Take an informal survey of how many of your friends have ancestors from other countries. The families of many Canadians originated in other parts of the world and immigrated to Canada. How does Canada benefit from new immigration? How does the government respond to emerging issues related to immigration today? This Unit explores Canada's immigration laws and policies. These say who can come to Canada from other countries to work and live.
Immigration is an important part of Canada's legislative framework because it affects the quality of life of Canadians and of people who seek to build a home in Canada. People want to come to Canada for many reasons. Quality of life in Canada pulls many people. Canada also offers shelter to refugees, who are pushed out of their home countries by war and other circumstances. Immigration poses opportunities and challenges for citizenship: for building a society in which all Canadians - existing and new - belong.
Immigration is an important part of Canada's legislative framework because it affects the quality of life of Canadians and of people who seek to build a home in Canada. People want to come to Canada for many reasons. Quality of life in Canada pulls many people. Canada also offers shelter to refugees, who are pushed out of their home countries by war and other circumstances. Immigration poses opportunities and challenges for citizenship: for building a society in which all Canadians - existing and new - belong.
Unit Key Terms
Immigration: the process of people establishing homes, and often citizenship, in a country that is not their native country.
Labour Force Growth: the growth of the "labour force" or the number of people who can work. |
Demographic: to do with the characteristics of population.
Refugee: a person who seeks refuge in another country because of danger or persecution in their home country. Accord: a formal agreement. |
Lesson #1: Introduction to Immigration in Canada
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Lesson #2: Why do Immigrants Choose Canada?
Push & Pull Factors
Lesson #3: Canada's Immigration History
The government decides on whether immigrants are able to enter the country based on the following objectives:
- To protect the health and safety of Canadians and to maintain the security of Canadian society
- To promote international justice and security by fostering respect for human rights and by denying access to Canadian territory to person who are criminals for security risks
- To ensure that decisions taken under the Act are consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including its principles of equality and freedom from discrimination and of the equality of English and French as the official languages of Canada
Stages of Immigration in Canadian History
Colonial Era Immigrants Filling in the East Opening the West Building a Country Reversing the Flow Global Awakening The Merit Point System |
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The Positions of Political Parities Today...
Liberals
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New Democratic Party
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Green Party of Canada
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Analyze the document above by investigating the following questions:
- What issues affecting immigration are illustrated in the plan?
- In what ways does the plan attempt to meet the needs of Canadians?
- What benefits of immigration does this source identify for Canada?
Lesson #4: Immigration & Refugee Protection Act
Refugees are one of the categories of immigrants established under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. How has Canada's position on refugees evolved?
What is the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act?
- Canada signed the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees in 1951
- During 1950s and 1960s, Canada offered to shelter refugees in response to specific world crises
- In 1976, Canada made refugees on e of its immigration categories
- The change meant that Canada accepted refugees steadily, instead of crisis by crisis
What is the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act?
- The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act dates from 2002 and it is the most recent of many laws Canada has had about immigration since it became a country in 1867.
- It establishes categories of who can come to Canada from other countries to make permanent homes here.
- It lays out the objectives of those categories.
Economic Immigrants (55%) - Skilled workers and business people.
Family Class (28%) - Spouses, partners, children, parents and grandparents of people living in Canada. Refugees (13%) - People who are escaping persecution, torture, or cruel and unusual punishment. Other (4%) - People accepted as immigrants for humanitarian or compassionate reasons. |
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What are the underlying values reflected in the objectives of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act? What do they mean for citizenship and identity in Canada?
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Lesson #5: Immigration, Collective Rights & the Charter of Rights and Freedoms
The Immigration Act of 1976 was one of the earlier laws that defined how immigration worked in Canada. This Act was used as an umbrella to dictate who was granted citizenship, permanent residency, and/or landed immigrant status. In most cases, this Act influenced the status of immigrants, but rarely benefited those who were seeking refuge or refugee status. This Act prevented refugees from receiving face-to-face hearings that would essentially determine their future. The fact that refugees seeking assistance could not represent themselves in front of the decision-making panel left refugees fearing their imminent deportation back to unsafe and potentially life-threatening living conditions; until the ruling in the Satnam Singh Decision.
The Singh Decision
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The Result
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Consider what you have learned about refugee rights above and in class. What individual rights do refugees seeking entry into Canada have that Canadian citizens also have? Describe an impact this right has had on immigration law in Canada. Explain why people have different perspectives on this right. What is the connection between refugee rights and citizenship? What do refugee rights have to do with who "belongs" in Canada?
How do those with Collective Rights view Immigration Policies?
Aboriginal Peoples (FNMI)
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Francophones
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Lesson #6: Immigration & the Canadian Provinces/Territories
The needs, populations, and economic landscapes differ from province to province in a large manner, that provinces often feel that they desire certain or specific immigrants. Until recently, Alberta had one of the fastest growing economies in Canada and had been experiencing increased job opportunities and decreasing labour force. The Albertan economy requires specific workers who are skilled in area of oil and gas, a need that does not exist in most other provinces/territories. Many businesses report that their hiring pools cannot meet their business needs. While provinces and territories are not allowed to make demands on who is allowed to immigrate, the Provincial Nomination Program grants provinces the ability to request immigrants in particular areas and to set up recruitment programs in other countries.
Where do new Canadians live?
Where do new Canadians live?
What is the Provincial Nomination Program? (PNP)
- Under the Provincial Nomination Program, provinces can "nominate" a percentage of the immigrants Canada selects each year. This means, for example, that Alberta can specify that it needs immigrants with particular skills.
- The program also allows some provinces to set up their own immigration offices in foreign countries.
- Governments in Canada can't require immigrants to settle in particular places or work in particular jobs. The Provincial Nomination Program increases the likelihood that immigrants will settle in the provinces whose labour needs match their skills.
What Workers does Alberta Need?
alberta_job_vacancies.pdf | |
File Size: | 133 kb |
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Canada-Quebec Accord
How does the Canada-Quebec Accord offer ways for Quebec to affirm the use of the French language?
- The Canada-Quebec Accord is a specific agreement with Quebec.
- Under the accord, Quebec can nominate the percentage of immigrants to Canada that corresponds to its population within Canada.
- The accord also allows Quebec to require immigrants who settle in Quebec to send their children to French-language schools.
- Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec seeks immigrants whose first language is French. Every year, about 75 % of French-speaking immigrants to Canada settle in Quebec.