Multicultural doors should remain open

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/09/2010 (5715 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Canada is a nation built on immigration; from the first settlers to the most recent arrivals, millions of newcomers from around the world have helped define Canada as one of the most culturally diverse countries on Earth.

Many citizens have long believed that Canada’s multiculturalism is something to be proud of. However, according to a national survey on the subject, that sentiment is changing.

A public opinion poll conducted online by Angus Reid earlier this month found 46% of Canadian adults now feel immigration “is having a negative effect in Canada” — up five points since August 2009 when a similar poll was conducted. The poll also found 38% of Canadians believe the number of legal immigrants allowed to relocate to Canada should decrease.

In Manitoba and Saskatchewan (grouped together in the poll), 45% of respondents said immigration is having a negative effect in Canada, while 24% said the number of legal immigrants allowed into the country should decrease.

Analyzing the results, Angus Reid does not offer an answer on why Canadians are now feeling this way, but does suggest that, when it comes to immigration, “the views of Canadians appear to be hardening.”

Here in Manitoba, such views also appear to run counter to the provincial government’s official position on the issue.

For several years, Manitoba has been aggressively recruiting newcomers to the province in recognition that a constant influx of immigrants can help maintain population levels and meet labour market challenges. The strategy has proved successful — so much so that in 2007, the government amended its original goal to attract 10,000 new immigrants annually and now predicts that, by 2016, an estimated 20,000 newcomers will be arriving in Manitoba each year.

Along with new immigrants have come new programs designed to assist them upon arrival. One such program — a soon-to-be-launched pilot project that was recently announced by the province in partnership with the Association of Canadian Community Colleges — goes even further, offering settlement orientation, English language training and job preparation services to newcomers from China and the Philippines prior to them stepping foot on Manitoba soil.

In 2009, 13,518 people settled in this province. So long as the appropriate services and social infrastructure are developed to support them — safe, affordable housing in particular — Manitoba stands to benefit from their presence, and not only economically. Newcomers to this province bring with them a wealth of cultural traditions which strengthens the multiculturalism that already exists in Winnipeg (home to Folklorama, the longest-running festival of its kind in the world ) and which continues to grow in rural communities.

It’s ironic, then, that as advances in communications technology continue to transform our world into a global village — and as Manitoba actively works to open our doors to newcomers — a growing number of Canadians want to shut people out.

Perhaps the citizens who participate in such polls should remember that unless they belong to one of Canada’s First Nations, they are themselves the descendants of immigrants. Diversity is a defining characteristic of our country — one that should be encouraged, not feared.