1. How well do Canada’s immigration laws and policies respond to immigration issues? IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURALISM

2. Immigration: The process of people establishing homes and often citizenship in a country that is not their country of birth. Demographic: The characteristics of a population. Refugee: A person who seeks safety, or refuge, in another country because of danger or persecution in his or her home country. Multiculturalism : The cultural diversity of communities within a given society and the policies that promote this diversity.

3. IMMIGRATION IN THE LATE 20 TH CENTURY Canada’s government used posters such as these from the late 1890s to recruit immigrants to fulfill the objectives of the National Policy. Promote industry Complete the national railway Settle Western Canada The immigrants recruited were initially found in countries such as the UK, United States, and other parts of Europe (i.e. Germany, the Russian Empire, etc) however countries with French-speaking populations were excluded (i.e. France, Belgium, Switzerland). Immigration was racially based; people from Africa and Asia as well as Jews were discouraged from coming to Canada.Asia

4. NATIONAL IDENTITY By 1970 it was clear that Canada’s immigration policy did not reflect the make-up of Canada’s population Trudeau envisioned multiculturalism as a “third force” influencing the make-up of Canada Official Multiculturalism was to be part of our “National Identity” There was a hope that ethnic pride could be interlaced with pride in one’s new homeland

5. CHANGING FACE OF IMMIGRATION Multiculturalism was intended to: 1.Help minority groups preserve their cultures 2.Help ease the transition into a full participatory member of Canadian society 3.Promote cultural exchanges and understanding in order to advance National Unity 4.Assist in the acquisition of one official language

6. CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS

7. MOSAIC OR MELTING POT? Canada has often been referred to as a “Nation of Immigrants” (Irving Abella, 2006) Pierre Trudeau envisioned a multicultural society within a bilingual framework – Why? Official Bilingualism ran the risk of alienating the multicultural make-up of Canada American writers argued that people of different backgrounds must have a common sense of purpose and national identity

8. IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE PROTECTION ACT The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act dates from 2002. It establishes categories of who can come to Canada from other countries to make permanent homes here. It lays out the objectives of those categories. Economic Class Immigrants: Skilled workers and business people. Family Class Immigrants: Spouses, partners, children, parents, and grandparents of people living in Canada. Refugee Class Immigrants: People who are escaping persecution, torture, or cruel and unusual punishment. Other: People accepted as immigrants for humanitarian or compassionate reasons.

9. OBJECTIVES OF THE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE PROTECTION ACT, 2002 Pursue social, cultural, and economic benefits for all Canadians. Respect the bilingual and multicultural character of Canada. Support the development of minority official language communities in Canada. Share the benefits of immigration and support a prosperous economy across all regions of Canada. Reunite families in Canada. Promote successful integration of immigrants into Canadian society. Immigration Categories, 2011

10. Points System: Dates from 1967. Applies only to economic immigrants. If a person isn’t a refugee or family class immigrant, they must qualify under Canada’s point system to enter Canada. Health Factors: Economic immigrants must provide proof of good health. Entry may be refused if: - They could put the health of Canadians at risk. - They have a condition that could endanger public safety. - Their health could put “excessive demands” on Canada’s health services. LIMITS

11. EXCEPTIONS People could be accepted into Canada for Economic and Humanitarian Reasons Bill C-11: Immigration Act is replaced by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (2002)

12. OBJECTIVES OF THE IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE PROTECTION ACT REFUGEE PROGRAMME Save lives and offer protection to people who are displaced and persecuted. Fulfill and affirm Canada’s international commitments to protect refugees. 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 ethnicity (race), religion, political opinion, or membership in a social group, and to people facing torture or cruel and unusual treatment/punishment.

14. WHERE DO IMMIGRANTS SETTLE? The demographics of Toronto make Toronto one of the most multicultural cities in the world. Data released by Statistics Canada as part of the 2006 census indicated that 49.9% of Toronto's population is foreign-born. According to the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) performed by Statistics Canada, that percentage had dropped - only slightly - to 48.6% In 2001, 43.7% of Torontonians were foreign-born (left pie chart).

15. SOURCES OF IMMIGRATION Why did immigration from the Philippines increase so much during the last decade?

16. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF IMMIGRANTS DOES ALBERTA RECEIVE AS OF 2012? In 2006, Alberta received 8% of immigrants who came Canada. In 2012, that number had increased to almost 14%. 1.Why was there an increase? 2.Estimate the percentage for this year.

17. CONTEMPORARY ARTICLES (CBC) Immigration law needs overhaul to deal with minor violations: R. Reis Pagtakhan Skilled immigrants to be offered 'express entry' to Canada in 2015 Canadian immigration law: too much red tape and no customer service 5 things Canada should do to attract the immigrants we need Syrian refugee backlog blamed on federal government cuts Refugee health-cuts ruling appealed by Ottawa Syrian Canadians want program to bring in relatives