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SOCIAL POLICY IN THE NEWS

Immigration has been a hot topic circulating in the news. This issue impacts many Calgarians and many of the communities we work with are affected by policies on immigrant issues. Research and Policy Advocacy Coordinator, Meriam Bravante, has been keeping up with topics that impact our communities to curate snapshots of policies and what they mean.

 

New Immigration Policies:

Decentralization on federal immigration policies describes the new pathway to permanent residency greeting the new year. Cities and towns are now allowed to choose newcomers based on local labour needs. The federal government has just unveiled its new immigration program where local communities, chambers of commerce, and labour councils are now empowered to select immigrants. The goal is to help match newcomers with local labour needs. At least 5,000 new spaces will be created for the program. Read it here.

More news on Liberal Government’s plans on Immigration and Citizenship. After the reshuffling, former Crown Prosecutor Marco Mendicino is the new federal immigration minister, replacing Ahmed Hussen, who becomes Families, Children, and Social Development minister. Below is the summary of the immigration plan:

• Continued modest and reasonable immigration increases.
• Creation of a new Municipal Nominee Program.
• Making the Atlantic Immigration Pilot permanent.
• Modernization of the Safe Third Country Agreement with the U.S.
• Abolishing the citizenship application fee.
• Implement pilot programming to encourage more newcomers to settle in rural Canada.
• Advance reforms and investments in the capacity of the asylum system.

Did you know? 

•  The worker-to-retiree ratio in Canada is now 4:1 but is projected to fall to 2:1 in 2035.
• Seventy-five percent of Canada’s population growth has come from immigration over the last decade.
• Eighty percent of Canada’s population growth will come from immigration by 2031.
• Nine-million baby boomers will reach retirement age by 2030 according to the Conference Board of Canada.
• According to IRCC, the newcomer integration into Canadian society survey indicates that:

1. Over 91% described having a strong sense of belonging to Canada.
2. Over 71% agreed that their community is welcoming for newcomers.
3. Over 48% of newcomers were members or participants in a group, organization or an association.
4. About a third indicate having volunteered in the last 12 months.

In Calgary, Alberta (Census Metropolitan Area)

•  Immigrants in Calgary represent close to 30% of the population.
• The Philippines is the largest source country of immigrants to Calgary, followed by India and China.
• Over half (56%) of immigrants who came to Calgary between 1980 and 2016 were economic immigrants, while more than a quarter (29%) were sponsored by family and about 14% were refugees.
• Immigrants now account for one-third of the Calgary workforce and they are contributing across all sectors of the economy. More than 40% of workers in the manufacturing sector were not born in Canada.

By: Meriam Bravante, Research and Policy Advocacy Coordinator.

 

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