A person may migrate because of three main reasons: Economic reasons, social reasons and political reasons, each one, as important as the next one. People looking for better economic expectances, or escaping from persecution, often risk everything they have to go abroad looking for a better life.
Develop countries are the biggest receptors of migrant workers and also illegal work force, which in the case of the USA is composed mainly by the Hispanic group, now days, the biggest minority in the region. On the other hand, countries in the EU receive people from Africa and Asia in search of a better quality of life.
But this search of a better life quality could be tricky, most immigrants find themselves doing jobs that the local people would never accept taking.
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Migrant workers, Class presentation, http://interactiva.eafit.edu.co/ei/
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/timeline/images/timeline_pic13.jpg
Sometimes it is very hard being a Migrant worker, like in the case of the Migrant workers to California in the 1930s.
THE PAST AND FUTURE OF IMMIGRATION TO CANADA
This paper puts together and compares Canada’s history of immigration to present day. Changing the trend from the 19th, when immigration failed to contribute to population growth, for being just settlers from the British Empire, looking to establish a new country, to the trend in the 20th century, when immigration became the main base for populating the isolated and hard land. Also saying, how the immigration source changed to people coming from Asia and other parts of Europe, rather than just British citizens.
The main reason for which Canada wasn´t working properly as a growing country for immigrants, or didn´t look appealing to them was because the country was too cold, too remote, and too backward. In other words, Canada was missing a big “pull” for immigration. They just simply preferred the USA over to Canada as their destination. And then, few were lured to look to Canada as a nice place. But in the 20th century things changed, and eventhough Canada has a stipulated preference for immigrants with skills, it basically maintained the volume of immigration by lowering the skill requirements.
“I wish to make it quite clear that Canada is perfectly within her rights in selecting the persons whom we regard as desirable future citizens. It is not a “fundamental human right” of any alien to enter Canada. It is a privilege. It is a matter of domestic policy. Immigration is subject to the control of the Parliament of Canada. This does not mean, however, that we should not seek to remove from our legislation what may appear to be objectionable discrimination”. What was punishable of being considered “objectionable discrimination” would evolve massively in the next 25 years, when about 3´.500.000 immigrated to Canada. In 1962, explicit discrimination based on race or religion was abolished, and was replaced by criteria.
Finally a “points system”, was implemented in 1967, which strongly emphasizes on skills, education, and training of the regular independent immigrant, instead of focusing on his background. And therefore immigrants were, now, to be able to meet the demands and challenges of an urban, post-industrial, and service-sector economy, rather than a rural one. Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East are regions from which Canada will receive immigrants. Because of them being growing regions which can give Canada new prosperity.
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1. Dominion of Canada, 1947, p.2646.
2. The Past and future of Immigration to Canada, David Verbeeten.
http://www.reallygoodfriend.com/images/canada_day_poster_2007.jpg
Canada, a land of opportunities and diversity.
QUESTION
Do you think the Points system in Canada is meant to protect the country´s sovereignty ?, or is it just a deliberated form of discrimination ?. Why ?.
Once again I need to quote the former statement:
“I wish to make it quite clear that Canada is perfectly within her rights in selecting the persons whom we regard as desirable future citizens. It is not a “fundamental human right” of any alien to enter Canada. It is a privilege. It is a matter of domestic policy. Immigration is subject to the control of the Parliament of Canada. This does not mean, however, that we should not seek to remove from our legislation what may appear to be objectionable discrimination”.
From which I can say that every country is entitled to reserve itself, as an independent entity, from any kind of unwanted or undesirable alien. This is not a form of discrimination. Although it is hard to immigrate to Canada, the country has one of the best levels of life in the world and has to maintain it.
The System of points protects sovereignty and makes a person eligible on the base of his skills, rather than his political, racial, social or religion background. Therefore it is not a form of discrimination.
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Dominion of Canada, 1947, p.2646
USEFUL LINKS
http://www.how2immigrate.net/canada/
This link may be useful to those who have decided to immigrate to Canada, to get a main idea about the requirements before entering the webpage of the Canadian embassy.
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