A Mutually Beneficial Situation

In the last year alone, Canada has welcomed more than 320,000 newcomers — clearly indicating that a lot of people want to be in this country. A large portion of this number is made up of Syrian refugees, with Canada welcoming over 30,000 since November of last year. More newcomers are now also prairie-bound, meaning that newcomers are no longer focused in Quebec, Ontario, or British Columbia. The entirety of Canada is receiving newcomers who can join the workforce and enjoy the benefits of living in our society.

Not only do people want to come to Canada, but the country also needs the influx of newcomers. Immigration Minister John McCallum has indicated that he wishes to keep welcoming a large number of newcomers to Canada. In doing so, he wishes to alleviate the challenges of the aging Canadian population. Approximately 17% of Canada’s current population are of retiring age (65 and older). The government hopes that by welcoming more newcomers to the country, the population of the workforce will increase and help alleviate the strain on social services that the aging population will create.

Canada is known in the international community as one of the most accepting and culturally diverse countries, largely due to the amount of immigrants and refugees living here. Despite the extensive bureaucratic processes of immigration, people choose to come to Canada for the environment and opportunities it offers to newcomers—may it be for the universal healthcare, education, or to simply have a place where one has the freedom to safely exercise their rights. This reputation is beneficial to a country that needs and, to an extent, relies on immigrants for its workforce population. With that in mind, hopefully the new Liberal government will make the process less stressful and extensive for the people they need to join the workforce.