workers staying in Canada at any given time. While it is true by mere definition these people are employed, they nonetheless place an additional strain on many of the benefits provided including, of course, health care, education, infrastructure and various other government services.
So, how many foreign workers do you suppose were in Canada during the height of the recession? Would you be surprised if I told you that as of December 1, 2008, a truly overwhelming 251,235 foreign workers were living and presumably working in this country? According to Statistics Canada, that’s the accurate figure. What’s even more disturbing is that the number of temporary workers admitted to Canada has more than doubled in the past seven years from just over 100,000 in 2002. And consider this: If there are more than 250,000 foreign workers living in Canada in the dead of winter, can you imagine how many arrive here at harvest time and then return home? Remember, in addition to all the other services we must provide, all these people are supposed to be screened, receive work permits, and tracked. Some now claim family benefits.
On May 13, 2010, The Globe and Mail published a major story entitled: “Leap in temporary foreign workers could create social unrest, critics say.” The story, written by Joe Frisen, the paper’s demographics reporter, pointed out that three years ago Canada passed a significant milestone when, for the first time, it accepted more temporary foreign workers than permanent residents (immigrants).
The story quotes a new study done by the Institute for Research on Public Policy that suggests the rapid growth of the temporary foreign workforce is very shortsighted and could cause some serious social problems in the country. The number of temporary workers admitted in 2009 did drop off somewhat to 178,640, but this is attributed mostly to a lessening demand for casual workers because of the recession, and is expected to reach the quarter-million mark again in 2010 and 2011.
So to sum up: In 2008, Canada had to screen, process, accommodate and provide services to 247,243 landed immigrants, 251,235 foreign temporary workers, and 178,227 foreign students in the country and 94,144 refugee claimants. While common sense dictates that some of these categories require more assistance and supervision than others, the fact remains that in one year, while dealing with the onslaught of the worst recession in nearly 100 years, Canada had to accommodate and provide at least some taxpayer-funded services to a total of 770,849 recently arrived non-Canadians! And the process must be repeated every year, give or take a few thousand one way or the other.
And you wonder why our taxes are so high?
Some Highlights and History of Canada’s Open Arms to the World
•From the start of the potato famine in 1845 until 1850, more than one million starving Irish immigrate to the United States, Australia and Canada.
•From 1896 until 1905, the Canadian government offers free land to anyone willing to “homestead” the West. Advertisements painting an extremely rosy picture of life on the Prairies appear throughout the UK, Europe and the US. Even though the offer of free land ends in 1905, immigrants continue to flock to Canada, mostly from Europe as war looms on the horizon. Immigration peaks at an incredible 400,870 in 1913, but quickly drops off with the start of WWI.
•In 1928, the famous Pier 21 (the Atlantic gateway to Canada; now an official heritage site) opens in Halifax.
•There are very low numbers of immigrants during the “Dirty Thirties.”
•During and immediately following WWII, an estimated 48,000 war brides (mostly British) and their 22,000 children arrive in Canada.
•During the 1950s, more than 1.5 million immigrants flee war torn Europe and Communist oppression to settle in Canada.
•Canada opens its doors, its hearts and arms in 1956 and 1957 to 37,500 Hungarian refugees fleeing Soviet retaliation for the Hungarian revolution.
•In 1968 and 1969, Canada provides a safe haven for 11,000 refugees from Czechoslovakia.
•In 1972, more than 6,000 Ugandan Asians flee to Canada.
•In 1973, it’s Chileans we provide refuge to—some 6,000 of them.
•Between 1975 and 1978, more than 9,000 Indochinese refugees settle in Canada.
•The largest influx of refugees in Canada’s history arrived between 1979 and 1980 when more than 60,000 Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian “boat people” flee their homelands following the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam war.
•In 1999, Canada comes to the rescue again, this time accepting more than 7,000 refugees from Kosovo.
Where Are They Coming From and Where Do They Go?
As you can see from the chart on page 50, on a per capita basis, at roughly 0.7 per cent of Canada’s total population, today’s yearly immigration levels are about what they have been for the past 15 or 20 years. And, as once again you can see from the chart, there have been times in our history when, percentage-wise, the rate of immigration was four or even five times greater than it is today. But those figures are extremely misleading. They don’t begin to tell the whole story or illustrate the increasing danger to the social fabric of our country.
Any examination of the numbers reveals, even at a glance, that with rare exception immigration today is vastly different from what it was just a few years ago. To obtain a true picture of the situation we need to look at where most of today’s immigrants are coming from compared to 15 or 20 years ago.
In addition, we’ve got to examine where today’s immigrants are settling and the effect that has on their ability to integrate into mainstream Canada. And no honest evaluation of the implications for our country would be complete without a thorough examination of our multicultural policies and the resulting ghettoization.
There are other important factors determining the fate of this country that we will deal with a bit later but first let’s get really up close and personal with these three questions:
1.Where are today’s immigrants coming from?
2.Where are they settling?
3.What role is multiculturalism playing in the creation of this wonderful “New Canada”?
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