Immigration: Arguments For and Against

Why immigration (in Canada)? The fundamental reason is to provide a pool of labour. Historically, this was to help the country grow, e.g., the need for farmers in the west to secure the land from American encroachment, or the need for labourers on the railway

Today? Counter low natural increase rate, especially Quebec Labour, both skilled and unskilled

Arguments Against The problem is not immigration - it’s the high levels of immigration. Especially when there are high levels of unemployed. A lot of people have trouble adjusting to life in Canada. Schools in some places, like Toronto, can’t cope with large numbers of people who don’t speak English.

Also, the high levels have robbed us of the flexibility of responding to economic emergencies. Many immigrants are in the family class and don’t meet the same high standards as the independent class. Many immigrants (especially family class) have low end skills. Canada is the process of losing many of its low end jobs (to automation, globalization). This will create unemployment.

Arguments in Support Immigrants contribute to the all aspects of the economy - high to low end. The educational attainment of young immigrants is higher than the Canadian average (holds true for visible-minority foreign born as well).

A high proportion of university graduate programs are made up students whose mother tongue is neither French or English. Many family class immigrants work in family businesses or work as unpaid family help (babysitters, housekeepers). Also, family class immigrants often have a better support system than the independent immigrants to draw upon when economic times get tough.

In the long term the economic cost to Canada for an immigrant is about neutral. They use welfare less. They do not take jobs away from “real” Canadians. The ultimate proof of the success of immigration is to look at the children of the immigrants. They do very well in Canada; better than average.

In federal prisons the foreign born are underrepresented and have been for years. Immigrants over their lifetime put more money into the economy and pay more in taxes than the government spends on them. (They do tend to be more intensive users of social services in the first few years, but this more than levels out.)

More importantly, immigrants mean the economy is expanding and there are, therefore, economies of scale to be gained by all taxpayers. Immigration is indelibly linked to being Canadian. We are a nation of immigrants and we are tolerant, open and diverse.

Problems with Immigration Benefits and effects of immigration are not evenly spread across the country. When it comes to transfer payments for Immigration, BC receives a disproportionate share of the governmental benefits; Ontario a disproportionate share of the costs.

Some of the costs are heavily born by the municipal or property taxpayer (like, English classes) but the local area governments are not well compensated by the federal government (which collects most of the tax revenues from immigrants.)

Public opinion is against high levels of immigration, especially in areas (Toronto) that receive a large number of immigrants.

The End!