your Task You are going to create a passport and fill out immigration papers based on “your” situation to try to enter Verklania Be sure you fill out your required paper work in FULL… Verklania immigration can be very particular about who they let in! See assignment sheet