BL could you please delete this blank post?

Thanks

Puru

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Puru

Dear Friends,

Our friend transmogrifier posted a recent article from National Post above. Hope you have read it too. I have the following comments to make upon that article, the essence behind which seems to be Canada's interests and rightfully so. Let us see analyse what this leading newspaper has to say about the immigration policies of the Government.


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We are always suspicious of politicians who promise to raise immigration levels on the eve of an election. As likely as not, their motivation is vote-grabbing in ethnic communities, despite such lofty official objectives as bolstering the economy. But Joe Volpe, the Immigration Minister, might just be on to something this time.

Mr. Volpe is behind a series of reforms he says will re-emphasize the link between marketable skills and admission to the country. Applicants with skills that are in short supply here -- professional or not -- will have a much easier time. However, their family members with little chance of finding work will find it tougher to join them, at least for the first few years. The trick now will be sticking by this proposal. A half dozen years ago, when Ottawa last proposed amending immigration criteria in favour of employability, the idea was sunk by the strenuous objections of immigration lawyers and ethno-politicians, two important Liberal constituencies.
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Comments : Politicians, whether here or anywhere in the world always have as their topmost priority the routine job of maintaining and increasing their vote banks. So this journalist's view about them is justified. He has also been blunt to distinguish and address non-white politicians (mostly of south-Asian origin)as "ethno-politicians" rather than simply as Canadian politicians( as they would like to be called). He has attributed the present problem of unemployment and underemployment of immigrants to the combined efforts of such "ethno-politicians" and immigration lawyers along with "vote grabbers"( as he calls them) from among the Liberals. I have no reason to disagree with him.


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Action is essential, however. Our current system is unsustainable. Despite claims by Ottawa that two-thirds of immigrants are economically self-sufficient, really only about one quarter are, once ageing parents, minor children and dependent relatives are taken into account. These dependents qualify immediately for social programs. At a cost of $6,000 per capita, the 190,000 dependent immigrants admitted every year consume over $11-billion annually.

Even the true "economic class" immigrants we are accepting often possess few skills demanded in the marketplace. Among economic-class immigrants age 25 to 44, 87% have university degrees, compared to 25% of all Canadians in that age group. That would be impressive if a degree were a useful surrogate for employability. But that has not turned out to be the case. Six months after their arrival, economic-class immigrants have employment levels 20 percentage points below the national average, including those Canadians with no degrees. After two years, they are still nearly 10 points back.
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Comments : An honest assessment again. There is indeed a big difference between just admitting highly educated immigrants against those possessing skills precisely required here by local employers. If you need a truck driver, then get a truck driver, why bring a professor and expect him to drive your trucks?? If the figures are correct ( do your own calculations) then indeed it does not herald anything economically favourable and beneficial for the long term for Canada.


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Some of this unemployment -- and some of the underemployment, as well -- is the fault of professional associations that are reluctant to recognize foreign credentials, especially for lawyers, doctors, dentists and engineers. But an even greater cause is the mismatch between successful admitees and the job market. Canada has a crying need for more electricians, pipe fitters, truck drivers and carpenters. Instead we are admitting sociologists, political scientists and literature majors.
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Comments : This point gives credibility to our Memorandum as to to the gross mismatch between what is being done and what is actually required. There seems to be little or no harmony or alignment between the immigrants' qualifications and experience and the local job market.

See how this journalist is straightforwardly honest in accepting that while "Canada has a crying need for more electricians, pipe fitters, truck drivers and carpenters, we are admitting sociologists, political scientists and literature majors." Now what is going to be the future consequences? I am sure that even-minded Canadians here are already contemplating about it (not sure about politicians).


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To correct this, Mr. Volpe wisely proposes opening up our immigration stream to skilled non-professionals. And to reduce the threat that the skills of those admitted today will no longer be required two or three years from now, the Minister is proposing an intermediate step between arrival and landed immigrant status. He wants many of the 50,000 extra newcomers to be first permitted into Canada on temporary work visas. After a certain period -- likely 24 to 36 months -- if they have not offended Canadian law, they can apply to stay, even to bring their family over to join them. During the initial two or three years, if demand for their skills dries up or they commit a crime, they could be removed from the country much more easily than now.
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Comments : I would call this to be a somewhat better technique than continuing to follow rigidly the present system. But a big question arises here- What does Mr.Volpe propose to offer to the large chunk of educated immigrants who are already here, being victimised by a clearly flawed policy framed by the nefarious combination mentioned above?? What is the way out of this quicksand type of situation?


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Mr. Volpe is too obsessed with numbers. Canada's current immigration levels -- about 250,000 a year -- are already the highest per capita in the industrialized world. Ottawa wants to raise that to 300,000 five years from now. Yet it does not even know whether it can attract enough workers with the desired skills to meet this new quota. There is a danger the 300,000 figure will become indelible, too. Once set, the immigration department will feel obliged to meet it each year, even if too few employable workers can be found. It would be smarter to change our immigration criteria first and increase Canada's overseas recruitment network (another Volpe pledge) before ramping up our intake.
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Comments : Very true. With more influx of immigrants under the same parameters the present chaotic situation will surely reach a crescendo. The journalist is rightly recommending a change in the immigration criteria before embarking upon future acquisition of immigrants.


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Like the aborted reforms of the 1990s, these ideas will face stiff opposition. If Mr. Volpe is serious about making meaningful reform, though -- and not just keen to increase Liberals votes -- he will ride out the criticism and implement these much-needed changes.
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Comments : He is not sure whether the goods will be delivered as promised. Political compulsions care but a little about a country and her people's destiny.

It is really encouraging to read such honest and sincere reports ffrom the media time to time. I am sure we already have as our friends/well wishers/co-idealists who share our views, the real Canadians who see beyond their short term interests and are genuinely concerned about their future generations. We too wish the best for them and their families as we wish the same for ours.

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Puru

I endorse your comments, Puru.

haven't come across the word "admitees", Transmogrifier. Thunking apun ko bhi aapke mafiq Hinglish using start karna chahiye.

Thanks & regards.

Rajan.

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Let's make India a better place !

Immigrants deserve better: Bank chief
The president of Canada's largest financial institution and one of the country's biggest employers has called for businesses to do more to attract talented immigrants.

In a major speech delivered to The Greater Halifax Partnership, Gordon Nixon, President and CEO of the RBC Financial Group (Royal Bank), said that in an increasingly competitive and global world, Canada's future depends on not only attracting, but improving how it accepts new immigrants.

"Immigration has historically been critical to Canada’s growth, yet there has seldom been a time in our history when it has been so important," said Nixon. "Our competitive advantage can’t be driven by the resource industry, and is no longer dominated by capital assets like plants, equipment and machinery.
It is being driven by human capital."




With the national birth rate at an historic low, and faced with an aging workforce, Canada is going to have to import talented people to make up the gap, said Nixon.

"We are already facing a skills shortfall in many parts of Canada and in the years ahead, we will be counting on immigration for all of the net growth in our labour force.

"But there’s going to be a global war for talent. Countries like Italy, Spain and Germany are seeing birthrates fall as dramatically as ours, and a workforce going gray as quickly as ours. We’ll be going head-to-head with them for talent, as well as with powerhouses like China and India, who are literally pouring investments into higher education, technology and innovation," added Nixon.

He pointed out that for every one engineer graduating in the United States, there are three graduating in China.

"And many Chinese immigrants are now moving back to China, because they see better opportunities at home than here," he warned.

The Canadian government has set a target of welcoming 300,000 new immigrants each year.

"Our success depends not only on our ability to attract new immigrants, but on providing an environment where new Canadians can maximize their potential. This can be Canada’s competitive advantage, but we have to work harder both to attract and maximize the potential of talented people," said Nixon.

He warned that, historically, Canada does not have the best track record on this score. "A Statistics Canada report found that our most recent immigrants had higher levels of education than people born in Canada. Yet, many more are working in jobs below their level of education and earning less than those born in Canada. And they experience higher unemployment rates. I hope that is going to change," said Nixon.

He criticized employers for overlooking immigrants in their human resource planning and not hiring immigrants at the level at which they were trained.

"Businesses need to pay attention to maximizing the talents of visible minorities and immigrants. This solution will bring untold benefits up and down the prosperity chain…for our businesses, our communities and our country — and it will have a profound human impact as well," he said.

Nixon recounted the story of an immigrant from India, Binoj Daivasahayam.

"Binoj emigrated to Canada from India in April of 2004 with a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA in his back pocket. He is 34 years old, speaks three languages, and has eight solid years of financial services experience.

"He also brought with him the spirit of an entrepreneur - because Toronto wasn’t his final destination: Halifax was.

"It takes real courage to come to a place where your cultural community isn’t well established. Of the 100 or so Indian families in Halifax, Binoj didn’t know a single soul. But that’s exactly why he chose to come. With fewer immigrants here, he felt there was a greater opportunity to build a future.
The bad news is that education and enthusiasm aren’t always enough.

"In fact, his first job interview was at a grocery store for a cashier’s job, which he lost to another immigrant.

"The store actually did end up hiring him, and while he spent his days working as a stock clerk, he spent his nights working towards his Mutual Funds license."

The story however has a happy ending, said Nixon.

"Binoj had another ace in his pocket: MISA, the Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association.

"Within a week of arriving in Halifax, he had already connected with MISA. In fact, MISA helped him find that grocery store job as a quick way for him to get some Canadian experience. But everyone’s end goal was to find a position that tapped his professional training in financial services.

"MISA eventually connected RBC and Binoj. Right away, we knew he was a high-potential candidate, and we hired him as a Personal Financial Service Representative at our Spring Garden Road branch in January.

"I’m happy to say that Binoj has joined us today. I will only embarrass him for a moment by telling you that he’s a tremendous asset in attracting new business to RBC. Clients, especially new Canadians, love to deal with him. He even spends two hours every week with the Nova Scotia Nominee program, helping educate newcomers about how to navigate the banking system in Canada."

Nixon said about 23 per cent of RBC's workforce is currently comprised of visible minorities.

"But that number drops to about ten per cent for our executive management team, and we know we’ve got to do better, so we’re taking action.

"For example, we’ve contracted specialists to evaluate the Canadian equivalents of foreign credentials, so we can make sure we’re not overlooking good prospective employees," he said.

Dear Friends,

This is written as a reaction to the last article posted here which says, "Immigrants deserve better: Bank Chief."

Mr.Nixon, President & CEO of RBC Financial Group admits the fact that Canada's future truly depends upon immigration. He says, "With the national birth rate at an historic low, and faced with an aging workforce, Canada is going to have to import talented people to make up the gap. We are already facing a skills shortfall in many parts of Canada and in the years ahead, we will be counting on immigration for all of the net growth in our labour force."

Now, is there any doubt about this ground reality? No, not at all. So people may rest assured that the influx of people from around the world will continue without any break for the next 10-12 years atleast(irrespective of political changes).

He has also warned that in future, Canada will have to compete with other countries ( India included) to attract and retain talented people. So, the days of kind of monopoly in immigration business are surely numbered. He warned that, "Historically, Canada does not have the best track record on this score. " I hope the nefarious combination of the three ( ethno-politicians, immigration lawyers and vote grabbing politicians) are aware of this changing scenario which does not beacon anything good for them and their prosperous careers.

Mr. Nixon has also criticized the employment policies of the private sector employers who had always overlooked the immigrants while planning for their human resource needs.

At the end, he took an isolated case of an Indian immigrant settling down in Halifax, Novascotia. First of all Novascotia has a tremendously poor record of attracting and most importantly retaining immigrants. Here is the proof from the statistics given by MISA ( Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association) :

BACKGROUNDER: IMMIGRATION STATISTICS TO NOVA SCOTIA (1991-2001)

Summary of data:

From 1991-2001, a total of 27,051 people immigrated to Nova Scotia.

In 2001, 10,290 people who immigrated to Nova Scotia between 1991 and 2001 were still living here – only 38% of those who came.

62% of those who came during those ten years have left.

Source Link : http://www.misa.ns.ca/images/PDF\'s/conference_stats.pdf

Again, which settlement organization in Ontario gets you directly in touch with potential employers like MISA did in Novascotia? MISA is just like the innumerable settlement organizations existing in Ontario.It is funded under various programs of the government either directly or through their agencies. With the poor immigration record, Government funding was curtailed for them and their own survival was at stake. It was only after that they woke up from their slumber to reinvoke the blessing of immigration.

In this situation the Novascotia provincial government decided to intervene in early 2005 and decided to seriously rethink, realign and rearrange their immigration policy. They have now (hopefully after learning from past mistakes) embarked upon a mission of bringing in and subsequently retaining immigrants. So whose survival is surely guaranteed here?? MISA and its people, certainly but immigrants, cannot say anything.

Please note that they already had a Newcomer Nominee program going on since 2002. The requirement was that one must have a secured job in hand from a local employer before entering Novascotia. The success was quite limited. So now they also are into wholesale immigration.

I give you the link to that program (if anyone is interested to try his luck):
http://www.novascotiaimmigration.com/nsnp/nominee/skilled_worker.html

Best Wishes to all

Puru

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Puru

Well they are acknowledging the issue. This is a good step.
Admitting there is a problem is the only way it can be solved or a place to move forward.

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I once made a mistake, but I was wrong about it.

Dear Friends,

This is to inform you all that our Memorandum was published in Canada in the South Asian Observer dated Oct 27, 05. You will find it in Page 4 (Inside The community section). Following is the internet link :

http://www.southasianobserver.com/epaper/Oct272005/page-4.php

I take this moment to thank all friends and well wishers who extended their cooperation to enable us to make a modest beginning towards a great cause.

Regards
Puru

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Puru