jdobbin
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Posts posted by jdobbin
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Not quite. Only one province gets to select and control immigration: Quebec. Ontario asked for the same deal a year or two back and the feds refused. Then again, Quebec's determination to only accept French speakers hasn't exactly gotten them the best of the best.
So your solution is to eliminate all immigration?
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Rural Ontario is dying? Why? Because it doesn't have enough slums or drive-bys? Because it's kids can go to school without being intimidated and beaten by immigrant gangs? Because the teacher in their classes can speak English and not have to stop every thirty seconds to try to get the 50% of the class who don't speak English very well to understand?
What is the solution for rural Ontario then with a demographic that sees their population decline to ghost town status?
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LinkIn 2002, Canada welcomed a total of 228,575 immigrants. Manitoba received 4,594 newcomers representing 2.01 per cent of the national intake.
Of the roughly 4,500 immigrants to Manitoba, about 1500 were accepted as "provincial nominees" (500 as main applicant and 1000 as dependents). This is peanuts. If any province were to try to expand such a programme, immigrants would just lie on their application form and then go elsewhere on arrival.
And I'd still be curious to see residency stats about these 1500 people several years from now.
Those were 2002 results which indeed were pitiful. The nominee program was in its infancy in the province. By 2003, there was a 40% increase from the previous year and Manitoba is trying to get the numbers up to 10,000 a year.
Manitoba takes in 70% of provincial nominees. That is what's crazy. Other provinces could take in a lot more as they direct immigrants to where jobs and communities await them.
The tracking of nominees is being done in the lastest statistics report for Manitoba but the preliminary results is that retention from 1998 on has been excellent. It is one reason why business and communties want to increase numbers.
And even if nominees leave, they are more likely to go to Alberta rather than Ontario if statistics on overall numbers are to be believed. And Alberta is desperate for workers.
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According to the Constitution, immigration is a shared jurisdiction. Any province can have "nominees" as you call them - in effect, any provincial government can select its immigrants. It's another matter whether the immigrant will live in the province after arrival in Canada. Heck, it's even a moot question whether the immigration authorities will even know where the immigrant is.
dobbin, the Manitoba programme is small and I wonder how many immigrants are still in Manitoba, let's say, faive years after arrival.
I'd be surprised at how many of them leave within five years. The largest influx have been German speaking immigrants who settle in prosperous Mennonite territory where there are other German speakers. They have jobs and larger than average families. It is perfect place for them.
There has been an influx of Filipinos sponsored in as well. They are filling jobs and have a large community to settle it.
There have been British farmers being sponsored in.
All of these immigrants have communities working to settle them in, train them and keep them in the community.
It is not with new immigrants that Manitoba has a problem maintaining its population. It is with the new grad who was born in Canada. They find the lure of Toronto and Calgary hard to resist.
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Leafless, how do you propose we control where immigrants live? Do you want us to have a police state with internal passbooks and registration at the local authorities?
In simple terms, we cannot dicate where an immigrant will live and potential immigrants can promise to immigrate to Flin Flon and then change their minds.
There are controls. The point system makes it easier for immigrants to move to places outside major cities. The problem is that provinces have to be involved through the provincial nominee program to get them jobs and settle them into communities. It is working in some other provinces already. Is Ontario doing that or is it their goal to grow Toronto?
Immigrants can move once they have come to Canada, just like other immigrants but generally when they have a job within a community, they sponsor their families to that community. Historically, that is how various areas of the country have grown. Rural Ontario is dying. Time for Ontario to help facilitate immigration into those areas with the help of those communities.
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What federal controls are you making reference to? Have you got a link?
It is the federal government that is totally neglegent in allowing large numbers of immigrants into the country totally disconcerning themselves from the fact 43% of all of Canada's immigrants settle in Toronto.
It's in this very website's information: http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/gener...-provinces.html
Once again, has Ontario asked the federal government to assist in ensuring Toronto is not swamped? Please provide links.
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The priority is probably the easiest to pass, so I don't see why he would take it out. I'll bet you a beer that it will be passed before an election (as long as the government doesn't fall on softwood).
How will he make waiting lists disappear?
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Then you should try training people better. And frankly, as far as I'm concerned, if everyone has a good job, well, that's fine. It doesn't overy concern me that business might have trouble expanding and hiring more people.
I don't see how bringing in masses more people improves anyone's life. It brings more pollution, more urban sprawl, more crowded cities - for what again? So that businesses can expand more easily? I hate to sound like a socialist, but - screw business.
Manitoba is doing a fine job of bringing in new immigrants at the moment. We could use more but we need to press the federal government to expedite provincial nominee candidates.
Ontario has been trying to supersize Toronto for a long time now. Three different political parties have been in power over the last few decades in the province. Blame them for the liveable condiiton of Toronto.
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You don't seem to understand that it is NOT Toronto having problems adjusting to it's huge increase of immigrants but rather the federal government is at fault for allowing huge numbers of immigrants choosing Toronto as the place to live.
There are no federal controls.
Immigrants will naturally want to live where most of their cultural buddies choose to live.
There are federal controls. Provinces can work with the federal government to get the immigrants they want. Has Ontario been doing that?
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Easy to dismiss them as a direction-less, unorganized protest party though. I know what the Republicans stand for, whether I agree with it or not. I can't quite get my head around the long-term vision and policies of the Democrats... other than not being Republican.
This was the plight of the Reform party in Canada, they were simply anti-Liberal. It only got the vote of all those frustrated people, despite having no real long term vision other than just being not Liberal. Never really succeeded, and I hope most Americans will have the common sense to not elect a party with no leadership, no vision and simply no real policy.
It is hard to say with every Congressional seat up for grabs and a third of the Senate what the local issues are. I don't know that you can solely say a direction-less party. How do we know that the guy running for the Democrats in the so and so district is not an ace candidate who will *bring* new ideas to the Democrats?
There may be some protest aspect of the vote but there always is that sort of thing in an election with an unpopular government. Change often brings in the new leadership.
At the moment, even the Conservative movement is upset at Bush for a variety of things.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13875121/
It has been reported that Iranian soldiers fired the missile in Lebanon that killed Israeli sailors.
I think we can expect an attack on Iran in the next two days.
I think restraint is needed there. I really really really doubt Iran had anything to do with this whole showdown. They have only gave support to Syria if they have been attacked. Iran will not make a push.
They are just saying on the news now that Iranian troops are being seen with Hezbolla. If this is the case, then Iran most likely will be targeted.
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Watch for the rise of the Democratic Party!
There are a lot of Iraqi veterans running for the Democrats this election. It is a little hard to accuse them of being yellow bellied cowards.
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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13875121/
It has been reported that Iranian soldiers fired the missile in Lebanon that killed Israeli sailors.
I think we can expect an attack on Iran in the next two days.
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Come to Sask, we have more jobs then people and its the cheapest place to live in Canada.
You make a good point. Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta would all benefit from more immigration. Alberta is already doing well when it comes to interprovincial migration but we are all in desperate need to fill open jobs in our provinces.
Toronto may indeed be having problems adjusting to its huge increase of immigrants. But the best thing for new arrivals is to have a job to work at.
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Thanks for your long and reasoned response. it does raise further questions though.....
There are a number of reasons, not all of them have to do with government.
Perhaps the govt should consider slashing taxes in an effort to atract industry,jobs and hey! presto chango - more tax revenue as a result. Has this approach ever been given consideration by the province?
Alberta and Ontario are to blame for the lack of performance of the economy in Manitoba? Please explain.
I don't think it is a matter of 'powerful', and I do not see the relevance of your example in the US. Is the economy of Manitoba ultimately made weaker or stronger by its odd and apparently inexplicable reliance on the federal government?
Do you see the current or future government as being capable of providing proper financial guidance?
Slashing of taxes does raise revenues but the idea that they can be done without slashing services is false. The United States slashed taxes, raised revenues but their deficit has climbed since Bush came to office. Most economists, if not all, have said it is because services were not slashed as well. Manitoba could cut services but as I mentioned, Manitoba still couldn't compete with Alberta for a lower tax regime. And most likely what would happen is that a huge deificit would emerge even at running bare bones operations.
Quite frankly, no one in Canada can compete with Alberta's lower taxes. No one has the oil revenues that Alberta has to make a provincial sales tax disappear.
I didn't assess blame for Manitoba's being a 'have not" province, I just indicated that there were external forces that competed when it came to taxation and industry. No matter how low the tax goes in Manitoba, Alberta could go one better. In fact, if there was *no* tax in Manitoba, Alberta would still have the revenue to *pay* its citizens and businesses to stay.
Equalization payments exist within a federation to ensure that one region doesn't fall to unacceptable levels of service than another area. I know some people have argued that if they didn't exist, Manitobans could simply abandon the province and leave for Alberta. But the government of Canada knows that is not a benefit to the federation. Alberta itself was a long time recipient of equalization payments. Equalization was needed to ensure services were comparable to other provinces. And when oil was discovered, Alberta was well positioned with infrastructure and people to take advantage of it.
The relevance of the United States example is that the federal government there knows that some states cannot expect to build infrastructure of the quality that other states could do on their own. However, the U.S. government knows that for the United States to be competitive, it has to ensure parity for all states for a service such as interstate highways. That is why, the federal government takes responsibility for transfering money to all 50 states for this specific task. It is a form of equalization. There are other similar programs like this in the United States. It is one of the reasons why the U.S. is a huge economic success. Development there has been a 50 state effort.
Equalization is not inexplicable. It doesn't mean the recipients are basket cases. It doesn't mean that provinces that have never received equalization are superior (would that mean Ontario was better than Alberta?) It simply means the federal government has an interest in ensuring that certain parts of the country do not fall below national standards of service.
Can the present government get Manitoba to a "have" status? Not likely. They haven't put Manitoba into a deficit but they are tired and the innovations needed increase revenues substantially just aren't there.
Can a new government do it? I have no idea. The Conservatives just got a new leader but he is untested and there is no platform yet.
I think the big question is can business in Manitoba step up to the plate? They cannot routinely blame government for their lack of investment. Sometimes businesses have to forge ahead on their own and create the conditions for their own success. There has been too little of this in Manitoba.
Hydro might ultimately be where Manitoba royalities comes from. There is a steady royalty now that the government gets from Hydro. The north is still untapped and Ontario is dying for energy. There are a number of stumbling blocks, not the least is the lack of high power transmission lines to Ontario. That would cost $1 billion. If it gets done, it could be the start a continuing royalty stream for the province for decades to come.
All that is long term though. In the short term, Manitoba has to make sure it doesn't go into deficit and that it build its success from people rather than resources.
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It's 2020 and, in Toronto, the days when everyone used the public health-care system are gone. So is the time when a majority of affluent, middle-class parents sent their kids to public schools. In 2020, vast tracts of suburban slums occupy what used to be good farmland on the city's outskirts.
Traffic congestion and air pollution are unbearable. Toronto's reputation as one of North America's most livable cities is a distant memory. It's now known as the " Sao Paulo of the north."
It is an interesting viewpoint. It just means that Ontario needs to take better control of its immigration. Why settle people just in Toronto?
Ontario cannot 'settle" people anywhere, nor can Canada, really. People will settle where they want, and usually they want to settle among their own kind. As the article says, even when they settle elsewhere, they are inevitably drawn to the big cities filled with not just communities full of people "like them" but all the other stuff big cities draw people with, so they move. Nor will our constitution allow any restrictions on mobility rights among "canadians". You might bring them in to Kenora, and they might live there a few years, then they'll probably pack up and move to Toronto.
A provincial nominee program matched immigarents to jobs. There will always be movement but for smalelr communities, this nomiinee program can be a lifeline. Ontario really hasn't gone to as great an effort to place people in such a place as say, Kenora. There are job there wanting for lack of workers.
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A lot of people who don't hold a grudge say that the price of skilled construction labour has risen at a faster than expected rate across the country and especially in the west.
In any case, they've already announced they won't be scaling back the project. They found some efficiencies and won't need to rebuild some of the bridges.
That's because the federal government kicked in the promised money that the Liberals first put on the table. There are other phases to this as well and hopefully, funding from all levels of government will kick in.
I'd still like an auditor-general's report on this because of the money and management involved. Are the cost overruns just because of increased labour and supply prices or was the contract and tendering not up to snuff?
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I guess if most of the Muslim world can believe that no Muslim extremist was involved in the attacks, then North Americans can believe it too.
Given that the Bush administration can barely keep a leak from any part of its operations from from making the New York Times, it seems unlikely that they could keep one where Bush planned and executed an attack on the World Trade Center.
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This is another area where the province has let costs get out of control.
You think they should have had more control over the economy?
A lot of the contracters have said the major cause of cost overruns is a master labour agreement.
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Having to spend close to a billion widening/deepening the floodway around Winnipeg makes you hanker for that teat something fierce.
This is another area where the province has let costs get out of control. And to top it off, Doer said that they might do an incomplete job because of shortfalls in financing.
That will be cold comfort when Manitoba has a flood that makes 1997 look small.
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I don't want to sound pessimistic but the proof is almost in the pudding.
Could this possibly be associated with a Liberal plot to destroy major White English speaking cities or provinces via uncontrolled (third world immigration) immigration knowing full well what the outcome would be?
I think the writing is on the wall if you happen to be a White English speaking and Christan citizen of Canada.
So Harper is really a Liberal?
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In a Toronto Star article, immigration consultant Daniel Stoffman paints a gloomy future for Canada unless it gets control of its immigration system. With immigrant poverty levels running over 50% over the past 15 years slums are forming for our new permanent "underclass" as social services and education deteriorate. And in the not very distant future:
It's 2020 and, in Toronto, the days when everyone used the public health-care system are gone. So is the time when a majority of affluent, middle-class parents sent their kids to public schools. In 2020, vast tracts of suburban slums occupy what used to be good farmland on the city's outskirts.
Traffic congestion and air pollution are unbearable. Toronto's reputation as one of North America's most livable cities is a distant memory. It's now known as the " Sao Paulo of the north."
It is an interesting viewpoint. It just means that Ontario needs to take better control of its immigration. Why settle people just in Toronto? If they have a provincial nominee program in place, they can have communities across Ontario that need workers match up with immigrants wanting to come to Canada.
Manitoba has done very well by this program.
Also, Alberta could make use of these new immigrants coming in. They just need to find them a place to live.
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An Israeli ship has just been by a rocket from Lebanon. Last word was that it was ablaze off the coast.
I don't know about any of you but I am getting a bit nervous as to how far this is going to go.
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I also recommend you actually read up and understand this tax exemption you are referring to. I do not think its a blanket exemption or the great value and benefit you think it is. I also suggest before you wish too hard to be an aboriginal you travel to their reservations and see how they actually live in some reservations. It isn't all glitz and utopia.
Natives who live in the city or off reserve pay taxes right along with everyone else.
Tax exempt status on reserves hasn't been the economic growth driver that some would believe.
Is the US already bankrupt?
in Federal Politics in the United States
Posted
It makes you wonder about the GST reductiion by the Conservatives. While popular, it is no replacement for income tax cuts.