UNIT 5 - IMMIGRATION Slide 1-10 How well do Canada’s Immigration laws and policies respond to immigration issues? Immigration – the process of people establishing homes, and often citizenship, in a country that is not their native country. Immigration is an important part of Canada’s legislative framework because it affects the quality of life of Canadians and people who seek to live here. The high quality of life in Canada pulls many people to Canada. Canada also shelters refugees, who are pushed out of their countries by war.

Questions: Connecting to big ideas: What evidence can you find on pages 177 – 178 that Canada’s immigration legislation responds to world issues? What evidence can you find that political factors influence Canada’s policies on refugees? What issues might arise by accepting refugees into Canada?

UNIT 5 - IMMIGRATION When you become a citizen of Canada, you swear to be faithful to the Monarch, to observe the laws of Canada, and to fulfill your duties as a citizen. You gain the right to VOTE.

UNIT 5 - IMMIGRATION IMMIGRATION & REFUGEE PROTECTION ACT. 2002, establishes categories of who can come to Canada from other countries to make permanent homes here. Refugee’s (13%) – people escaping persecution, torture or cruel and unusual punishment. Family Class (28%) – Spouses, partners, children, parents and grandparent Economic Immigrants (55%) – Skilled workers and business people. Other (4%) – People accepted as immigrants for humanitarian or compassionate reasons.

UNIT 5 - IMMIGRATION Objectives of the Act: Pursue social, cultural and economic benefits for all Canadians Respect the bilingual and multicultural character of Canada. Support the development of minority official language communities in Canada. Share the benefits of immigration and support a prosperous economy. Promote the successful integration of immigrants into Canadian society.

Immigration and Canada’s Workforce. Demographic – characteristics of the population. Labour Force Growth – the growth of the number of people who can work. Immigration Law – who is allowed in Canada Immigration Policy – Sets the procedures for evaluating immigrants and says how many people are allowed into Canada from year to year.

IMMIGRATION POINT SYSTEM Page 169 – 170 Comic Dates from 1967 – applies only to economic immigrants. Refugee’s and family class immigrants do not have to qualify under the point system. If a person is not a refugee or family class immigrant, they must qualify to enter Canada. Economic immigrants are our largest group.

IMMIGRATION HEALTH FACTOR Every potential immigrant to Canada must provide proof that they are in good health. They may be refused if: Their poor health could put Canadians at risk. (tuberculosis) Have a condition that can endanger public safety. Their condition could put demand on our health system. (AIDS) No one is excluded from the point system because of race or origin. We used to favor British ancestory, and restricted Chinese and Indians.

REFUGEES Canada signed the UN Convention Relating to the status of refugees in 1951. During the 1950 and 1960, Canada offered to shelter refugee’s in response to specific world crisis. In 1976, Canada started to accept refugees, crisis by crisis. A refugee is a person who seeks refuge in another country because of danger or persecution in their home country.

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, 2002 Objectives: Save lives and offer protection to people who are displaced or persecuted. Fulfill and affirm Canada’s international commitments to protect refugees. Grant fair consideration to people who claim to be persecuted, as an expression of Canada’s humanitarian ideals. Offer refuge to people facing persecution because of race, religion, political opinion or membership in a social group, and to people who face torture, or cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.

How do individual and collective rights influence immigration laws? Slide 11-18 How do individual and collective rights influence immigration laws? Top 5 languages of immigrants in Canada 2008: English 46.6% Chinese 10.0% French 4.8% Punjabi 3.4% Spanish 2.5% Italian 2.4% Arabic 1.8% Immigrant knowledge of French and English: 55% - English 33% - Neither 5% - French 9% - Both

What is the Singh Decision? In Canada, April 4 is known as Refugee Rights day, following a 1985 Supreme Court Decision known as the Singh decision. Satnam Singh came to Canada from India seeking refugee status. Canada rejected him under the Immigration Act. The Act did not allow him to appeal his case. Supreme court said this violated section 7 of the CoRaF. (Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person, and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.)

What is the Singh Decision? Singh cont. The Supreme Court said everyone in the Charter means everyone – every person physically in Canada. RESULT: People claiming refugee status in Canada have the right to a hearing. Canada established a Board to evoke quick hearings. Canada provides necessities of life while waiting for the hearing. Read pg. 182 – Views on the Singh Decision.

How does immigration involve collective rights of Aboriginal peoples? Aboriginal peoples are partners in Canada. They have collective rights under the constitution. Treaties create a commitment for people to work together, however changes made to the treaties have caused problems. These changes can create obstacles to full participation in Canada’s economy for First nations. Education, vocational training and employment opportunities. Critical Thinking Challenge pg. 183 Group answer.

Immigration and Franco-Albertan Communities In 2006, Canada established a 5 year plan to help Francophone communities in minority settings attract French-speaking immigrants.. Does this meet the needs? Beaumont, Alberta

Immigration Settlement - 2007 Top 3 locations where immigrants settle in Canada: #1 Ottawa – Greater Toronto area. 39% #2 Montreal and Quebec City 15% #3 Vancouver 14% Top 3 make up 68% of the immigrant population, the rest of the country makes up the other 32%. One objective of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act 2002 is to share the economic benefits of immigration across the regions of Canada. Based on the above info, have we achieved this goal?

Provinces and Immigration Policies Provincial Nomination Program Provinces can nominate a percentage of the immigrants Canada selects each year. Provinces can specify that it needs immigrants with specific skills. The program allows some provinces to set up their own immigration offices in foreign countries. (Oil) The Provincial nomination program increases the likelihood that immigrants will settle in the provinces whose labour needs match their skills. Alberta has specific needs: chart of pg. 190

Canada – Quebec Accord The Canada-Quebec Accord is a specific agreement with Quebec. Quebec can nominate the % of immigrants to Canada that corresponds to its population within Canada. Immigrants who settle in Quebec must send their children to French immersion schools. Overall, more non-Francophone immigrants settle in Quebec than Francophone immigrants. Why?