nutkraker
11.07.06, 14:17
www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060711.wximmigration11/BNStory/National/home
Canada not welcoming to immigrants, study finds
Program cutbacks slow integration
MARINA JIMÉNEZ
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
Canada is undermining the integration of immigrants and contributing to their
social isolation despite the fact that the country relies on immigration for
population and labour market growth, says a new report obtained by The Globe
and Mail.
The latest waves of newcomers are better educated than their predecessors, but
they have had a more difficult time obtaining employment, reuniting with their
families and getting language training, proper housing and even health services.
Some of the more than three dozen immigrants interviewed said they are worse
off than they were in their homelands, according to the report, which was
undertaken on behalf of Community Foundations Canada and the Law Commission of
Canada.
"I interviewed one woman from Bulgaria whose husband is now back in Bulgaria
sending money to support the family here. To waste human resources like this
is a crime," says Sarah Wayland, author of Unsettled: Legal and Policy
Barriers for Newcomers to Canada, which will be released tomorrow. "To fail at
social inclusion also has costs in terms of ethnic and race relations, human
rights, the settlement process and mental health."
Every year, between 230,000 and 260,000 immigrants come to Canada. The RBC
Financial Group recently found that immigrants who have arrived during the
past two decades have had a harder time catching up to their Canadian-born
counterparts, a trend attributed in part to cutbacks in settlement programs
and difficulty finding work.
One in six young, highly educated male immigrants leaves Canada within a year
due to the job market, a 2006 Statistics Canada study shows. "That is quite
shocking. Canada should be trying to keep those people," says Ms. Wayland.
Ottawa and the provinces have acknowledged the difficulty immigrants face
getting their foreign credentials recognized and have created initiatives to
overcome these barriers. The federal Conservatives' first budget called for
the creation of an agency to help foreign professionals integrate into the
work force. The Ontario government has announced a $14-million investment in
two dozen programs to help foreign-trained professionals and tradespeople
upgrade their skills and training.
However, these efforts fail to address other obstacles. The selection system
can be onerous, forcing many immigrants to wait a long time for family
reunification. The average time to bring in parents and grandparents has
increased to as much as a decade, and the federal government is facing a
lawsuit that accuses it of discriminating against certain kinds of applicants
and causing unacceptable delays.
Other difficulties include lack of access to language classes, according to
Faye Wightman, CEO of the Vancouver Foundation, which supports programs for
immigrants. Federal funds to teach English and French as second languages have
not increased since 1996, and newcomers say the classes are not sophisticated
enough.
The study's conclusions reflect other research that has found a lack of civic
engagement among second-generation immigrants. "You cannot assume people are
becoming more integrated, the longer they're here," says Ms. Wayland. "The
children of immigrants who grow up here may have a more jaded outlook. Many
have experienced discrimination in school or just feel disengaged."
Ms. Wightman says her foundation funds a successful leadership training
program for immigrant youths, who then train others. "It was so popular that
90 youth applied for 18 available spaces," she says. "We need more of this."
The study outlines several other recommendations to assist newcomers including
the following:
Reduce processing times for immigration and family sponsorships;
Build capacity of educators to meet language needs of immigrant children and
youth;
Provide interpreters in hospitals and schools;
Improve access to regulated professions.
It also says prospective immigrants should be given more accurate information
about the Canadian job market.
Canada's selection criteria for skilled workers could also be adjusted.
Currently, the system favours highly educated white-collar workers, even
though blue-collar workers are needed.
