Canada takes in ~250K immigrants annually; should we take more?

[saffronleaf]

Question is pretty self-explanatory, but I'd love to hear thoughts on the topic rather than just a vote on the poll.

For reference, the US takes in about ~800K immigrants annually. Australia is perhaps the only other developed Western country that has a higher per capita immigration rate than Canada (or at least did in a few of the recent years). Not sure what amount they take exactly, though.

[FrAnKs]

250 000 immigrants divided by 365 days = ±685 a day

I think it's enough.

My answer, same number.

[saffronleaf]

I'd like to see the federal government allow provinces to take control over immigration, while setting some basic minimum guidelines.

Because I feel like some areas would benefit more from immigration (e.g., Atlantic Canada) than other areas. It seems like a more nuanced approach to immigration, given how massive the country is and how different circumstances are in different parts of the country.

I think that a province-based immigration system would lead to more immigrants overall (as provinces compete with one another for a greater share of immigrants), which I'm not really opposed to.

[BretttheRiderFan]

We need to do a better job of spreading out our immigrant population to other regions of the country besides the GTA/Montreal/Lower Mainland.

We have been doing much betterin recent years but still much do be done in this department.

And making family reunification/settling refugees a bigger priority.

[ssiguy]

I voted more immigrants but with a provision............that the extra "immigrants" actually want and do live here and not just real estate speculators looking for a fast passport.

[isaidso]

I'd prefer roughly 1.5% of national population annually. That would work out to about 540,000 in 2014. Some policies should be put in place to encourage settlement in regions that receive few immigrants currently: Atlantic Canada, Quebec outside of Montreal, northern Ontario, and any place in the West further north than the 55th parallel.

We could create a new class of immigration where one is admitted to Canada, but not as an accepted immigrant. Successful applicants would be granted Canadian citizenship if they settled and lived in the agreed upon region for 3 years. It would be a way of speeding up the process for those who don't want to wait to move. We let them move now, but the catch is they have to move where we say. Don't abide by the conditions and you get sent back.

The hope is that after 3 years people will have jobs, lay down roots, and stay rather than moving on to the traditional immigrant hubs across the country.

[itom 987]

Open the floodgates!

Those that come must be educated though.

[kwoldtimer]

I'd be happy to see the numbers rise to about 300,000 in the short term, and perhaps 350,000 per year in the medium term - somebody is going to have to work and pay taxes to support the boomers' pensions and medical expenses!

I'd put much less emphasis on family reunification (limited to spouse and offspring), increase our refugee intake somewhat, look at expedited procedures to encourage highly educated and entrepreneur immigrants and those willing to locate outside the traditional destinations. And I'd also drastically tighten up the TFW program to limit it to high skill occupations.

[saffronleaf]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I'd be happy to see the numbers rise to about 300,000 in the short term, and perhaps 350,000 per year in the medium term - somebody is going to have to work and pay taxes to support the boomers' pensions and medical expenses!

I'd put much less emphasis on family reunification (limited to spouse and offspring), increase our refugee intake somewhat, look at expedited procedures to encourage highly educated and entrepreneur immigrants and those willing to locate outside the traditional destinations. And I'd also drastically tighten up the TFW program to limit it to high skill occupations.

Seems very reasonable.

I'd like to see a 50K increase every decade for the next few decades.

2015 - 300k/year
2025 - 350k/year
2035 - 400k/year
2045 - 450k/year
2055 - 500k/year

[BretttheRiderFan]

Do any of the Big Three parties have a real stance on the issue of increased immigration?

[WhipperSnapper]

Most boomers are too heavily indebited to even consider retiring.

I'm more than satisfied with current levels. There are many incentives in place to encourage immigrant to spread out throughout Canada. It's just not enough and likely never enough to compete with where the jobs are and where their community is established.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by saffronleaf

Seems very reasonable.

I'd like to see a 50K increase every decade for the next few decades.

2015 - 300k/year
2025 - 350k/year
2035 - 400k/year
2045 - 450k/year
2055 - 500k/year

You lose me after 2035. By 2045, the boomers will be pushing up daisies and large numbers of immigrants may no longer be needed. I could see the numbers falling back to under 300,000 by 2055.

[Ashok]

We don't want to see people coming here, and forming clusters of their own cultures/countries and be segregated. That being said, I think 'integration' should be a key to immigration - and this 'integration' is a process that involves all of us. Yes, we as Canadians need to be much more inclusive to foreign cultures, and be patient to see the migrants integrate. On a larger scale, government should invest in the migrants. Help them access jobs, and remove some of the red tapes. For instance, there should be better, and more faster ways for educated professionals to become accredited.

By the way, when I say 'integrate' - I do not mean the way Quebec recently tries to approach the issue. What I mean by integration is having a shared identity, and a common goal for a better Canada.

Of course - I really am not presenting my ideas clearly but I think this is one of the more common held belief.

That being said, I think there is a certain number of immigrants that can be adopted per year that can be successfully integrated into Canadian society. So, I for one, would like to see that number be optimized. So that being said, I am neither for or against 250k migrants or more... I would like our population to grow, but at the same time, with people who can celebrate our culture.

[Nicko999]

More immigrants is the only way to go for the long-term well being of this country. With a birth rate (1.61) well below the replacement rate, immigrants are the reason why Canada is still growing. Also like it was said earlier, we need pay for those baby boomers so the more tax payers, the better.

[BretttheRiderFan]

Canada does a spectacular job of integrating immigrant groups into society as a whole. We are a model on the world stage, and we need to be more proud of this fact. Immigrants in this country are far more economically productive, politically engaged, and integrated into the wider society than pretty much anywhere else in the world. Crime rates among immigrant groups are not particularly high, the amount of civic and national pride most immigrants exhibit is rather exceptional, and the amount of legitimate ethnic "ghettos" in this country are pretty slim. Of course there will always be some issues with immigration, but our country does it better than almost anyone.

[saffronleaf]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

Do any of the Big Three parties have a real stance on the issue of increased immigration?

I think in terms of total number of immigrants accepted annually, the big three have the same policy -- keep it around the same. I think I saw polls suggest that a majority of Canadians wanted to keep it around the same, so I guess it makes sense.

The parties do differ on some of the details though. I believe the Conservatives want to get more skilled immigrants and less family reunification / refugee immigrants; conversely, I think the NDP wants the exact opposite. I think the Green Party wants to deem those leaving places that have become dangerous due to climate change as refugees and permit them to come to Canada through that avenue.

[saffronleaf]

This forum has become so civilized.

[saffronleaf]

OK, here's some raw data from Forbes. My numbers were a little off -- the US allowed 1,050,000 immigrants annually.

Canada seems a bit low.

[ue]

^ Weird. What kind of immigrants is Japan accepting, anyways? Surprised Germany is as high as it is too.

Anyways, I'd support a higher inflow rate (maybe between 350,000 and 500,000), provided there are caps on how many immigrants can move to the GTA, Greater Montreal, and the Lower Mainland. I support these areas still getting a fair amount of immigrants, but we should also be taking the opportunity to spur development through immigration in other parts of the country. Atlantic Canada, Quebec City and the Townships, Southwestern and Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Southeastern Alberta, Interior BC, and the North could all use a jolt of immigrants. I would also be for Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa getting an increased rate of immigrants.

[saffronleaf]

Originally Posted by ue

^ Weird. What kind of immigrants is Japan accepting, anyways? Surprised Germany is as high as it is too.

Anyways, I'd support a higher inflow rate (maybe between 350,000 and 500,000), provided there are caps on how many immigrants can move to the GTA, Greater Montreal, and the Lower Mainland. I support these areas still getting a fair amount of immigrants, but we should also be taking the opportunity to spur development through immigration in other parts of the country. Atlantic Canada, Quebec City and the Townships, Southwestern and Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Southeastern Alberta, Interior BC, and the North could all use a jolt of immigrants. I would also be for Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa getting an increased rate of immigrants.

What do you think of decentralizing immigration? Basically giving every province Quebec-like powers (plus more) when it comes to immigration...

That might help the situation. Provinces with traditionally less immigration can take steps to incentivize immigration without having to ask the federal government.