NDP CONCERNED OVER NEW CANADIANS’ GROWING INCOME GAP
Highly skilled immigrants struggling with low incomes
Why is the prosperity gap between immigrants and Canadian-born people continuing to grow at such an alarming rate?
This is a question that needs to be asked, and answers demanded, from a government that was elected to improve the lives of all Canadians.
Recently, Statistics Canada released a study on the growing income gap between new immigrants and Canadian-born people. The report examined the financial situation of immigrant families, assessing their economic condition and the extent of their “chronic” low income and the impact of changes in education and skill classes on their economic well-being since 1993.
What really disappoints me is that according to the study, low-income rates among immigrants during their first year in Canada were 3.5 times higher than those of Canadian-born people. These rates were higher than at any time during the 1990s than the previous decade.
That means if you are born in Canada, you are 3.5 times less likely to be part of a low-income family than a new immigrant to the country. This is how Canada’s current immigration policies are failing immigrants as they struggle to use their degrees, qualifications, skills and experience that they bring to Canadian society. Despite doubling the number of immigrants who possess university degrees over the last 15 years, the number of low-income immigrant families continues to climb.
I have been welcomed into many ethnic communities and during my 20 years of political work, I have learned a great deal about the various hardships faced by these communities in Canada. That is why this study by Statistics Canada is not a surprising reminder to me, of the growing gap and challenges facing new immigrants.
I feel like Canada is breaking a promise to new Canadians when we cannot provide them with secure jobs, steady incomes and a stable quality of life. All the immigrants and new Canadians I have met across this country are hardworking and constantly trying to provide the best for their families. We must not turn our backs on them.
The immigrants I have met and spent time with are highly educated with very specialized skills. Why can’t they find suitable jobs with suitable pay? Even Statistics Canada reported that the “the economic situation of new immigrants to Canada showed no improvement after the turn of the millennium.” This is despite the fact that they had professional degrees, higher levels of education and more specialized skills than a decade earlier.
The NDP has been fighting to ensure skilled and educated immigrants have quick access to jobs that match their skills. We are demanding that the government take immediate and direct action to recognize and provide pre-assessment and accreditation of foreign credentials and experience. When a doctor immigrates to Canada but cannot practice medicine because his or her degree and experience is not recognized in Canada that is a loss not only for that family, but for Canada who has lost the valuable skills and of a much-needed doctor in this country.
Canada’s immigrant population is hardworking and care about the issues the NDP stands for such as health care, the environment, and the quality of life for their children. The NDP has made many strides on issues specific to immigrants such as the continued call for the full elimination of landing fees and fees for refugees. They have fought for an apology and compensation for Chinese regarding the head tax and to bring forth reforms in immigration such as the “Once in a Lifetime” bill, allowing Canadians to make a once in a lifetime sponsorship of a relative to Canada.
The Conservatives continue to hurt Canadians through policies that don’t benefit working families. The Liberals continue to make empty promises and have shown they have no clear understanding of the challenges facing working and middle-class families. The NDP is the only party fighting for fairness and for all working families and immigrants.
Bill Siksay is the NDP Immigration Critic
