Elon Musk—Powerful Critic Of Illegal Immigrants—Worked Illegally In U.S. At Start Of Career, Report Says

2024/10/28 Leave a comment

Not all that surprising. In some ways, this election has become as much about the influence of tech bros, whether Musk weaponizing Twitter etc or Bezos not permitting an editorial by the Washington Post:

Billionaire Elon Musk, who has become a staunch opponent of illegal immigration as a top surrogate for Donald Trump, and boosted misleadingclaims about the issue throughout the 2024 election cycle, launched his career in Silicon Valley working illegally, according to The Washington Post.

The Post, citing business associates, court records and company documents, found Musk did not have the legal right to work in the U.S. while creating Zip2—a business directory software company that sold for about $300 million 25 years ago.

Musk, who was born in Pretoria, South Africa, dropped out of a Stanford University graduate program in 1995 as a foreign student to instead work on his start-up.

Musk’s immigration status put the company at risk of not receiving funding, according to the Post, which cited a funding agreement between Zip2 and Mohr Davidow Ventures that Musk, his brother Kimbal and an associate, had 45 days to secure legal work status or face losing out on the $3 million investment.

Derek Proudian, a Zip2 board member who later became the company’s chief executive, told the Post that Zip2 investors did not want its founder deported, and that the Musk brothers’ “immigration status was not what it should be for them to be legally employed running a company in the U.S.”

Musk acknowledged his immigration status when he founded Zip2 in a 2005 email to Tesla co-founders Martin Eberhard and JB Straubel revealed in a lawsuit, where he explained he applied to Stanford to stay in the U.S. legally, according to the Post.

Representatives at X and Alex Spiro, one of Musk’s attorneys, did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment, and Musk has yet to respond to the story on X.

Source: Elon Musk—Powerful Critic Of Illegal Immigrants—Worked Illegally In U.S. At Start Of Career, Report Says

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More commentary on the immigration levels plan

2024/10/28 Leave a comment

The Axworthy comment is particularly biting with respect to immigration and the [mis] functioning of cabinet government and ministerial responsibilities:

Argitis: Trudeau’s new policy upshot? First population decline since 1867: It was a spectacular economic policy error, followed by a spectacular reversal.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government announced on Thursday that it will implement sharp cuts to immigration flows, bringing Canada’s rapid population growth to an abrupt halt. The move, aimed at easing a housing crisis after an unprecedented increase in immigration over the past two years, could have significant effects on wages, interest rates, and the broader economy.

With immigration cuts, Ottawa is rethinking its economic principles: For many years, the federal Liberal Party made strong immigration a central plank of its economic plan for Canada, inviting scores of skilled workers to the country to slow demographic aging. In a policy U-turn, the government’s pro-growth ethos is now on pause.

Ottawa announced at a news conference Thursday that it’s cutting back immigration levels over the next three years, breaking a trend of steady increases. Combined with efforts to reduce temporary resident numbers, Canada’s population is set to post small declines in 2025 and 2026.

It amounts to a dramatic reversal. The country’s population grew by 3.2 per cent last year – the quickest pace since the late 1950s – or nearly 1.3 million people. Canada has ranked among the fastest-growing countries in recent years, easily outpacing its Group of Seven peers.

Axworthy | Justin Trudeau has infantilized his ministers. They need more power for our government to work: That trust has been shattered. Economic consultants from McKinsey promoted population growth as an economic lever. Business lobbies pushed for temporary foreign workers to meet labour shortages, and provincial governments used international students to solve funding shortfalls in higher education. Immigration policy became a tool to solve non-immigration issues, and ministerial leadership was sacrificed in favor of PMO decisions. The result is a system that is now crumbling under the weight of limited ministerial guidance  and misaligned priorities.

Wherry: Trudeau’s Liberals are trying to save the Canadian consensus on immigration — and their legacy: It’s too early to say whether the last few years have done any lasting damage to the public’s attitude toward immigration — or whether any future government will see something to be gained from cutting the flow of newcomers even more. But it’s possible that both the broad direction established by the Liberals and the basic imperatives that underpinned the Canadian consensus will prevail.

The federal government’s new targets represent a significant decrease from recent years. In each of the last three years, more than 400,000 people have become permanent residents; that annual intake number is now set to fall to 365,000 by 2027. But that still represents an increase over immigration levels during the previous Conservative government’s time in office — from 2006 to 2015, annual totals were never lower than 237,000 and never higher than 272,000.

While Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has heaped scorn on the Liberals over their handling of the immigration file, he also has stopped short of saying he would implement actual cuts. He has said only that he would use an unspecified “mathematical formula” — one that takes into account housing construction and access to health care services — to determine Canada’s immigration targets.

It’s also notable (though perhaps not surprising) that, the swing in public opinion notwithstanding, the federal government’s announcement this week has drawn some criticism and concern — from economists and business groups, but also provincial politicians.

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Le Devoir Éditorial | Agir sur trois fronts à l’école Bedford, Yakabuski: Religion in public schools is roiling Quebec politics once again

2024/10/28 Leave a comment

Of note:

À la suite de l’épouvantable scandale de l’école primaire Bedford, dans Côte-des-Neiges, affublée de tous les maux, le débat sur la laïcité est reparti de plus belle à l’Assemblée nationale. Avant de conclure qu’un renforcement de la Loi sur la laïcité de l’État s’impose, les élus seraient avisés de prendre un pas de recul et de poser un diagnostic lucide sur les dérives qui ont compromis tant le projet pédagogique de cette école que le bien-être des enfants et du personnel.

Les problèmes de l’école Bedford, une école publique, offrent un condensé des dérives du réseau scolaire québécois. Ils envoient aussi un strident signal d’alarme que nous ne pouvons ignorer, puisque quatre autres écoles de la région montréalaise font maintenant l’objet de vérifications de la part du ministère de l’Éducation pour des dérives analogues.

En somme, un clan dominant d’enseignants d’origine maghrébine — opposé à un autre groupe de la même appartenance — a pris sur lui d’adapter ou d’ignorer des pans du programme pédagogique pour lui insuffler des valeurs à mi-chemin entre le conservatisme culturel et le prosélytisme religieux au nom de l’islam. Le rapport ne va pas aussi loin, mais il est compris et analysé comme tel dans l’espace public.

Tout y est : le harcèlement, l’intimidation, la violation de la Loi sur la laïcité de l’État, le déni d’assistance et l’humiliation des élèves éprouvant des difficultés d’apprentissage, le refus du français comme langue d’usage, l’iniquité de traitement entre les hommes et les femmes, la démission des enseignants qui ne voulaient pas manger de ce pain-là, l’incurie administrative grâce à laquelle le climat a pourri pendant sept ans, l’incapacité de la direction ou du Centre de services scolaire de Montréal (CSSDM) de venir à bout du problème, les limites de la Loi sur l’instruction publique, la mollesse crasse des instances syndicales, qui n’ont pas su agir dans l’intérêt des enfants, l’incompétence abyssale des enseignants embauchés dans un contexte de pénurie de main-d’oeuvre en éducation qui ne disparaîtra pas de sitôt…

Est-ce vraiment une affaire de laïcité ? La réponse est… complexe. Il y a là en même temps l’expression d’un refus et d’une acceptation du vivre-ensemble : n’oublions pas que le litige oppose des enseignants issus du même creuset. L’école Bedford, c’est plutôt la symbiose parfaite du déni de la laïcité, de la faiblesse dans la gouvernance scolaire et de l’incompétence pédagogique.

Si l’État n’agit pas sur ces trois fronts en simultané, il risque d’instrumentaliser la laïcité pour faire des gains politiques à court terme, en balayant sous le tapis l’impérieuse nécessité d’assainir la gouvernance scolaire et de se doter d’une Loi sur l’instruction publique permettant d’agir sur l’incompétence des enseignants avec plus de célérité. Le rapport d’enquête du ministère de l’Éducation sur l’école Bedford, qui a mené à la suspension du droit d’enseigner de 11 professeurs, est on ne peut plus clair à ce sujet : « aucune conséquence n’est prévue à la [Loi sur l’instruction publique] pour l’enseignant qui ne respecte pas ses obligations ».

Aujourd’hui, le conservatisme musulman est montré du doigt à l’école Bedford. Demain, ce sera le messianisme judaïque ou même le conspirationnisme fantaisiste, pourquoi pas ?

Nous ne pouvons prédire ce que la pénurie de professeurs et les difficultés de recrutement en éducation produiront comme canards boiteux devant la classe. Il y a pour ainsi dire urgence de passer outre la rigidité syndicale et la sacralisation de l’autonomie professionnelle pour faire en sorte que les enseignants ne puissent pas prendre de liberté avec le programme pédagogique, le principe de l’égalité entre les hommes et les femmes et l’épanouissement des enfants. Il y a aussi des comptes à demander aux directions d’école et aux centres de services scolaires pour s’assurer du respect de leurs obligations dans des délais acceptables.

C’est à ces conditions que nous pourrons aborder l’enjeu de la laïcité, un élément parmi d’autres de cette poudrière. La cohérence entre l’action et le discours sera la bienvenue. Dans la foulée de cette histoire, le Parti libéral du Québec a révisé sa position historique et se dit maintenant opposé au financement public des écoles à vocation religieuse, au nom de l’équité entre les hommes et les femmes. Selon une analyse faite par La Presse, 11 de ces écoles sont lourdement avantagées par l’État, recevant des subventions de 38 millions de dollars et bénéficiant d’avantages fiscaux directs et indirects totalisant 53 millions.

Le premier ministre François Legault a d’abord rejeté une motion à l’Assemblée nationale sur l’abolition du financement public des écoles privées religieuses. Le lendemain, il s’est dit prêt à en débattre de manière réfléchie. C’est la voie à suivre. La patience, le recul et la contribution de la société civile seront nécessaires pour faire en sorte que la neutralité religieuse et l’imputabilité trouvent leur pleine expression dans le système scolaire québécois.

Source: Éditorial | Agir sur trois fronts à l’école Bedford

Following the terrible scandal of the Bedford primary school, in Côte-des-Neiges, adorned with all evils, the debate on secularism has started again in the National Assembly. Before concluding that a strengthening of the Law on the Secularism of the State is necessary, elected officials would be advised to take a step back and make a lucid diagnosis of the excesses that have compromised both the pedagogical project of this school and the well-being of children and staff.

The problems of Bedford School, a public school, offer a summary of the excesses of the Quebec school network. They are also sending a shrill alarm that we cannot ignore, since four other schools in the Montreal region are now being checked by the Ministry of Education for similar drifts.

In short, a dominant clan of teachers of North African origin – opposed to another group of the same membership – has taken it upon himself to adapt or ignore parts of the pedagogical program to instill values halfway between cultural conservatism and religious proselytism in the name of Islam. The report does not go that far, but it is understood and analyzed as such in public space.

Everything is there: harassment, intimidation, the violation of the Law on the secularism of the State, the denial of assistance and the humiliation of students experiencing learning difficulties, the refusal of French as a language of use, the inequality of treatment between men and women, the resignation of teachers who did not want to eat this bread, the administrative negligence thanks to which the climate has rotten for seven years, the inability of the management or the Montreal School Service Center (CSSDM) to overcome the problem, the limits of the Public Education Act, the gross softness of the union bodies, who did not know how to act in the interests of children, abysmal incompetence Of teachers hired in a context of labor shortage in education that will not disappear anytime soon…

Is it really a matter of secularism? The answer is… complex. At the same time, there is the expression of a refusal and acceptance of living together: let’s not forget that the dispute opposes teachers from the same crucible. The Bedford school is rather the perfect symbiosis of the denial of secularism, weakness in school governance and pedagogical incompetence.

If the State does not act on these three fronts simultaneously, it risks instrumentalizing secularism to make short-term political gains, by sweeping under the carpet the imperative need to clean up school governance and to have a law on public education to act on the incompetence of teachers more quickly. The investigation report of the Ministry of Education into the Bedford School, which led to the suspension of the right to teach of 11 teachers, could not be clear on this subject: “no consequences are foreseen in the [Public Education Act] for the teacher who does not respect his obligations”.

Today, Muslim conservatism is pointed out at the Bedford School. Tomorrow, it will be Jewish messianism or even fanciful conspiracy, why not?

We cannot predict what the shortage of teachers and the difficulties in recruiting in education will produce like lame ducks in front of the classroom. It is, so to speak, urgent to go beyond union rigidity and the sacralization of professional autonomy to ensure that teachers cannot take freedom with the pedagogical program, the principle of equality between men and women and the development of children. There are also accountability for school principals and school service centres to ensure that their obligations are met within an acceptable time frame.

It is under these conditions that we will be able to address the issue of secularism, one element among others of this powder keg. Consistency between action and speech will be welcome. In the wake of this story, the Quebec Liberal Party has revised its historical position and is now opposed to public funding for religious schools, in the name of equity between men and women. According to an analysis made by La Presse, 11 of these schools are heavily advantaged by the state, receiving subsidies of 38 million dollars and benefiting from direct and indirect tax benefits totaling 53 million.

Prime Minister François Legault first rejected a motion in the National Assembly on the abolition of public funding for private religious schools. The next day, he said he was ready to discuss it thoughtfully. This is the way to go. Patience, hindsight and the contribution of civil society will be necessary to ensure that religious neutrality and accountability find their full expression in the Quebec school system.

And for background on the controversies, see Yakabuski below:

…Not surprisingly, Mr. Legault and PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon have been one-upping each other in recent days in their defence of Quebec’s secularist values. After all, l’affaire Bedford also feeds into concerns, stoked by both leaders, that immigration is threatening Quebec’s identity.

“There is a specific problem in our schools, and it involves religious and ideological infiltration. And in the case of École Bedford, it has to do with Islamist infiltration,” Mr. St-Pierre Plamondon declared. “The number of schools where 75 per cent of students were not born in Quebec is quite high in Montreal. We should study how to achieve more mixing of students to avoid the formation of microcosms.”

Mr. Drainville, a former PQ cabinet minister best known for tabling a charter of Quebec values in 2013, is now on the receiving end of PQ attacks as he seeks to come up with a political response to the École Bedford controversy. Mr. Drainville’s charter served as the inspiration for the CAQ’s Bill 21.

Mr. Plamondon is now calling for an end to Quebec’s long-standing system of subsidizing religious private schools, and is promising a four-year moratorium on “economic” immigration if the PQ wins the next election, set for 2026.

For Mr. Legault, the temptation to seize on the École Bedford case to rebuild his own political capital may be too great to resist. Another battle over religion in public schools might suit him just fine.

Source: Yakabuski: Religion in public schools is roiling Quebec politics once again

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Study: The Sociodemographic Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada

2024/10/28 Leave a comment

Another good study by StatsCan, highlighting their changed demographics and increased diversity.

Black Peoples represent a growing proportion of the racialized populations in Canada and their sociodemographic profiles have evolved over the last 25 years. The diversity of these populations has been influenced by the pre-Confederation transatlantic settlement of Black peoples in Canada and migration flows to Canada from the Caribbean and Africa, starting in the 1960s. Black populations in Canada differ in terms of their histories, ethnocultural origins, places of birth, mother tongues, and religious affiliations.

A new analytical portrait released today examines the sociodemographic, linguistic, ethnocultural and religious composition of the Black populations in Canada and focuses on three diasporic communities: the Canadian-born, the African-born and the Caribbean-born.

Source: Study: The Sociodemographic Diversity of the Black Populations in Canada

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Le PQ veut réduire de 60% le nombre d’étudiants étrangers

2024/10/28 Leave a comment

A noter:

La « réduction substantielle » de l’immigration permanente et temporaire souhaitée par le Parti québécois (PQ) doit aussi s’opérer dans les cégeps et les universités, estime son chef, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, qui proposera la semaine prochaine de réduire de 60 % le nombre d’étudiants étrangers au Québec.

Dans un document promis depuis un an et demi, qui se veut une « réplique » aux politiques migratoires de Justin Trudeau et de François Legault, le PQ s’engagera lundi à diminuer radicalement la taille du bassin d’étudiants internationaux pour revenir aux niveaux observés au milieu des années 2010, avant l’arrivée au pouvoir de la Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ).

La cible de « PSPP » : atteindre un total de 50 000 détenteurs de permis d’études à la fin d’un éventuel premier mandat. Cette diminution contribuerait à couper de moitié le nombre de résidents non permanents en territoire québécois, qui a presque atteint cette année le chiffre des 600 000.

« On a assisté au cours des dernières années à une augmentation qu’on peut qualifier de fulgurante du nombre d’étudiants étrangers sur le territoire québécois », a constaté le chef péquiste en entrevue avec Le Devoir, vendredi. Sous le gouvernement Legault seulement, ce chiffre a grimpé d’environ 70 000 en 2018 à 123 000 au troisième trimestre de 2024….

Source: Le PQ veut réduire de 60% le nombre d’étudiants étrangers

The “substantial reduction” of permanent and temporary immigration desired by the Parti Québécois (PQ) must also be carried out in CEGEPs and universities, says its leader, Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who will propose next week to reduce the number of foreign students in Quebec by 60%.

In a document promised for a year and a half, which aims to be a “replica” to the migration policies of Justin Trudeau and François Legault, the PQ will commit on Monday to radically reduce the size of the international student pool to return to the levels observed in the mid-2010s, before the arrival to power of the Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ).

The target of “PSPP”: to reach a total of 50,000 study permit holders at the end of a possible first term. This decrease would help to cut in half the number of non-permanent residents in Quebec territory, which almost reached the figure of 600,000 this year.

“Over the past few years, we have seen a meteoric increase in the number of foreign students in Quebec territory,” said the Péquista chef in an interview with Le Devoir on Friday. Under the Legault government alone, this figure rose from about 70,000 in 2018 to 123,000 in the third quarter of 2024….

Filed under Immigration Tagged with , ,

Selected commentary on Government’s reversal of immigration policies

2024/10/26 Leave a comment

The plan, apart from the numbers and the addition of targets for temporary residents, also had high level discussion of impacts on housing, healthcare and education, as I argued for in my December 2022 article Has immigration become a third rail in Canadian politics?

Major and overdue reversal, one that allows for a more serious discussion regarding immigration policies and priorities without accusations of xenophobia or racism (although see that some activists have already gone there).

Some selected commentary, mix of serious and agenda driven, no doubt more will follow.

Advocates:

A Dark Day for Canada: CILA Condemns Immigration Levels Plan 2025-2027: As an example of this, the federal government’s decision to aggressively increase permanent resident levels in 2021 during a challenging pandemic operating environment created a cascading effect on permanent and temporary resident programs which are still placing immense pressure on the immigration system today and will continue to do so over the foreseeable future. Another example was to allow international students to work full-time while class was in session. This change added to the growing number of foreign students coming to Canada, primarily to seek employment opportunities rather than academic pursuits. Consulting widely with stakeholders would give IRCC the information it needs to plan for the long-term and make policy decisions that are sustainable.  

While we are unable to change the past, it is incumbent on IRCC to learn from its recent shortcomings and ensure it hosts genuine stakeholder consultations moving forward so that immigration levels planning and other major policy decisions consider various viewpoints and we can proactively and effectively manage a healthier immigration system. 

OCASI: Immigration Levels Plan leaves behind refugees, families and people without status: We are deeply concerned that the government continues to incorrectly tie immigration numbers to housing pressures. Scapegoating immigrants for the lack of affordable housing is disgraceful, and will only increase anti-immigrant sentiment from politicians and the public. We expect better from the government and leaders of all political parties. 

These cuts also contradict the government’s acknowledgement that immigration is essential to Canada’s economic success and growth, and that 100% of Canada’s labour market growth comes from immigration. We call on the government to provide greater clarity on how the new levels plan is expected to resolve the public concerns it claims to address.

Canada betrays refugees – CCR Statement on 2025 Levels Announcement: In a shameful abdication of responsibility, the Canadian government has massively reduced its commitment to offer protection to those fleeing persecution and danger in the world, and all but ensured that refugees in Canada will remain separated from their spouses and children for years to come. The CCR condemns today’s announcement and calls on the government to reverse this dangerous course.

Media commentary

Clark: The day Justin Trudeau (sort of) admitted a mistake on immigration: The U-turn is unusual for governments, and out of character for this one. But it had become a political necessity to tell Canadians the Liberals are changing course. Mr. Trudeau even admitted he made a mistake. Or sort of.

Keller: The Trudeau government wants to restore the immigration consensus that it broke: Good news: Canada’s immigration consensus is back. Better news: It’s being restored by the people who broke it.

That means immigration is not going to become a divisive, polarizing and potentially explosive issue in the next federal election. Unlike our peers in Europe and the United States, we’re not going to have a radical left versus radical right brawl over the issue.

Why not? Because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has come to its senses on this issue. It’s been moving in that direction for the last year and a half, and as of this week, it’s close to fully there.

Phillips | Don’t be fooled into thinking Canadians have soured on immigration — the truth is remarkable
Canadians, by a significant majority, still believe in the value of immigration and they aren’t scapegoating immigrants for their problems, which compared to what’s happening in other countries is quite remarkable. Apparently, not even massive screw-ups in the immigration system can change that. Be grateful.

John Ivison: Red flags all over Trudeau’s flawed plan to curb runaway immigration: The new immigration plan says that 62 per cent of permanent resident admissions will come from the economic class next year, up from 58 per cent in 2024.

But that might simply reflect the adoption of a proposal circulating in the Immigration Department that would create a new economic class of permanent residents for people with high-school education or less, who would otherwise not pass the Comprehensive Ranking point-system that has served Canada so well when it comes to selecting the best and brightest.

The fear among some economists is that this might apply the brakes to a situation that is out of control but risk derailing the whole locomotive by undermining the skills-based system and lowering the standard of permanent resident that Canada accepts.

SUN EDITORIAL: Reducing immigration necessary, not racist: We aren’t going to fault Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for admitting his high immigration policies were a mistake that contributed to today’s affordability crisis, including high housing costs.

We do fault him for his government’s false depiction of Canadians who were raising these concerns long before he did, as racists.

Jesse Kline: Toronto Star paints a skewed picture of Trudeau’s immigration cuts: The bigger problem is that Keung’s story ran in the news section, where reporters have traditionally been expected to provide unbiased accounts of the day’s events. Although Keung is a veteran of the Star’s newsroom, the issue of reporters blurring the line between news and opinion is becoming increasingly common — particularly among young journalists fresh out of university, where many professors now see it as their duty to train activists, rather than extol the virtues of objective journalism.

This influx of woke young journalists has fundamentally changed the culture of many newsrooms, even ones as storied as the New York Times, as its former opinion editor, James Bennet, lamented in a lengthy feature published in The Economist last December. Bennet noted that when he began working at the paper as a reporter in 1991, he started from the bottom and was taught to aspire to “journalistic neutrality and open-mindedness.” In 2006, he left to become editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, where he started to “see some effects of the new campus politics.” [Ironically, the NP increasingly resorts to anti-woke younger columnists.]

Academic

Worswick: As Canada cuts immigration numbers, we must also better select immigrants
The reduction in the immigration and temporary-resident targets can be seen as sound economic policy so long as we as a country maintain our historical focus on selecting economic immigrants who are likely to have high earnings in the Canadian labour market. This focus has played no small part in maintaining our pro-immigration consensus, which can continue under a properly designed set of immigration policies.

Various (Star selection)

Canada’s major changes to immigration targets met with widespread criticism: Diana Palmerin-Velasco, a director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said the business community understands the need for a sustainable immigration system but is concerned about the plan’s implications on the labour market.

“It seems that the government might be overreacting,” she said. “It’s not just 100,000 fewer permanent residents. We are also expecting to see 400,000 fewer temporary residents. We are talking about 500,000 people.”

Scotiabank economist Rebekah Young said the drastic cuts to both permanent and temporary immigration are going to have a near-term macro impact on the economy, and there will be trade-offs.

“They are a source of labour supply and they provide economic activity through the workforce, but they also consume,” said Young. “We’re likely left with lower GDP, but not necessarily a stronger trajectory for the growth outlook.”

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the cuts are troubling to employers and small businesses.

“A restaurant owner who can’t find a cook ready and willing to work in their community will not have work for the Canadians who may work in the front of the house,” he said. “We need to rethink many of these recent changes and be ready to turn the dial back up.” 

The cuts mean migrants will be forced to remain temporary or become undocumented, and pushed further into exploitative jobs and conditions, said Syed Hussan of the Migrant Rights Network.

The Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association called the pullback a “dark day” for Canada, warning of economic, fiscal and social damage.

“We still have an aging population, low birth rate, and pressing economic and fiscal pressures,” said Barbara Jo Caruso, its co-president. “Canada’s fundamental need for immigration has not changed.”

Diana Gallego, president of the Canadian Council for Refugees, said behind the numbers slashed from the humanitarian component of the levels are 14,000 real people struggling under persecution or in conflict zones around the world.

Business

Statement by Century Initiative in Response to Federal Government’s 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan: “Cutting immigration targets is the ultimate hammer solution to a problem far more complex than a few loose nails. This decision projects panic and instability at a time when the country needs clarity and foresight. Canada’s reputation as a stable, welcoming environment for business and talent is now at risk.” — Lisa Lalande, CEO, Century Initiative 

CFIB statement on the latest immigration cuts: These decisions hold huge implications for small business owners, Canadian workers as well as permanent immigrants and temporary workers. A restaurant owner who can’t find a cook ready and willing to work in their community will not have work for the Canadians who may work in the front of the house. We need to rethink many of these recent changes and be ready to turn the dial back up whenever and wherever needed.

Size of Ottawa’s cuts to immigration targets takes business by surprise: Since the reduction is likely to take place when the economy is becoming less inflationary and interest rates decline, this could inspire “existing Canadians to ramp up their spending,” said James Orlando, director of economics at Toronto-Dominion Bank, instead of depending upon newcomers.

Bank of Montreal economist Robert Kavcic in a note on Thursday said that while the government’s decision will reduce demand, the narrative that slower population growth is bad for the economy needs to be dispelled.

He said gross domestic product per capita, which measures the total production of goods and services during a certain period divided by the total population, has fallen in seven of the eight quarters since the second quarter of 2022.

Canada’s immigration pullback may impact economic growth, BoC governor says: “If population growth comes down faster than we have assumed, headline GDP growth will be lower,” Macklem said in response to a question on how the immigration curbs would impact the bank’s forecasts.

If household spending recovers more quickly due to continued cut in interest rates, economic growth could also be higher, he said, while addressing reporters virtually from Washington.

Other

Peter Csillag: Bigger numbers, fewer safeguards, and no accountability—How to fix Canada’s foreign worker program woes: The government’s signal this week that it is willing to not only entertain but actually implement restrictions on its broader immigration agenda is welcome, but far too little, too late. While the high-profile announcement of cuts to the number of permanent residents allowed into Canada is much needed, broader problems persist, particularly with the TFW program. It will be up to the next government to solve them.

Liberals to reduce immigration levels by 135K over two-year period: Sergio Karas, a specialist in immigration law agrees, he told True North that while this reduction is necessary given the housing crisis and the current state of the economy, he still believes that number should be further reduced. 

“As usual, the Trudeau government is doing it wrong,” said Karas. 

“The total number should be reduced to the 2015 levels of approximately 300,000 because the federal government inflated the number exponentially in the last nine years, but more important are the categories where the reduction should be applied. Not all applicants have the same ability to adapt, job security, language skills, and expertise required to ensure economic growth.”

Government announcement

The 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan is expected to result in a marginal population decline of 0.2% in both 2025 and 2026 before returning to a population growth of 0.8% in 2027. These forecasts account for today’s announcement of reduced targets across multiple immigration streams over the next two years, as well as expected temporary resident outflows resulting from the 5% target, natural population loss and other factors.

With this year’s levels plan, we have listened to Canadians. We are reducing our permanent resident targets. Compared to last year’s plan, we are:

  • reducing from 500,000 permanent residents to 395,000 in 2025
  • reducing from 500,000 permanent residents to 380,000 in 2026
  • setting a target of 365,000 permanent residents in 2027

The Levels Plan also supports efforts to reduce temporary resident volumes to 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2026. Given temporary resident reduction measures announced in September and this past year, Canada’s temporary population will decrease over the next few years as significantly more temporary residents will transition to being permanent residents or leave Canada compared to new ones arriving.

Specifically, compared to each previous year, we will see Canada’s temporary population decline by

  • 445,901 in 2025
  • 445,662 in 2026
  • a modest increase of 17,439 in 2027

These reductions are the result of a series of changes over the past year, including a cap on international students and tightened eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers, implemented to decrease volumes and strengthen the integrity and quality of our temporary resident programs. The changes are designed with long-term economic goals in mind to make sure that we continue to attract the best and the brightest.

These changes will help provinces, territories and stakeholders align their capacities and allow the population to grow at a sustainable pace as we encourage institutions to do their part in better welcoming newcomers.

Other measures from the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan include the following:

  • Transitioning more temporary residents who are already in Canada as students and workers to permanent residents
    Representing more than 40% of overall permanent resident admissions in 2025, these residents are skilled, educated and integrated into Canadian society. They will continue to support the workforce and economy without placing additional demands on our social services because they are already established, with housing and employment.
  • Focusing on long-term economic growth and key labour market sectors, such as health and trades
    Permanent resident admissions in the economic class will reach 61.7% of total admissions by 2027.
  • Strengthening Francophone communities outside Quebec and supporting their economic prosperity
    Of the overall permanent resident admission targets, Francophone immigration will represent
    • 8.5% in 2025
    • 9.5% in 2026
    • 10% in 2027

Through this plan, we are using our existing programs so that everyone—including newcomers—has access to the well-paying jobs, affordable homes and social services they need to thrive in our beautiful country.

Source: Government of Canada reduces immigration


















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Chris Selley: Latest outrages over Muslims give a preview of Quebec’s next referendum

2024/10/26 Leave a comment

Sigh:

…One might ask him the same about all manner of other religious rites parents impose upon their children, and one might even get a consistent answer. Quebec feminist icon Louise Mailloux once equated baptism and circumcision with rape. When Mailloux ran for the PQ in 2014, then leader Pauline Marois said she “respect(ed) the fact that she has that point of view.”

St-Pierre Plamondon complained, too, about a sign welcoming people to Montreal’s City Hall that features a woman wearing the hijab. “Clearly the issue of religious invasion of public space does not stop at Bedford School,” he wrote.

So, yet again, the goalposts have shifted. The old deal was if you speak French and integrate into society, you’re welcome to practice any religion you like. The more recent deal, under 2019’s Bill 21, is that if you want to wield state power for a living — as a police officer, Crown prosecutor, prison guard or teacher — then you also have to remove any religious symbols while you’re on the job.

Now the mere presence of a hijab on a little girl in a library, or anywhere in public, is problematic in Quebec.

Those who’ve always believed Bill 21 wasn’t punitive enough, including St-Pierre Plamondon, have concluded that Bill 21 must be toughened in response to the scandal at the Bedford elementary school. And it all could have been avoided if the school board had just done its bloody job.

Expect a third referendum to boil down to this: linguistic and religious freedom versus restrictions thereof. That can’t not be ugly — and it won’t work for the Yes side. The referendum would fail, and Canada would still include an even-more-divided Quebec that’s even more out of step with the rest of Canada’s concepts of linguistic and religious freedom.

Source: Chris Selley: Latest outrages over Muslims give a preview of Quebec’s next referendum

Filed under Charte de la laïcité, Interculturalisme, Multiculturalism, Religion Tagged with ,

Representation, strategy or both? Sask. election sees increase in racialized immigrant candidates

2024/10/26 Leave a comment

Of note:

Saskatchewan’s 2024 provincial election features an increase of racialized immigrant candidates, which an expert says makes strategic sense.

In the 2020 provincial elections, the NDP ran many racialized immigrant candidates in Saskatoon and Regina.

This time the Sask. Party has 13 such candidates to the NDP’s three. Those numbers don’t include Indigenous candidates on either side; only candidates who immigrated to Canada at some point in their life.

Why so few for the NDP?

Daniel Westlake, assistant professor in the department of political studies at University of Saskatchewan, said as Saskatchewan becomes more diverse, there’s more pressure on the parties to nominate a more diverse slate of candidates.

“Sask. Party doesn’t surprise me, but I am surprised not to see the NDP with more ethnic, racialized minority candidates,” he said. “In large part because the NDP has been quite proactive in a lot of other provinces at ensuring they’ve recruited a diverse slate.”

Source: Representation, strategy or both? Sask. election sees increase in racialized immigrant candidates

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Paul: Here Is the Missing Context in Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “The Message”

2024/10/25 Leave a comment

Of note:

…Herein lies the most dispiriting aspect of settler colonialist theory in practice. Activists and institutions can voice ever louder and longer land acknowledgments, but no one is seriously proposing returning the United States to Native Americans. Similarly, if “From the river to the sea” is taken literally, where does that leave Israeli Jews, many of whom were exiled not only from Europe and Russia, but also from surrounding Muslim states? The ideology of settler colonialism offers little beyond a hopeless impasse, that “history is evil and deserves to be repealed” or what Kirsch calls a “longing for redemptive destruction.”

In their mutual resistance to an end game, an ironic parallel emerges between the “free Palestine” movement and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which has declined to offer a viable plan for how the current conflict ends. It may be that neither side can find a realistic solution that can claim pure justice. What remains, in its absence, are vengeance and despair.

Source: Paul: Here Is the Missing Context in Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “The Message”

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    Harry Rakowski: Increasing diversity in medicine is important. TMU is doing it the wrong way

    2024/10/25 Leave a comment

    Thoughtful critique and discussion of options:

    …TMU wrongly thinks it will level the playing field for students from low-income families. But it does not yet have the funded scholarships for students in need that other universities have. The University of Toronto has the philosophy of helping students find resources. Its admissions policy looks for the best and the brightest yet tries to increase diversity through special streams and increased financial support. It does this without sacrificing quality. It also rewards commitment to advocacy as expressed through community service, leadership skills and academic productivity including publications. TMU doesn’t appear to care much for any of these important qualities.

    What do we need in a medical school?

    We need effective strategies to improve health outcomes by dealing with unmet needs, and increasing efficiency and innovation of care delivery.  Our current health-care system usually doesn’t deliver on availability and also doesn’t adequately address mental health issues and the need for greater prevention of disease. We lack innovative strategies to improve access and to reduce disease burden and its costly care. We need to modernize the medical curriculum to refocus on these needs and incorporate innovations in learning methods and the use of AI to guide decision-making…

    Source: Harry Rakowski: Increasing diversity in medicine is important. TMU is doing it the wrong way

    Filed under Multiculturalism Tagged with , , ,

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