No economic benefits to mass immigration - British study concludes

From CanWest News (Is immigration helping us? by Margret Kopala, April 21, 2008):

While Canada's opposition parties quibbled over modest measures expediting the arrival of skilled immigrant workers, one answer to that question appeared in a report from the British House of Lords. Stunningly, it concludes that record levels of immigration bring no economic benefits.

The Economic Impact of Immigration argues that immigration addresses neither labour shortages nor problems associated with an aging society. Rather, low-paid and young workers are being placed at a disadvantage because of competition from immigrants; worse, strains on public services and Britons being priced out of the housing market risk stoking social tensions.

According to the Telegraph, the British government welcomed this contribution to its "huge immigration shakeup."

Here in Canada, few noticed the British report or even Britain's "immigration shakeup," though for similar reasons cracks have been appearing in Canada's immigration portfolio too, and a small but growing number of academics, former civil servants and diplomats knowledgeable about Canada's complex and inefficient immigration system are speaking out.

Martin Collacott and James Bissett have reached conclusions similar to the new thinking on immigration now gripping most Western democracies, as did the late Bernard Ostry, while economists and professors emeritus such as Alan Green (Queen's University) and Herbert Grubel (Simon Fraser) are backing them up with far-reaching data and analysis.

Read all of Margret Kopala's article.

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Government immigration ad campaign targets ethnic minorities

From the Toronto Star (Ad blitz touts reforms of immigration system by Tonda MacCharles, April 21, 2008):

The Conservative government has launched a massive, nationwide ethnic media blitz to promote its proposed immigration reforms to wary immigrant communities.

Billed as "public notice" ads, the campaign has just begun in ethnic radio and print media to amplify the message of the big speech Prime Minister Stephen Harper made Friday to a who's who of the Indo-Canadian community.

Several sources said it is a government, not a Conservative party, initiative, and is not "political advertising" but an attempt to get the facts out to new Canadians. The Toronto Star could not determine how much the blitz will cost.

[. . .]

Senior government and department officials believe debate over the proposed changes has become too political. A decision was made to speak directly to immigrant communities – voters the Conservative party is keen to woo.

Conservatives believe that, among second-generation immigrants and more affluent newcomer communities, there is support for a more economically strategic approach to immigration policy.

The Liberals and NDP say many immigrant communities are nervous the reforms will block efforts to reunite families if applicants don't have certain skills or don't meet the government's "priorities."

The advertising campaign stresses three "F's" – a more fair, flexible and fast system. It also argues the backlog is growing, family reunification is being delayed and the government is committed to "fixing this," as Harper said in Toronto.

[. . .]

Read all of Tonda MacCharles' article.

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From a Canadian Press article in the Toronto Star (Canada could lose multiculturalism, critics warn by Michael Oliveira, April 8, 2008):

Canada is signalling to the world that it views immigrants as commodities and not people, ethnic groups warned Tuesday as they voiced concerns about controversial legislation that they say could threaten the country's tradition of multiculturalism and diversity.

The proposed amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act would give Ottawa new power to fast-track certain types of applicants, especially highly sought after skilled workers and give lower priority to others.

Many visible-minority communities – which added up to five million residents according to the latest census – fear the proposed changes would result in some immigrants being discriminated against and judged only as commodities, said Sima Sahar Zerehi of the group Status Now.

"Canadian immigration is being totally reverted from a system that is based on a humanitarian basis to a system that is totally being catered to economic gains," said Zerehi, who is Iranian and came to Canada as a refugee.

"Immigrants are being stripped of humanity and viewed as strictly economic units – and they can then be discarded when they're no longer useful."

The new policy could spell the demise of well-established ethnic communities that would shrink instead of grow as new immigration priorities are established, she said. And eventually, some ethnic cultures could disappear almost entirely from Canadian society as a result, she added.

[. . .]

Read all of Mike Oliveira's article.

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No economic benefits to mass immigration - British study concludes

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