The National Question

[mikedavid00]

eg. Having a Chinese garment worker stay in China and sew clothes and then import the cheap garments to Canada makes money for the garment industry and saves money for the consumer.

But having that same Chinese factory worker immigrate to Winnipeg to work in a clothing factory in Canada is not a cost effective - taxpayers end up paying way more in entitlements than what that cheap labourer offers the economy.

Bingo.

The wages that are really getting depressed are the white collar wages in the private sector. There's also the effect of devaluation of education. It's a myth that 'Canadians' do not lose jobs to immigrants. They lose jobs to immigrants each day.

A family friend of my fiance has now moved to Alberta. He has been in Canada just for school and is now working and persuing a wife in Canada to secure his citizenship.

However, one in Canada quickly forgets the Canadian who was screened out of the University program becuase his GPA wasn't high enough to get in. Instead, we have a fogiegn national.

From India.

Who could barely speak english.

Who sat infront of me eating with his bare hands digging his fingers in his rice and curry shovelling the food in his mouth with his bare hands.

Chewing with his mouth open...

Yup. He's the one living the dream.

The local in ALberta who tried to enter into comp sci after high school? meh.. who cares about him. We need to focus on the dream of the foreign national who consideres himself an Indian and who will soon be working on sponsoring in his elderly parents for us tax payers to look after.

One thing for sure. They'll all be voting Liberal in Alberta. Give it 15 years. You'll all see.

[BC_chick]

Interesting, I guess Harper fits into category (e).

I bet that breaks a lot of hearts around here - can't even blame the Liberals for it.

[geoffrey]

I can't even answer that poll. I think immigrants are in general great... my personal experience with them has been outstanding in my business life.

We do have to recognize the risks associated with being too open though. Our security must always be the priority. Militantism, religious violence and hate aren't acceptable here.

As long as Canada remains a country that represents the values of it's citizens, we'll make these types are quickly removed. Some fine tuning is needed in the system no doubt, but immigration is where we'll find our future.

Especially out West. We can't find anyone to work anymore. So we have to import them in order to sustain our economy.

[Mad_Michael]

The poll choices contain so much bias and bullcrap that it is impossible to actually register a choice.

I'll refrain from commenting upon what kind of bias motivated those poll descriptions - suffice it to say that the word I'd like to use here is not a pretty one (nor is it permitted by the site rules).

Contrary to the poll statements, immigrants in Canada have (on average) higher rates of education, lower rates of criminal incarceration and lower usage of social services (UI & Welfare) than white Canadian born citizens.

If you are looking for deadbeats in Canada, more of them are white Canadian born than immigrants.

[Mad_Michael]

I can't even answer that poll. I think immigrants are in general great... my personal experience with them has been outstanding in my business life.

We do have to recognize the risks associated with being too open though. Our security must always be the priority. Militantism, religious violence and hate aren't acceptable here.

I commend your viewpoint and share it. However, with all due respect, I must say that the greatest militantism, religious violence and hate in Canada over the last ten years has come from white Canadian citizens.

As long as Canada remains a country that represents the values of it's citizens, we'll make these types are quickly removed. Some fine tuning is needed in the system no doubt, but immigration is where we'll find our future.

Especially out West. We can't find anyone to work anymore. So we have to import them in order to sustain our economy.

Yes, Canada needs immigration. At least these non-white immigrants actually have a work ethic. Something that is seriously lacking in white Canadians these days.

[scribblet]

No choice in the poll worked for me.

I would prefer: .......

4-End all sponsorship except of family-class members.

5-Reduce the scope of family-class immigration.

6-Carry out suitability interviews and personality testing. Anyone who doesn't accept basic Canadian norms should not be admitted.

7-Make it a condition of landing to settle in smaller/remote communities (and assess the applicants on their job prospects in THOSE communities.)

8-Make it mandatory to acquire some level of English or French. For those who need it, compell them to attend government-provided classes.

That would be good for a start.

Good grief charley brown, I think I agree with you.

[normanchateau]

Interesting, I guess Harper fits into category (e).

Category (e) is to maintain the status quo.

Harper actually campaigned on a platform of making it easier for immigrants to get in.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...ion2006&no_ads=

I wonder if some Harper supporters merely rationalize this as one of those lies he needed to tell in order to get elected.

[mikedavid00]

Especially out West. We can't find anyone to work anymore. So we have to import them in order to sustain our economy.

I already posted numbers to prove this otherwise.

You selectively ignore factual, and valid numbers of employment figures in Alberta. Instead, the emotional, Liberal, right side of your brain kicks in:

'My experiences with immigrants have been great!'.

I find it extrememly hard to beleive you do business with immigrants considering a large portion of them can not read or write at a business level (factual).

[mikedavid00]

The current rate of qualified immigrants is 25 %. Ie. Only one-quarter have job skills we need now. The rest are largely on Family plans.

Amazing. Someone finally who is educated on the topic.

And you should research how much of that 25% even find work in the first 5 years of them landing.

[geoffrey]

I already posted numbers to prove this otherwise.

I don't need numbers, I work in an industry and a profession where I get unsolicited offers weekly for new jobs... and where we have to pay 5 figure retention bonuses on a regular basis. That is the Alberta of today.

Easterners don't want to move out here, so we'll have to bring others in to fill the jobs.

You selectively ignore factual, and valid numbers of employment figures in Alberta. Instead, the emotional, Liberal, right side of your brain kicks in:

The figures showing a below the natural rate of unemployment situation with the highest participation rate in North America? Or the figures that you invented?

I find it extrememly hard to beleive you do business with immigrants considering a large portion of them can not read or write at a business level (factual).

Your so full of shit. Does immigrant to you only mean ethnic minorities? Or do you hold the same grudges against UK born professionals? I think your a racist, not anti immigrant.

The typical lazy guy that blames all the evil immigrants (that have no skills, but have better jobs...) on all your trouble.

It's simply not so over in the real world.

[mikedavid00]

Your so full of shit. Does immigrant to you only mean ethnic minorities? Or do you hold the same grudges against UK born professionals? I think your a racist, not anti immigrant.

The typical lazy guy that blames all the evil immigrants (that have no skills, but have better jobs...) on all your trouble.

It's simply not so over in the real world.

Oh so now your a card carying Liberal calling me a racist because I don't agree with your viewpoints.

Your also showing your liberalism by stereotyping me as lazy because I don't agree with your viewpoints.

You are furthermore showing your liberalism by grasping at 'exceptions being the rule'. No. Immigrant accountants are not from the UK for the most part. They are from Asia and have trouble with English. Everyone here knows this.

And it's *me* who constantly has to automate the repetative tasks of accountants becuase they don't know how to work a spreadsheet and gather numbers when they should be the masters of it.

Oh well waht do I know.

Well what I do know is that I would seriously consider moving to the US before you get married and while you are single. That's the best advice I can give you.

[geoffrey]

Oh so now your a card carying Liberal calling me a racist because I don't agree with your viewpoints.

I'm definitely not a Liberal. I'm reasonable.

You are furthermore showing your liberalism by grasping at 'exceptions being the rule'. No. Immigrant accountants are not from the UK for the most part. They are from Asia and have trouble with English. Everyone here knows this.

Asian immigrant accountants that have trouble with English but have such a strong desire to succeed get hired in my books before a Canadian born accountant with zero work ethic.

What of Francophone Canadians? Are they superior candidates to Asian immigrants?

I can't believe I'm even discussing ethnicity as a qualification for employment.

And it's *me* who constantly has to automate the repetative tasks of accountants becuase they don't know how to work a spreadsheet and gather numbers when they should be the masters of it.

Or we're too busy with other things to bother. Mostly because we can't find enough people to fill the jobs.

Well what I do know is that I would seriously consider moving to the US before you get married and while you are single. That's the best advice I can give you.

This advice I agree with. But only for my personal economic reasons. I mean, it's not like the US has no immigration issues....