Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Quebec's Immigration Dilemma- Part 2 Why So Many Immigrants?

As I discussed yesterday, Canada is bringing in over three times the number of immigrants that is required to maintain population stability.

How does that compare to the rest of the Western world?
Well, Canada places 2nd in recruiting the most amount of immigrants amongst western nations. Only Spain brings in more, but it's numbers are skewed because so many Europeans, (especially Britons and Germans) are retiring in the sunniest climate in the European Community. Spain remains the most favoured destination for West Europeans considering taking up permanent residency.

For every million Canadians, we accept 6,500 more immigrants than we lose through emigration (Canadians moving out of the country.)
That rate is twice that of the United States and six times larger than France's.
As can be seen in the chart above, Canada's net migration is four times as high as the average of the group.

Why do we do it?
Believe it or not, there's no clear answer! Study after study, shows that these extra immigrants don't bring added value to the country nor do they take jobs that remain unfilled.

According to Herbert Grubel, a Senior Fellow of the The Fraser Institute, the costs in services and benefits received by the 2.5 million immigrants who arrived between 1990 and 2002 is estimated to exceed the taxes they paid by $18 billion in just one year! (2002)

He also concludes, in his paper entitled "The Fiscal Burden of Recent Canadian Immigrants", that;
"In sum, the idea that immigrants are needed for meeting the needs of the labour market in Canada are not valid. Labour shortages can be eliminated by wage increases and the use of labour saving capital. Using immigrants to deal with labour shortages serves the interest of employers tends not to be in the public interest..
One of the worst defences put forward by those supporting high immigration levels is the argument that we need more immigrants to solve the aging population problem. They argue that we need younger people to help pay for a burgeoning senior citizen class.
This is nothing more than a simple Ponzi scheme. As the immigrants themselves age, we'll need an ever increasing numbers of immigrants to pay for their care.

Perhaps the biggest reason leading to the huge up tick in immigration was the passing of the flawed Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (Bill C-11) in 2001, which essentially provided that anyone meeting the immigration criteria would be issued a permit. It did not allow for the government to set limits and led to a tremendous increase in successful applications. Today there remains over a million people on a waiting list to immigrate to Canada.

Efforts by the Liberal government to repair the damage were thwarted by the courts and it wasn't until 2008 that the issue was finally addressed. The Conservative government (over the howls of the immigration industry) placed amendments to the Immigration Act in another bill ( Bill C-50 -The Budget.) These amendments restored the government's power to decide on how many and which type of immigrants would be accepted in the future. The amendments, however, did not apply to the backlog and all those on the waiting list will eventually get in.

And so we remain with one of the highest rates of immigration in the world.

The headlong rush to bring in newcomers by Ottawa forces Quebec to do likewise or face losing it's demographic weight in Canada, which is already in a precipitous free fall.

Of Canada's 265,000 immigrants only about 36,000 end up living permanently in Quebec.
It means that Quebec is netting only about 13.5% of the new immigrants and so, it's 23% proportion of the population of Canada is set to decline.

The Prime Minister has indicated that he will be adding more seats to the House of Commons to reflect the demographic changes. Of the thirty odd seats being discussed, none will go to Quebec.

The mass immigration to Canada is a parade that is passing Quebec by.
In spite of bringing in record amounts of immigrants, Quebec falls further and further behind each year....

14 comments:

  1. "It means that Quebec is netting only about 13.5% of the new immigrants and so, it's 23% proportion of the population of Canada is set to decline."

    Here in Quebec, we get the failed so-called French nations immigrants.

    It's not the competence nor the experience that counts in Québec, it's do you speak French or not and if we could (quebeckers), we would add "Would you vote Yes to the next referendum?"

    Best regards,

    TM

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  2. Btw, quality immigration seldom goes to Quebec, quality immigration which would be crucial to Quebec's economy.

    But Quebec turns a blind eye to the fundamental causes of this "passing by", refuses to look at it or tries desperately to turn back the table on those pointing fingers at Quebec.

    Until it does that for its own benefit, Quebec will be condemned to just be a innocent bystander to the parade rather than being part of it. Whichever remains is our only choice in the end.

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  3. "face losing it's demographic weight in Canada, which is already in a precipitous free fall."

    This is the new separatist mantra: Let's separate, we're becoming a meaningless minority in the ROC...

    Bouhouhou (#sarcasm)

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  4. This my experience and view as an immigrant.

    At the end of 1990s and early 2000s, at the time of internet and IT boom, the world's work markets were totally in job seekers' side. Countries around the world were looking for workers and they were competing for talents. Even European countries that were not normally destinations for immigration (Germany for example) were issuing PR for foreign talents.

    I was fortunate enough to apply for my Canadian PR at that time, and my application was approved in only 10 months, an impossibility nowadays. At that time, it seemed that everyone who wanted to immigrate to Canada - as long as he had clean records - would get it.

    Now I simply cannot advocate against immigration since I was an immigrant myself. However, maybe the government should be somewhat more selective in establishing the criteria and in accepting immigrants. The immigration process really needs to be aligned with projected economic and demographic needs.

    Also, they need to be more strict in enforcing the rules. I jumped through hoops to get where I am now. It really angers and disappoints me to see how some people can remain in the country after blatantly violate the laws. The illegal practice of getting the citizenship without fulfilling the residency requirement too.

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  5. I would mention that Quebec very loyally supported Pierre Trudeau and the Liberals for many, many years. They are more responsible then anyone for massive (and needless) third-world immigration to Canada. Quebec has only itself to blame for all of this....

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  6. A much better chart to show Quebec's demographic decline would be the Elections Canada website. In 1867 Quebec had 65 seats in a 181 seat house. By 1933 this had become 65 seats in a 245 seat house. By 1976 Quebec had "grown" to 75 seats in a 282 seat house. Since then 26 more seats have been created - none in Quebec. Now there are plans to add twelve more seats for the west and perhaps 22 more for Ontario. Quebec went from 36% of the commons seats to less then 24% and still shrinking fast. Quebec has already lost one third of its "weight" in the house of commons. The key conundrum here is Quebec's historical staunch support for the Liberals who supported immigration which also undermined Quebec. Very bizarre.

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  7. The Editor doesn't reveal the source of his demograph.
    According to this site:
    http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/amnord/quebecdefi.htm (with a Canadian reference, not only Quebec)


    Immigrants with an appreciative knowledge of English are making 35 %. People who are not speaking English or French and who are moving here are getting bigger numbers:60 % à 65 %
    since 1981.

    The Federal government always was against the French. They are doing their best to erase the French Nation. DOn't ask youself why a revolution, a full revolution is necessary to preserve French.

    A revolution has to be extreme to win over a population. If you tease, you will ask for trouble.

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  8. The war(s) are responsible for a lot population displacement. It is time to stop and/or refrain immigration. It is better to be a smaller populated country, than a big and poor one.

    Enough trouble within English and French, which one day will be facing the Arab and Chinese world. People in Canada are not in charge of their faith.

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  9. The government of Canada will have to be challenged. They are increasing immigration instead of taking care of a better life their own. Instead of promoting their own population and natality.

    They should be stopped making Canada an astranged country for its actual population and transforming it into a foreign country. The Queen and the monarchy is complety useless in the making of Canada, and the confederation is no longuer a document of importance. Look at Egypt, they had an iron clad, A-1 type of confederation, now because of the leader its' worth not much...

    Unfortunately I think it is too late already ... the majority of English cdns are not capable of speaking their mind or take action. They are meek, a reputation well known by the USA and abroad. What is there to do? Perhaps you can suggest something ?

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  10. If the Editor doesn't mind we should put together a Petition and petition the Government.
    Canada is no longuer (since the new flag the liberal party put together) a confederation. It is the new land for survivor.

    You need a certain experience with visiting europe and understanding of governance. Our country will not be well controlled by its people, if its people are outnumberd by foreigners ruled diffrently,and from different walks of life including terrorrism, illiteracy,famine etc...

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  11. Too bad Quebec was forced in Canada's confederation. Independent they would control their population, language and culture which is latin.

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  12. Oui, ce site ne veut pas aider les Québécois,mais tout en les défiant et avec un désir d'assimiler les Québécois, les Anglophones se font assimiler eux-mêmes. Peut-être le comprennent-ils ?

    Je sais qu'ils sont incapables de pétitionner le gouvernement. Ce ne sont que des rabat-joie qui aime accuser les autres de racisme et pendant qu'ils se font assimiler (ils ne le voient pas)ils nous reprochent de protéger notre français. Ils devront bientôt établir une loi semblable pour protéger l'anglais du pays.
    "L'arroseur est arrosé" Nous savons ce que cela veut dire, mais pas eux.

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  13. Big country full of empty minds: the new logo for English Canada !

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  14. Editor, your economics is shaky at best.

    The idea that immigration to support an aging population is a ponzi scheme is flawed. There is a large population bubble for the "baby boomers". They are exiting the work force, have not naturally renewed themselves, and plan to live in retirement for over 30 years.

    In a time gone by the elderly would have been fed and cared for by their adult children. Now we set up a society where we say "rather than each of us caring for our own parents, we will all chip in to a pension fund and have the society care for all the parents to relieve me personally of the burden". Good deal and a hallmark of modern society.

    It is not important that the "baby boomers" have their own money and are not drawing from the pension scheme, the effect is the same. Once they leave the workforce, someones children (if not their own in 2011) needs to bake their bread, farm their beef, provide their Hydro, build their cars, ship in and provide their gasoline, make their clothes, give them everything.

    Sure, this is a neverending problem, but not a ponzi scheme that relies on everlasting population growth. It is rather a proportion of the population that is working that needs to be maintained.

    Also immigration is not about filling jobs, or partitioning the pie of the wealth that Canada has amongst more people, immigration increases the size of the pie. It increases the economy ... there is more being consumed, and more work being done and therefore increases production. So the dairy farmer has more customers for his milk, and therefore sells more milk for example. The immigrant adds an additional worker to the workforce, so more work gets done and the country produces more "stuff". This is not reflected in your "Fiscal Burden" statement which is more a question of short term cash management through taxation.

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