The Changing Face of Canada
The face of Canada is changing, and a new population study released by Statistics Canada paints a portrait of what the country will look like in the year 2017, when Canada turns 150 years old. The study predicts that in 12 years’ time, there will be upwards of eight million visible minorities in Canada. Stats Can says people born in a different country will make up a larger percentage of the population than at any time since the turn of the last century, when waves of Europeans began rolling over western Canada. In large urban cities like Vancouver and Toronto, the visible minorities actually will be visible majorities. By 2017, visible minorities will make up 45% of Toronto’s population, 18% of Vancouver’s and 11% of Montreal’s population.
The study shows roughly half of all visible minorities in Canada in 12 years time will belong to two groups, South Asians and Chinese. But immigration experts say their success will depend on how well Canada overcomes such problems as racism and recognizing foreign training and skills. Raymond Chan, the federal minister of state for multiculturalism, says the government is exploring future policies to address the changing demographic landscape. Ivan Fellegi, Canada’s Chief Statistician agrees with the need for new policies and says that while Canada remains a land of opportunity, labour market concerns for newcomers are a reality. Statistics show that while new immigrants are arriving with higher education levels their earnings remain lower than the Canadian average for a longer period of time. However, such emphasis on immigrant’s short-term economic performance ignores the fact that newcomers do and will in the future continue to contribute socially and culturally in the building of a global, diverse and multinational Canada.
