Researcher Commends Integration of Canadian Immigrants

Will Kymlicka is the Queen's University Canada Research Chair in Political Philosophy and author of several books on the topic of multiculturalism. In a recent interview Canada's Globe and Mail news organization, he suggested that Canada has demonstrated and unprecedented level of integration of new immigrants into its society.

Some of the facts that Kymlicka points to in asserting Canada's success with immigration include:

• that, unlike many nations promoting immigration, most Canadian immigrants move on to become citizens;
• that the children of immigrant families tend to outperform those of non-immigrant families in regard to education - an anomaly in any Western democracy;
• Canadian immigrants comprising visible minorities tend to demonstrate very high levels of pride in Canada.

Kymlicka does identify some areas in which Canada can improve its immigration integration. He suggests that facilitating the recognition of academic credentials and employment experience will help economic integration.

Immigration Driving Growth According to Statistics Canada

Statistics Canada has released a new report showing that immigration to Canada is driving growth in Canada's population, especially in the western provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. The news release suggests that the population increase of 0.19 percent, the fastest fourth-quarter growth since 1992, can be traced to international immigration. This brings Canada's opulation to 33,504,700, an increase of 63,400 since October 1st of 2008.

Canada's western provinces experienced population growth above the national average, with Alberta demonstrating the largest increase at 0.6 percent. Ontario and New Brunswick, conversely, experienced growth below national levels, at 0.08 and 0.07 percent respectively. The province of Quebec demonstrated the most significant increase in births, with a 3.9 percent rise.

Economists frequently point to population growth as a significant component of the economic growth of Canada. Some economists have suggested that the ideal level of growth is presently one percent of the population annually.

Canada's Minister of Immigration Discusses Future

Newly appointed Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, addressed the Canadian Club yesterday, discussing how his government foresees immigration contributing to the country's continued growth. He stated that the Conservative party remains dedicated to a dynamic immigration system and to ensuring the effective integration of new Canadians.

Mr. Kenney stated “Just as immigration has played a strong role in our past, it will continue to be important to our future. Canada is respected around the world for the way we’ve managed to bring in people from all over the globe. We have done this with a spirit of openness and tolerance, embracing diversity and becoming stronger for it.”

Mr. Kenney also discussed some of the recent efforts that the government has undertaken to aid new immigrants. These include the creation of the FCRO, the fast-tracking of Skilled Workers within Canada with the Canadian Experience Class, and the investment of CAD$1.4 billion over five years to aid the settlement of new Canadians across the country.

Canadian Government Increases Immigrant Services Funding

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has announced funding for the Immigrant Settlement Services program in Ontario. The program is dedicated to the development and implementation of programs that support new immigrants in Ontario. Services include employment related assistance, , orientation, interpretation, referrals to community services and general information for new Canadians.

Through the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, a total of $920 million in funding is being allocated to increase settlement assistance in Ontario over a five year period. The Minister, who expects that all national business growth by 2012 will rely on skilled immigrants, feels that the money is well spent.