any luck on the job front it became obvious that something was not quite right. As Joan notes, “We knew it was because of his accent, because we realized that the reputation of the Jamaicans up here was not that great… To put it in absolute terms, they figured that he was black and they didn’t want to employ him. It didn’t take a genius to figure it out” (Ashante 1999). A number of years later, through some connections Richard was able to obtain an interview with an individual from a family-owned firm in Toronto. As he reports, “I had a great interview with the son, who was very satisfied with me, but when I met with the father he said, ‘I’d really like to employ you because you certainly know your business, but the type of clientele that I have, they wouldn’t be very happy with the phone being answered by a West Indian voice,’ recalls Richard” (Ashante 1999). Interestingly, on those occasions when Richard’s accent was mistaken for a South African, Welsh or Australian one, he noticed that he was much better received.
Despite the blatant prejudice against some population groups it is well worth knowing that there are many individuals who have succeeded in Canada nonetheless. For example, Raymond Chang, a Jamaican/Canadian is the multimillionaire chairman and capital partner of CI funds, which is one of the largest mutual funds in Canada. For every Raymond Chang, however, there are thousands of immigrants whose dreams may have been derailed not because they were not hardworking, educated, or enterprising but because their colour, like the mark of Cain, made them into untouchables, and thus destined to remain at the bottom rungs of Canadian society.
Foreign Credentials
You may have spent a few years in university and worked hard to obtain a degree. In Canada, this degree may not necessarily count for much in the eyes of employers. After all, it was not issued in Canada. The citing of foreign credentials may be just an excuse to refuse jobs to visible minorities. In one case, a lady who had taught for over twenty years in an Asian university tried to get a job in Canada and was told that her degrees, which included a Ph.D. and two master’s degrees, would be recognized only up to high school level! After much haranguing of the authorities in her local area she was finally asked to take some courses in Canadian history, paving the way for full recognition of her undergraduate degree.
There are indications that some professional organizations try to keep immigrants out just to protect the jobs of their members. Certainly, it makes sense to require new immigrants to prove their expertise but some of the hoops immigrants have to jump through are so ridiculous that there is no better explanation than that the professional groups in question are trying not to open their field to newcomers. When Jurgen Reinhardt, a physiotherapist from Germany became a landed immigrant following his marriage to a Canadian, it seemed appropriate to set himself up in Canada doing what he knows best. He was told upfront by the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators that he had better not waste his money on the application fee as it was unlikely that he would be accepted. Reinhardt “has German colleagues in Vancouver who have failed in that attempt. So now he works as a gardener. ‘I do not want to sound ungrateful because I am a guest here,’ he says, ‘but this is the biggest problem I have. It makes sense to have standards but this is protectionist. It has really gotten to me’” (Janigan 2002). And you know that something is not right when you consider the case of a doctor from Haiti who entered Canada in 1977 but could not practice until 1992. Fifteen years! (Janigan 2002).
In another case an immigrant from Bahrain who had been in charge of $1.7 billion under the Bank of Bahrain’s management came to Canada only to realize that his background meant nothing to potential Canadian employers. Muneeb Fazili, like many other immigrants had been attracted to Canada as a wonderful place where he could give his children a comfortable life. Even though he had a chartered accountancy degree from India he had to find work in a Canadian company before his expertise would be recognized by the Canadian professional authorities in that field. As he notes, “People just weren’t interested to speak to me or to see me. I think people just saw it as an immigrant’s résumé and that was it” (Vu “From Executive to Entry Level” 2003). The upshot is that many immigrants have to accept jobs far beneath their professional capabilities. If it’s any comfort, to catch up to one’s former professional status, Lionel Laroche, vice-president of cross-cultural and relocation services at Toronto-based CPI/Hazel & Associates points out that, “It may take 10 to 15 years, but at that point, [the immigrants’] previous managerial experience becomes very valuable to an organization. That’s because they now know how to manage Canadians as well as how to manage back in their home countries” (Vu “From Executive to Entry Level” 2003). Ten to fifteen years; are you taking notes? According to Laroche, Canadians may not be eager to hire managerial talent from outside because “We learn management from our public schools, from our university professors, from our parents, from our summer jobs” (Vu “From Executive to Entry Level” 2003). This might be a convenient excuse.
Could it be that because people in mainstream Canadian society grow up hearing about how wonderful Canada is and by extension how great Canadians are, they develop a feeling of superiority to people from other parts of the world? But then again, people from Australia, South Africa, or the United Kingdom are very quickly accepted and offered opportunities because Canadians probably feel that they are on a par with people from these countries whereas they might find it difficult to accept someone from Bahrain, India, or Burkina Faso coming into a company as a manager. Canadians may feel it’s all right to take orders or guidance from an Australian, a Brit, or an American, all the better if that individual is white, but to take orders from a Burkinabe. Tsk-tsk. Thus, it might be more in keeping with the expectations of some in the mainstream society that immigrants from less favoured societies serve in lowly positions. When finally someone offered Fazili a position there was no disappointment. Tim Collins of Stafflink Solutions, who offered Fazili a job as a part-time accountant admits that he has learned a lot from Fazili as indeed he has provided some mentorship to this accountant from Bahrain. Isn’t this the way it should be? People learning from one another and advancing together regardless of national background? Fazili, by the way, has since been promoted to a top position in the company. If Canadians gave more immigrants a chance maybe they would discover that having an accent does not mean that a person is dumb.
Canadian Experience
Though there may be some pressure on you to get a job, if you are in a position to volunteer, do so. This would help you learn about people in your host country and to absorb some of the values in the Canadian workplace. Such volunteer experience could also come in handy when employers begin to ask about whether you have Canadian experience. Your volunteer experience could be your bridge from untried newcomer to seasoned worker in the Canadian workplace. It seems like a catch-22 when employers would not offer you a job because you do not have the all-important “Canadian experience.” But how, you wonder, can you gain Canadian experience when no one is willing to take a chance on you? You can short-circuit this chicken and egg quandary by getting some volunteer experience. In most major cities in Canada there are volunteer agencies. Check in the phone book or ask your friends and neighbours about such opportunities. This may be just the bridge you need to make an entrée into Canadian work life.
Now, what is so different about accounting in Canada that a professional accountant with 22 years of experience in the United Kingdom cannot pick up on the job within a matter of months? The case of Selladurai Premakumaran and his bookkeeper wife, Nesamalar, is just one of a growing number that has convinced some immigrants, particularly those from visible minority backgrounds, that there is no hope for them in Canada as far as their acceptance as professionals is concerned. Selladurai is originally from Sri Lanka while his wife is originally from Malaysia. With their long years of living in the United Kingdom no one can say that they do not speak English and yet, they were repeatedly hit for the requirement of “Canadian experience.” After a few years in Canada they had to work as janitors as well as stocking shelves in supermarkets to make a living.
Guidy Manman, an immigration lawyer with Toronto’s Manman & Associates, commenting on the Premakumarans’ lawsuit against the Canadian government suggests that one can start making contacts and seeking a
