Maytree Conversations

(with notes from Bonnie Mah)

We know that immigrants overwhelmingly choose to settle in cities and metropolitan areas. This is confirmed by the latest Statistics Canada numbers. Between July 2011 and 2012, census metropolitan areas (CMA) received 92% of immigrants to Canada.

The numbers also tell of a different trend. While Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver MTV continue to be the main magnets for immigrants (in 2011-2012, approximately 60% of all immigrants to Canada settled in one of these CMAs), immigration has become increasingly important for smaller cities. Yes, the number of immigrants settling in smaller cities is still relatively small, but the proportion of immigrants going to smaller cities has increased from 5% in 2001-2002 to 8% in 2011-2012.

This trend towards smaller cities is even more prevalent in many small CMAs in western Canada and the prairies (e.g.Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary and Edmonton) which are attracting a large proportion of immigrants. In fact, between 2001-2002 and 2011-2012, the share of immigrants settling in these five CMAs nearly tripled, from 7% to 20%.

This trend to smaller cities isn’t entirely surprising. We’ve seen reports about immigrants moving out of Toronto, for example, to smaller centres.

Not all regions are experiencing the same trend. Economic regions in Western Canada (especially Alberta and Saskatchewan) are experiencing the highest population growth, while Atlantic Canada recorded the lowest growth. According to the latest numbers, immigration is the main driver of population growth in more than one-third of economic regions – e.g. Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto, Saskatoon-Biggar, Regina-Moose Mountain, Vancouver, and Halifax.

What does this mean for cities?

This confirms that cities are critical integration actors. It means that all cities, small and large, need to take a look at how they attract, welcome and include newcomers. In Ontario, small and large municipalities have been creating immigration portals to ensure that newcomers find, choose and stay in their cities.

Cities of all sizes need to understand the importance of attracting, welcoming and have immigrants grow roots in their communities. And we can help.

Our Cities of Migration site focuses on sharing good ideas about integrating immigrants in cities. We’ve just completed a series of publications, Good Ideas from Successful Cities: Municipal Leadership in Immigrant Integration, that all cities should read.

The series highlights more than 70 promising practices from cities in Europe, North America,Australia and New Zealand. Some of the featured cities are old hands at integration – such as Toronto, London, and New York. Others you may find more surprising – such as Newport News, Richmond Hill, Valongo. The final publication applies a policy lens, looking at what good practices can tell us about the role of local governments in immigrant integration. Four international experts have contributed analysis and policy insights on the range of municipal levers available to promote both immigrants and city success.

It’s also practical. We’ve made specific recommendations for local governments and community partners. We think you’ll find them useful.

Related:

• Good Ideas from Successful Cities: Municipal Leadership in Immigrant Integration
• Practice to Policy: Lessons from Local Leadership on Immigrant Integration (full report, PDF)
• Good Ideas from Successful Cities: Municipal Leadership in Immigrant Integration (PDF)
• Taking It to the Streets: A Municipal Role in Immigrant Integration
• Recommendations for Local Governments and Community Partners
• From Practice to Policy

Statistics Canada glossary notes:

What is a CMA? A CMA must have a total population of at least 100,000 of which 50,000 or more must live in the core. Slightly more than two-thirds of the Canadian population live in CMAs.

What is an economic region? An economic region is a group of census divisions (counties and their equivalents) that are grouped together to analyze their regional economic activity.

Canada has always been proud of its naturalization rate among immigrants as compared to other countries. However, a recent Toronto Star article suggests that for some the road to citizenship has become fraught with roadblocks. Intentional or not, the article outlines how many immigrants “will have to wait as long as nine years to become full-fledged citizens.”

How did this happen? And what does this mean for immigrants, and for Canada?

Recently, we have been seeing complaints about an increase in requests for applicants to complete the citizenship residence questionnaire. On newcomer discussion boards in particular the key issue has been an unreasonably long processing time. This issue has been confirmed by the Toronto Star article. The article suggests that a “crack down on citizenship fraud” may be to blame, but there are a number of other factors that may be contributing to a dip in our access to citizenship.

Residence Questionnaire

The residence questionnaire requires individuals to provide information and a variety of documents as further proof that they have resided in Canada for three years. Many find it difficult to obtain all necessary documents within the timeframe allocated (45 days), especially without advance notice that this will be necessary. For example, some records must be requested and then sent from the individual’s source country, or picked up in person from the source country by the individual or a retained lawyer.

Proof of Language Skills

The proof now required to demonstrate official language knowledge may also be a deterrent to some applicants. Those who have not been educated in French or English must either pay for a language assessment test or provide the results of federally funded language course they have completed.

Citizenship Exam and Guide

Citizenship exam failure rates have also increased as a result of changes (made in 2009 and again in 2011) to the citizenship study guide on which the exams are based. The new guide places more emphasis on Canada’s military history and sports figures, for example.

Processing Times

Processing times are also getting longer at every stage. According to the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) website, it already takes 21 months to process “routine Canadian citizenship applications.” There are delays before applicants can write the citizenship exam, there are delays until residence questionnaires are processed (up to 2 years), and there are delays until citizenship ceremonies take place. The idea that immigrants may become citizens after three years of permanent residence must be tempered with the reality that processing times can double or triple that time frame.

Unintended consequences

These developments, along with recent changes that deny citizenship to those born abroad to Canadian citizens unless their parents were either born or naturalized inCanada, reduce the pool of potential citizens.

In our recent report, Shaping the future: Canada’s rapidly changing immigration policies, Naomi Alboim and Karen Cohl argue,

“Changes to the rules for obtaining citizenship are also weakening Canada’s democracy as growing numbers of people either will not be able to obtain citizenship, will have to wait longer, or go through ‘more hoops’ to do so. Without citizenship, individuals cannot participate in the fundamental aspects of democratic life, including the opportunity to vote for the municipal, provincial or federal representatives who make decisions that affect their lives. [...] All those who cannot or do not qualify, or must wait longer to pursue citizenship will be deprived, at least for a time, of the opportunity to participate in the fundamental aspects of democratic life.” (page 69)

We do not imagine that our federal government intended to decrease access to democracy for Canada’s immigrants. But this appears to be a consequence of some of its policies designed to “crackdown” on citizenship fraud.

Alboim and Cohl argue that such policy changes that lack, or run contrary to evidence, could have unintended consequences. They write, “Many changes to the family class and citizenship are based on anecdote without evidence to show the magnitude of the problems. […] [T]he sheer pace and scope of changes to immigration policy and programs creates a climate of unpredictability.” (pages 65-66)

A national discussion is essential in this climate – one that seeks to ask the right questions. A discussion about what kind of country we want to be and how immigration can help us get there. We believe that these four principles should guide the conversation and any subsequent immigration reform:

1. Immigration policy should be based primarily on long-term social and economic objectives and a commitment to citizenship.
2. Immigration policy should be evidence-based, comprehensive, fair and respectful of human rights.
3. Immigration policy should be developed through public and stakeholder engagement, meaningful federal-provincial-territorial consultation, and democratic processes.
4. Immigration policy should enhance Canada’s reputation around the world.

The time for a national conversation is now. In the coming weeks, we’ll propose some questions to guide us in this conversation. We encourage you to join us in this discussion.

Related:

• Shaping the future: Canada’s rapidly changing immigration policies 
• New Survey Research Reveals Canada’s Attitudes towards Citizenship
• Five reasons Canada leads the world on immigration
• Immigration Policy: The Sound of One Hand Clapping
• Recent Immigration Changes Deserve Debate
• Sticky Fingers and Social Glue

(originally posted on the Intercultural Innovation Award site)

On the occasion of International Migrants Day, it is important to remember that 214 million migrants from all corners of the globe are in search of a better life, safety and security. And just as they did in the last century, they will look overwhelmingly to urban regions as the place to realize their dreams and aspirations. As they locate to cities in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Africa, they will bring with them energy, vibrancy and the will to survive and succeed, which, if successfully tapped, will release social, cultural and economic benefits for all.

Today, immigration, migration and integration are part of the language we use to describe a much larger story about the increasingly fluid movement of people, markets, culture and language across borders and time zones to large urban centers. In an era of globalization and unprecedented urban growth, that story can be about open, inclusive cities that are creating a palpable sense of excitement and opportunity. Or it can be a story of tension and alienation that can be passed along to the second and even third generation. When integration is done well, it fuels economic growth, spurs innovation and talent renewal, creates new knowledge and promotes an open, richer and more cohesive social fabric. When it is done poorly, the results are costly and far more complex.

Cities have a critical role to play in integrating newcomers, engaging their residents, and creating opportunities and a sustainable future for all. Regardless of national narratives or policy frameworks, the lived experience of integration is inherently local. The quality of the welcome experienced by migrants has a huge influence on their future success and, ultimately, on the prosperity of our cities.

Cities are where immigrants prefer to live, work, study, play and raise their families. Cities are where they experience integration or exclusion, with results that impact not just the migrant, but also the local community. Local actors and local institutions – such as city governments, local businesses, community and civil sector organizations, schools, libraries, and parks – can play a powerful and positive role in immigrant integration.

City governments especially have a critical role to play. As policy makers, democratic institutions, service providers, major employers and buyers of goods and services, local governments must set the standards for the private and civil sectors.

For example, in Dublin (Ireland), all residents, including non-citizens, have the right to vote in local elections. Noting the low voter participation in migrant communities, Dublin’s City Council’s Office for Integration launched the Migrant Voter’s Project, which has young leaders in immigrant communities deliver voter education to their peers.

In many communities, everyday activities like opening a bank account can be challenging for residents with irregular legal status. What’s more, they are more vulnerable to crime and less likely to approach the police due to their lack of identity documents. The City of New Haven (United States) created a municipal identity card for all residents, regardless of immigration status or age. With this universal identity card, the city increased community safety and made a clear statement that all residents are valued and full participants in city life.

Local governments around the world work to ensure that immigrant entrepreneurs have the opportunity to set up businesses that will contribute to the local economy. For example, in Helsinki (Finland), EnterpriseHelsinki is a free business counselling service for entrepreneurs whose client base is 35% immigrants – triple the share of their general population. In Vienna (Austria), the Mingo (“move in and grow”) Migrant Enterprises program offers multilingual services to ensure that immigrant entrepreneurs have the information and advice they need to succeed.

Fortunately, cities need not act alone. Local actors in cities around the world put out the welcome mat for immigrants, and recognize immigration as an asset, rather than as a problem to be solved. They are using innovative new ideas alongside tested, proven methods. These leaders encourage integration in many places – in workplaces, boardrooms, classrooms, parks and public offices.

For example, the DiverseCity onBoard program in Toronto (Canada) connects qualified, pre-screened candidates from visible minority and immigrant communities with the governance bodies of public agencies, boards and commissions, and civil sector organizations. The initiative is now being replicated in 20 cities around the world.

Local, neighbourhood level initiatives can have broad impact. The Walking School Bus in Auckland (New Zealand) brings together neighbours of all stripes for a common goal: get children to school. Like a motorized bus, the Walking School Bus travels at a set time, with set stops, and is supervised by an adult volunteer. This program provides parents – particularly new immigrant parents – with the opportunity to get to know each other, gives children a safe and healthy way to get to school, and reduces traffic congestion and pollution near schools. This good idea is being replicated in Waterloo (Canada) and Victoria (Australia).

These are just a few examples of the good work that local actors and local governments are doing to further immigrant integration in their cities.

As we look ahead to the new year, let us look to each other for inspiration. Learn what other cities are doing that could be adapted to or replicated in your city. Share what you’ve learned in your own city with others.

We have the power to make sure that immigrants are welcomed, protected and encouraged to succeed – we must resolve to use it.

Related:

• Cities of Migration
• DiverseCity onBoard
• It takes a city to integrate newcomers
• Alan Broadbent on cities and international collaboration
• Cities of Migration shares Toronto’s diversity experience with the world

(Photo credit: Stiftung Polytechnische Gesellschaft)

Cities evolve and are shaped by the people who inhabit them.

Immigration and the resulting diversity of its people are both a source of creativity and hold great potential, as long as urban leadership ensures full integration of the newcomer and long-time resident.

According to organizers of the conference “Urbanism Planning: An Instrument for Social Integration,” as cities become more diverse, policies and practices at the local level must be more inclusive. The process of integration is a shared and negotiated responsibility, it cannot be defined unilaterally.

The conference is organized by Spanish think tank MENARA, a project of Fundación Tres Culturas. It takes place in Almería, a city in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in collaboration with the Ministry in charge of Moroccans living abroad.

Within the last 13 years, the foreign-born population has grown ten-fold in Spain. In the province of the same name, Almería, the predominant group is Moroccan. Similar growth has been registered across Andalusia.

MENARA focuses on migration and the promotion of intercultural dialogue. Its mission is to understand the reality of Moroccan immigration in Andalusia and to generate intercultural dialogue, employing a number of strategies, including research. Through the creation of networks and the promotion of immigrant integration and belonging, the goal of the organization is to create cooperation and exchange between Andalusia and Northern Morocco.

This transnational conference is one of a series of meetings this year that have examined themes like the relationship between entrepreneurship or citizenship and diversity.

Presenters are focusing on good ideas and experience of city-led policies and practices – in areas such as urban planning, housing, public space and participation – that promote immigrant integration and maximize the potential of diversity in cities. The participatory event asks all attendees to debate issues and key points in the program (PDF).

Maytree was invited to participate alongside students, academics, immigrants and other international guests to share the Canadian experience of immigrant integration. We’re also bringing good practices in local immigrant integration drawn from Cities of Migration’s collection of over 150 stories from global cities, over 100 of them already published in Spanish.

The contexts may vary from city to city, but in substance, the challenge and opportunity of immigration and diversity are consistent, whether in Toronto or Almeria.

As a practitioner, bringing the experience of DiverseCity Toronto’s work to accelerate regional diversity in the Greater Toronto Area with practical interventions to promote diverse leadership, I expect to learn a great deal from the rich debate taking place in Almeria this week.

Related:

• MENARA: La relación entre “Urbanismo y Diversidad” objeto de análisis por la Fundación Tres Culturas en Almería
• Cities of Migration publication: Good Ideas from Successful Cities: Municipal Leadership in Immigrant Integration

hireimmigrants.ca, provides businesses with the tools and resources they need to better recruit, retain and promote skilled immigrants. The site also profiles good examples and innovative practices of employers across the country. Each week we bring you a round up of the useful resources posted there.

British Columbia Immigration Task Force (Report Summary)
This report from the B.C. Immigration Task Force details 28 recommendations to increase immigration and ensure programs attract and retain more immigrants with the skills required to build the province’s workforce and economy.

Assessing Language Proficiency (Article)
Essential skills profiles and assessment tools can help hiring managers determine if a candidate has the appropriate level of communication skills for a specific position.

Dos and don’ts of interview questions (eTip)
Under human rights laws in Canada, questions about a job candidate’s immigration status and country of origin are discriminatory. Find out what you can ask about a candidate’s eligibility to work in Canada and when you can ask it.

Hiring Skilled Immigrants Makes ‘Good Business Sense,’ Says Award-Winning HR Professional (Video)
In this video, learn about how Judy Sgro and Questrade recruit and integrate skilled immigrants, a practice that led to Ms. Sgro being honoured with the 2011 Canadian HR Reporter Individual Achievement Award.

In the news

Sourcing and Recruiting Immigrant Talent
An interactive workshop in Vancouver on June 14 will help HR professionals and hiring managers better tap into immigrant talent. Register by June 7.

Immigrants Continue Their Struggle to Find Good Jobs
Census data shows Vancouver Island’s population is aging and highlights the need to increase the number of skilled immigrants coming to the region.

Providing a ‘Pathway’ for Immigrants
New community-university project aims to help immigrants settle in smaller communities.

6 Great Blogs for Diversity Recruiters
These sources will help recruiters with diversity hiring objectives stay informed, engaged, and potentially a step ahead of the competition.

B.C. Needs More Skilled Immigrants Now
New report contains 10 key recommendations to increase the number of skilled immigrants and investors in B.C.

Stay updated with hireimmigrants.ca.

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• Attend/watch one of their webinars.
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Are you frustrated that your messages on immigration are not getting across?

Frank Sharry, Founder and Executive Director of America’s Voice, knows a little something about about both frustrations and successes in promoting positive immigration reform. According to Frank “Every Western industrialized nation faces the same issues of an aging society that needs migrants, a skeptical public and some hostile media. In supporting migrants, we do face formidable challenges but I’m still optimistic; we just have to focus on bringing together the needs of our societies and the aspirations of migrant families.”

Earlier this month, Frank spoke with Maytree’s President Ratna Omidvar at an evening event about how to change the channel on the immigration debate and create effective campaigns.

Watch Frank talk about:

• How you can cut through the clutter and harness the media as a tool for supporting immigration;
• How to position immigrants and refugees as nation builders;
• Proven strategies of activists in other countries that we can borrow and learn from; and
• How to create effective media campaigns.

A bit of background about Frank

Few people know the American immigration reform scene as well as Frank. He is a leading advocate on immigration issues in the United States. He is the Founder and Executive Director of America’s Voice, an organization dedicated to building both public support and political momentum for immigration reform. He founded America’s Voice in 2008 to strategically direct the way in which issues around immigration reform are communicated. Prior to that, he served as Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum for 17 years. The Forum, based in Washington D.C., is one of the nation’s premier immigration policy organizations, and has been at the center of every major legislative and policy debate related to immigration for the past quarter of a century.

An advocate for 11 million undocumented immigrants, he calls America’s Voice the “communications war room” for the immigration reform movement, an important tool in a discourse that is considered to be toxic and polarizing.

Related reads:

• Maytree’s election insights
• DiverseCity Voices
• The first rule of advocacy: don’t talk about advocacy. Until now.
• The Next Dream
• Visions of 2011

We follow a lot of sources and send out links to many articles every day. But we know that your time is limited and you may not be able to follow them all. At the end of each week, we pull out some themes from the week’s headlines that are worth your time. If you’re interested in our daily news coverage (and more), follow us on Twitter.

Social cohesion, inclusion, diversity

The past week marked the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and Wellesley Institute released a new report Canada’s Colour Coded Labour Market that found that “Despite an increasingly diverse population, a new report on Canada’s racialized income gap shows a colour code is still at work in Canada’s labour market.”

See the release from CCPA and Wellesley’s blog coverage.

The report received some media coverage, including the Toronto Star, Skin colour matters in access to good jobs: study, the Montreal Gazette, Discrimination to blame for prosperity gap: study and the Toronto Sun, ‘Colour code’ keeps Canadian workforce inequitable. A related opinion piece from the Hamilton Spectator, Oh, Canada: Diverse but not inclusive, wondered: “We are becoming more diverse as a society. But we need to ask the question: Are we more inclusive?”

During the week, the Regina Leader-Post asked: Racism: has it changed? and suggested that “Canadian institutions and organizations are now less likely to engage in overt discrimination on the grounds of race and ethnicity.” The Government of Canada, meanwhile, applauded talented youth working to build acceptance and fight racism.

The Toronto Sun wondered and rejected the notion that there are too many white people on city council.

It was perhaps timely that a review of Brokering Belonging: Chinese in Canada’s Exclusion Era should be published. “During the Exclusion Era (1885-1945), a series of increasingly draconian immigration laws limited Chinese immigration to Canada and the United States. Mar’s book illustrates the gaping holes in the immigration policy of the era and provides new insight into who filled those holes.”

In some ways, diversity and multiculturalism are, for many, still about markets and marketing. Who Are You? The Census Helps Demographers Know: “Some Canadians might balk at being thought of purely as consumers rather than citizens… [but] that’s how one of Canada’s most sophisticated geodemographic statistical systems, Environics Analytics PrizmC2, sorts all of us. We all fit into one of 66 neighbourhood-lifestyle clusters.”

In terms of neighbourhoods, Samuel Getachew’s big dream for a Little Ethiopia makes us ask, what is the tipping point when a neighbourhood officially becomes “little” something?

Supplier and employer diversity had some interesting coverage. As the Diversity Business Network discussed how Canada Needs Supplier Diversity Mentorship, word came of the 2011 Diversity Procurement Fair and that RBC Supports Diversity (OK, we totally knew that one already, but this story comes from Halifax, which is great!). As well, a diversity conference is being held in Burlington, ON and in British Columbia, Richmond celebrates businesses nominated for DIVERSEcity awards.

Also in BC, the Metropolis conference took place, which the Vancouver Sun told us was going to grapple with thorny immigration issues. “How can Canada stop immigrant groups from turning out religious radicals, with some bent on terrorism in the name of God? Given that many newcomers arrive from countries where homosexuality is illegal, how can Canada support immigrants who feel forced to hide that they are gay or lesbian? Are Canadians being too laissez-faire about whether fresh arrivals know English or French? Some believe the limited expectations Canada places upon new arrivals lead to ethnic enclaves. These are some of the long-disputed topics that will be debated at a massive Vancouver conference on immigration sponsored by Metropolis B.C., one of five Canadian think-tanks financed by governments to research and create dialogue on multicultural issues.” Woah, that’s a heavy load.

One of the first reports from the conference asked the provocative question: So just how valuable are our immigrants? According to the Vancouver Province, “UBC professor David Green said what few participants expected to hear. ‘The net economic impact of immigration is in fact zero,’ Green told the packed Grand Ballroom at the Sheraton Wall Centre on Thursday. ‘I’m very pro-immigration, but not for economic reasons. If you’re looking at it to be a major driver of economic growth, I think you’re looking in the wrong place.’ ”

We’re not entirely sure we’d agree, but this certainly brings the issue of nationhood more to the forefront, which we’ve certainly touched on before here: Building the nation – the value of family reunification and Build the City, Build the Nation – Part 1, Part 2.

Also from Vancouver came a piece suggesting that some immigrant and first-generation teens can’t define what it means to be Canadian. “They turn to buzzwords like multiculturalism, tolerance and acceptance. Some say it’s a passport or a card. Some say it’s ancestral. Others just don’t know. But while they can’t always express it, they live it.”

All of this raises an important discussion that isn’t happening enough. At what point do we start to see these not only as “thorny immigration issues” but also important inclusion issues? Definitely worth spending some time thinking on that.

An interesting question about inclusion came from the Canadian Education Association – Mandated Community Involvement: A Question of Equity: “A study involving 50 current and recently graduated Ontario secondary school students from widely divergent socio-economic settings found that, while students may donate equal amounts time, they do not have equal access to meaningful community involvement placements. Socio-economic status influences the time, resources and social networks available to students, and therefore the types of community involvement open to them.” And from across the pond, the Inequalities blog mused about social cohesion, diversity, and poverty, finding that “in deprived areas, diversity has no effect on trust among people that know lots of people in their neighbourhood. The largest effects are in non-deprived areas, for people that know no-one in their neighbourhood.”

Some great starting points for an important inclusion issue focus, don’t you think?

Immigrants, Innovation, Integration. Inclusion?

Some parts necessity, some parts inherent, innovation is always around us when we look at the newcomer story and experience. Mentoring new immigrants is important, we think that internships offer employers low risk with big return, employer-community partnerships can definitely help create innovation, but as is also always the case, immigrants create networks to help them help themselves. Really, why should our talented newcomers just wait for the Canadian system to move from “thorny immigration issues” to important inclusion issues? Supporting newcomer innovation and network-building is an important part of our leadership work.

Along the lines of innovative leadership, an age-old truth is confirmed again: Immigrants are on the digital vanguard, New Database Reveals Social Media Habits of Canadians. Download a PDF of the full survey findings. And, well-timed, a story about DiverseCity Voice Ray Cao, a local digital innovator, was featured in the Globe and Mail: Big name advisors championing start up businesses.

Finally, in a bit of a brain re-gain, CivicAction’s Emerging Leaders Network launched their Toronto Homecoming 2011 campaign to lure expat talent back to the GTA. It’s important to note that some of this talent is made up of people who immigrated to Canada, found a frustrating settlement and integration process, and took their globally valued skills elsewhere.

It’s great to see a project that can bring needed talent home, and re-welcome those who tried, but weren’t initially welcomed the first time around.

We follow a lot of sources and send out links to many articles every day. But we know that your time is limited and you may not be able to follow them all. At the end of each week, we pull out some themes from the week’s headlines that are worth your time. If you’re interested in our daily news coverage (and more), follow us on Twitter.

Integration

By now you’ve likely seen the incredible amount of media coverage for the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) and read that Canada ranked third in integrating newcomers. If you haven’t yet, you can watch a recording of the online news conference on the Canadian data here on the Maytree blog. Be sure to delve into the full report for all the information you need and visit the MIPEX site to play with the comparative data.

It’s important to celebrate how Canada compares internationally when it comes to integrating immigrants. However, it’s also important to make the point that MIPEX measures integration policies (not outcomes or actual status) up to May 31, 2010. Time will tell if recent issues and legislative direction in Canada (such as changes to family reunification) will have an impact on our position in these standings.

It’s also great and important to see stories from smaller centres, less known for their integration practices, like this one: Eritrean refugee welcomed to Cranbrook. Another type of news is encouraging: Diversity key to 2015 PanAm Games contracts, organizers say.

But the week saw quite a number of articles that suggested not to rest on our accolades when looking at how Canada integrates newcomers. As Alan Broadbent has previously pointed out, “In the successful integration of immigrants, there are three necessary conditions: intentionality, instruments, and investment.”

In The Toronto Star op-ed, Newcomers ride networks to security and success, Daniele Zanotti, chief executive officer of the United Way of York Region, suggests that: “Maybe, to maximize the gifts of newcomers, immigrants, entrepreneurs and social capital, we need a regionwide strength fund to support the local informal action that is already happening right now, outside this room, from welcoming to integrating to incubating our future — and then, just get the heck outta the way.” The Star also reported on how the province of Ontario is offering “relief” to settlement agencies.

At the same time, the South Asian Link wrote that Immigrants See A Harsher Canada Since Harper Conservatives Took Power.

Another research report was released looking at the practical dilemma of Labour Market Outcomes Among the Children of Immigrants. There was somewhat less media coverage of this report, but the implications on immigrant integration, along with inclusion of visible minorities in the Canadian labour market, suggest that action needs to be taken sooner, rather than later. The Toronto Star reported that Immigrants still face wage discrepancy:

“Children of immigrants in Canada are on average doing very well — achieving similar or better employment rates than the children of Canadian born parents, according to a Statistics Canada report released this week. But the study also reveals a wage gap between children of visible minority immigrants — particularly male Blacks, South Asians and Chinese — and their colleagues who were born to Canadian parents and are not members of a visible minority, according to the author of the report which was based on 2006 Census data.”

Some notable related articles: Needs Improvement: Immigrants to Canada Still Make Less than the Canadian-born (Martin Prosperity Institute), Canadian-born visible minorities earn less (Globe and Mail) and Foreign caregivers at risk of exploitation (Vancouver Sun).

In other related integration news, the Winnipeg Free Press reported that Toronto’s board of health has called for an end to the waiting period for health benefits for immigrants, the Vancouver Sun wrote that some Canadian-born children are being denied access to the most basic services, and a new report from Metropolis BC outlined how some Mainland Chinese returnees are moving back to China due to expectations of limited economic advancement in Canada, and in the case of former “astronaut” families, a desire for family reunification.

And just in case you needed a historial reminder of how far we’ve come in Canada (but also how much we should remember) – March 29: Launch of Road to Justice web site (historical legislated discrimination of Chinese community) and Komagata Maru memorial approved for Vancouver.

Multiculturalism, Interculturalism, plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose

The debate about multiculturalism continues, including morphing a bit into a discussion about whether or not what we really mean is interculturalism.

An excellent starting point this week is CBC’s Sunday Edition: Multiculturalism – In our middle hour, the state of the state – “Forty years ago this year, Pierre Elliott Trudeau gave the world the idea of legislated multiculturalism. Canada said to the world, you don’t have to reject your native culture when you come to Canada, that the country is not one culture but many, not a melting pot, but a government crafted and financed mosaic. Well has it worked? Multiculturalism is under fire in a number of European countries including the United Kingdom, but how is it doing in the country that invented it? 40 years of multiculturalism – a critical appraisal in hour two.”

Here’s a rundown of recent coverage: Is multiculturalism failing us, Laying problems at the wrong door, Religious symbols are an emblem of Canadian multiculturalism, Diversity, an absolute necessity, Christopher Charlesworth – The power of civic engagement role models, Gelek Badheytsang – City builders empowered through collective action, Cultures in Dialogue, Cities face new multicultural challenges, Official multiculturalism is good for Canada, March is Cultural Diversity And Race Relations Month in Saskatoon.

An upcoming student conference – Finding Meaning in Multiculturalism 40 Years Later – may provide some critical thinking beyond the confines of news journalism.

On January 17, 2011, Ratna Omidvar spoke about immigration, integration and inclusion at the second Martin Luther King lecture organized by the Koeber Stiftung in Hamburg.

Titled “The Next Dream,” Ratna noted that it is now more and more unlikely in countries such as Canada to witness open acts or expressions of racism. But systemic barriers to inclusion still exist. While much has been accomplished in the battle for equality, Dr. King would agree that much still needs to be done.

Ratna Omidvar in conversation with Melinda Crane (Photo credit: Claudia Höhne)

Ratna discussed how one important way to overcome these barriers is to focus on, talk about and learn more about how immigration impacts us positively. That is the only way to get past one’s inherent fear of the new, different and foreign.

While Germany and Canada are very different countries when it comes to population density and history, they can learn from one another. During the conversation with the audience that followed the lecture, Ratna took the opportunity to share her experiences.

Some audience members were doubtful that the negative image of immigrants found in the German media could be overcome, or that you could create enough incentives for successful integration. But Ratna encouraged them to be optimistic: “Those who want to change the current negative climate have to start working on it now.” She added, “In fact, Germany can cite some interesting examples of success. Just look at who plays in your soccer clubs, and who succeeds in your political parties.”

Ratna gave the audience some final thoughts to take them forward in their work moving towards inclusion. Things have already started to change for the better. Advocates and influencers have to point to them to show how these changes are positive.

Immigration is here to stay. Ultimately, the countries that adapt will be successful in this globalized world.

• Listen to Ratna’s lecture
• Read her lecture online