In Canada we stand on shoulders of giants. We have not fought great wars on our soil, nor have we conquered and formed an empire. Our giants were gentle extraordinary folks who through hard work, determination, and resourcefulness built one of the most progressive, peaceful, and prosperous countries in the world in less than 150 years. Our giants were immigrants and descendants of immigrants.
In recent years, however, Canada's immigration policies under the Conservative government have made a crucial shift from nation building to alarming bandage solutions. With a fertility rate of 1.54 (the replacement rate of a population is generally accepted to be 2.1 children/woman), Canada is and will be highly dependant on migration of outside workers to support its greying population. We have historically resolved our labour and population growth shortcomings in the past by attracting young, hardworking immigrants and families to come and settle into our country. From farm workers to factory workers, restaurant workers to maids, immigrants came, raised their families, and settled this country. Today, most of these workers would be kicked out after being enticed to work in Canada under harsh conditions for a limited number of years.
The Canadian government has tried to classify all of the occupations it could think of as either high-skilled or low-skilled. Which occupations are high-skilled and which occupations are low-skilled? Well, here are some examples: If you are a factory worker, you are low-skilled. If you are a manage a factory worker, you are high-skilled. If you are a bricklayer you are high-skilled. If you are a personal support worker taking care of patients in an old-age home, you are low-skilled. Clear as mud?
In Canada high-skilled workers who have job offers have several avenues to permanent residency and can bring over their families while they hold work permits. Their spouses can obtain open-work to allow them to work anywhere in Canada, their children can attend public school for free, and their families can receive free government healthcare. Low-skilled workers, on the other hand, are not encouraged to bring their families to Canada and most importantly, with a few exceptions, would not qualify for permanent residence status. Soon these workers will be required to return to their country after working here for 4 years and be banned from coming back to Canada for 6 years.
I was at a luncheon for the Canadian Bar Association when the question was asked of a HRSDC representative - why low-skilled workers were required to return to their countries after being in Canada for 2 years under a former program. The response was something to the effect of "We don't want these people to feel like they can stay in Canada and integrate into the community". This answer brought shivers down my spine when I heard it and it infuriates me every time I think about it. Why are we discriminating on the basis of a person's occupation? We need factory workers just as much as their managers. Who says we don't want "these people" to stay in our country and integrate into our community? Why can't "these people" who are needed by their employers, who work in jobs that most Canadians won't or can't do, be allowed to immigrate?
In 2008, the number of temporary foreign workers outnumbered new permanent residents 3:2. The trend is expected to continue even further. We are moving towards an European-like system where there are two classes of people living in one country. This is not a way to build a nation. This is not Canadian.
