Dutch foreign minister praises Canada as an ‘immigrant society’

2014/05/08 Leave a comment

Nice reminder by the Dutch that despite the various controversies that emerge from time-to-time, Canada largely has it right in terms of immigration, integration and multiculturalism. European history and patterns of immigration (guest workers, often from former colonies) are vastly different to immigrant-based societies like Canada, Australia and the US, which encourage full participation and becoming citizens:

“I think it is mind-boggling that a huge nation like Canada, with all its diversities, with so many recent immigrants from all parts of the world, with all their different cultures, can maintain this level of social tranquility and integration of difference, acceptance of difference in this society,” Mr. Timmermans told a crowd at a Dutch Embassy and Centre for International Governance Innovation breakfast event at the Rideau Club on May 2.  …

“Still I think Canada has a lot to teach us on this front because we have begun to doubt whether our societies can handle diversity, and diversity has been attacked especially by the extreme right,” he said.

He said there’s been the re-emergence of an old notion in Europe of finding someone else to put the blame on.

“The second step always becomes slowly and gradually dehumanizing that group so that at some point it becomes acceptable to say that they should leave society,” he said.

“We in the Netherlands have reached that point that a politician says we could do with less people of a certain ethnicity in Dutch society.”

“I would have never thought this possible, but it happened,” he said.

Dutch foreign minister praises Canada as an ‘immigrant society’ | Embassy – Canada’s Foreign Policy Newspaper.

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Why Syrian refugees will thrive in Canada

2014/05/08 Leave a comment

Good piece by Ratna Omidvar and Dana Wagner of Maytree on the overall success and contribution by refugees, and advocating for quicker intake of the 1,300 Syrian refugees that Government has pledged to accept. They note that most refugees get jobs, learn either English or French, their new communities will support them, and they will give back.

Why Syrian refugees will thrive in Canada – The Globe and Mail.

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PQ’s lack of legal advice on secular charter puts ex-minister on defensive – The Globe and Mail

2014/05/07 Leave a comment

Fully appropriate comment on Bernard Drainville and the PQ:

The latest volley against him came from Gérard Bouchard, the historian and sociologist who co-chaired a public inquiry into issues of reasonable accommodation.

“We now know the sinister role played by the Marois-Drainville tandem,” Mr. Bouchard wrote in a letter published in La Presse Tuesday.

He said the charter was a project where “imbecility (let’s call it by its name) was competing with dishonesty.”

Mr. Bouchard also called on Mr. Drainville to resign from his legislature seat. “For more than a year, he repeatedly made incendiary and deceitful remarks to pit the majority of Quebeckers against minorities and immigrants.”

PQ’s lack of legal advice on secular charter puts ex-minister on defensive – The Globe and Mail.

Excerpt from Bouchard letter here:

On sait le rôle plutôt sinistre qu’y a joué le tandem Marois-Drainville. Il a été largement commenté et, avec raison, fortement condamné. Il faut aller plus loin. Il y a un grand ménage à faire dans le parti. Tous ceux qui l’ont conduit sur la voie de l’intolérance, de l’hypocrisie et de l’amateurisme doivent s’en aller. Quant à ceux qui ont carrément versé dans la démagogie la plus effrontée soit en multipliant les mensonges à la population, soit en encourageant cette pratique par leur silence complaisant, on se demande s’ils se qualifient encore pour occuper une charge politique ou même une fonction publique.

Au-delà du tort causé au Parti québécois, ces manoeuvres duplessistes ont déçu bien des honnêtes gens. Elles ont discrédité, à leurs yeux, l’ensemble du politique.

Drainville doit démissionner

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Temporary Foreign Workers Taking Jobs Where Canadians Available: HRSDC

2014/05/07 Leave a comment

Full-Time-EmploymentIf correct, this is not good news for the Government in its handling of the Temporary Foreign Workers program:

A cabinet minister in the Harper government was warned two years ago that jobs were going to temporary foreign workers even in areas where there were Canadians available to do them, according to internal documents.

In notes prepared for then-Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, HRSDC warned of a “disconnect between the Temporary Foreign Worker program” and Employment Insurance payouts.

“Evidence suggests that, in some instances, employers are hiring temporary foreign workers in the same occupation and location as Canadians who are collecting EI regular benefits,” the document stated.

It was evidently prepared by HRSDC ahead of a meeting between Finley and P.E.I. Innovation Minister Allan Roach in May, 2012.

Temporary Foreign Workers Taking Jobs Where Canadians Available: HRSDC.

Dec-1-TFWsFor a further illustration, an interesting analysis in Canadian Business on southwestern Ontario unemployment rates and foreign workers, contrasting youth and general unemployment rates and Temporary Foreign Workers:

The temporary foreign workers issue is just another example of why Canada needs to keep better labour market data. There may be very good economic reasons why the number of TFWs has doubled in Southwestern Ontario in the last decade, but without proper data there is no real way of knowing.

Next Why are so many temporary foreign workers in Southwestern Ontario

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The Tiger Mom Effect Is Real, Says Large Study

2014/05/07 Leave a comment

Further to the insufferable ‘tiger mom’ and ‘triple package’ Amy Chua (see Tiger Mom’s claim that cultures blessed with ‘triple package’ get ahead in America sparks uproar), a more nuanced and interesting example of success factors that are particularly marked in certain communities by Alice Park:

That leaves the work ethic, which Hsin and Xie found accounted for almost all of the grade gap between Asian-American and white students. And that was driven by two factors, both of which have more to do with social and cultural factors than racial ones. Among the more than 5200 Asian-American and white students from two large datasets that followed them from kindergarten into high school, Asian-American students were able to take advantage of social support systems that helped to translate their effort into success. In their communities, families are surrounded by ways to enhance education – from word-of-mouth advice about the best school districts to resources like books, videos and websites, to cram schools for after-school classes. “The Tiger Mom argument neglects these social resources and forces that sustain and reinforce the work ethic,” says Hsin.

In other words, it takes a village. It also takes a culture that may have less to do with race specifically, and more to do with broader social factors such as immigration.“ Asian-American youth are more likely to attribute intellect and academic success to effort rather than innate ability,” she says. That’s a natural outgrowth of the belief that success – in school, in work, and in life — is a meritocratic commodity; the more you put in, the more you get out. When quizzed about whether they thought math skills were innate or learned, most of the white students believed it was a skill you were born with while the Asian-Americans were more likely to think it was learned, and acquired with effort.

The Tiger Mom Effect Is Real, Says Large Study | TIME.com.

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Global citizenship catching fancy of super rich in India, China

2014/05/07 Leave a comment

A reminder to our small-business minded policy makers and politicians, any investment immigration program will be small change for the very wealthy. If we are to sell immigration visas, the Malta approach of being open about it and taking the money, is more honest than the various other schemes. But these programs undermine the immigration-based culture of building a country together:

Measured solely in investment terms, the majority of investor immigration programmes are very attractive to UHNW [Ultra High Net Worth] individuals, costing as little as 0.5 per cent of their liquid assets, or 0.1 per cent of their net worth, and providing a host of positive benefits.

Some of the reasons for seeking a second citizenship include, greater stability and security, tax efficiency, ease of travel, higher standard of living, increased options for children’s education, and investment opportunities that may not otherwise be available.

As education and awareness of global citizenship programmes continue to increase, so too will the number of applications being made by UHNW individuals, Wealth-X said.

Global citizenship catching fancy of super rich in India, China | The Indian Express.

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C-24 Citizenship Act Committee Hearings – 5 May

2014/05/06 2 Comments

As there was no real press coverage of Committee hearings 5 May, watched the video and the following summary may be of interest.

Like many committee hearings, an element of Kabuki theatre with the Government asking questions of witnesses in favour of their approach to revocation while the opposition asking questions of those opposed to revocation and a number of other provisions.

On the Government “side,” there was Canadian Israel Jewish Advocacy (CIJA), Alliance of Canadian Terror Victims Foundation and the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD); “for” the opposition, the Inter-Clinic Immigration Working Group and the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers.

CIJA supported most aspects of the proposed changes, including increased residency, language and knowledge requirements, the intent to reside, and the revocation provisions. Given that the possible impact of the Israel’s law of return, given all Jews the right to Israeli residency and citizenship, subject to an application process, Fogal spent considerable time stating that the dual national distinction did not apply to the right to having another citizenship but only to those who exercise that right. He did, however, note the need for some process improvements, particularly the need in any terror-related convictions in foreign countries to be subject to a test that they were equivalent to Canadian practice and fairness.

Alliance of Canadian Terror Victims Foundation (ACTVF) and the Foundation for Defence of Democracies also support the Government’s revocation proposals (see earlier opinion piece by Sheryl Saperia The case for revoking citizenship – National Post). Both argue that the fundamental social contract makes revocation appropriate in such extreme cases of terrorism, war crimes and the like.

Saperia of FDD noted the need for some process improvements (tighter drafting of connection to Canada for terrorist activities and, like CIJA, the need to have explicit criteria for determining the equivalence of foreign to Canadian convictions). On dual nationals, she said that in cases where other countries do not allow for renunciation, the Minister could have discretion to decided on the degree of connectedness to the foreign country. She also emphasized the need for more preventative anti-radicalization measures, noting the RCMP high-risk traveller program (RCMP set to tackle extremism at home with program to curb radicalization of Canadian youth), as well as requiring those applying for passports to make some sort of commitment to not engage in such activity.

For Alliance founder Maureen Basnicki, it is intensely personal, given she is a 9/11 widow, and believes that:

Therefore, if Canada allows a convicted terrorist to retain the Canadian citizenship, Canada is in effect saying “we accept the terrorist act as part of the fabric of life in Canada”.

But we also allow murderers and sex offenders to stay in Canada, as unfortunately they too are part of the fabric of society.

All three did not acknowledge that dual nationality does not only apply to naturalized Canadians. One can be born in Canada and yet have dual nationality. And if such a person is born and educated in Canada, is  “outsourcing” the problem, without accepting responsibility. And I suspect that the distinction made between the legal right to another citizenship, without taking it up, is a distinction that may not be applied equally to all communities, combined with the reverse onus of proof.

On the opposition “side”, the Inter-Clinic Immigration Working Group focussed on the situations of some of the more vulnerable refugees, and recommended keeping existing residency requirements (3 of 4 years), some exemptions for the knowledge and language requirements, testing language at end of process, maintaining right of Court appeal, reversal of proposed fee increases, no power to strip dual nationals of Canadian citizenship, and ensure intent to reside provision is not grounds for misrepresentation given that situations change.

Audrey Macklin of CARL focussed on the intent to reside and revocation provisions. On the former, their reading is that the law is written so that this could be grounds for citizenship revocation on grounds of fraud or misrepresentation. On revocation, CARL focussed on the constitutionality, noting that Charter rights cannot be violated as punishment, and that the social contract argument is not supported by jurisprudence. The distinction between “mono” and dual Canadian citizens is also likely not Charter compliant. She also raised a number of procedural rights (e.g., retroactively, reverse onus of proof) as areas of concern.

Questioning by MPs was largely predictable. Government MPs asked questions of “their side” as did opposition MPs, both trying to buttress their own positions.

One of the more interesting questions, however, was by Chungsen Leung (CPC), who went on at some length about how attachment and contribution to Canada could happen when one was abroad, almost questioning the intent to reside provision. The eventual question, directed at CIJA, reverted back to the obvious examples of citizens of convenience (e.g., 2006 Lebanese evacuation), with CIJA maintaining that being the real aim of the provision. But then drafting should be tighter so as not to cast to broad a net on Canadians that may move abroad for valid work, study or family reasons.

Ted Opitz (CPC) was poorly briefed in arguing that many countries have the same approach to revocation as proposed by the Government and that a previous Liberal government had ended revocation for treason. CARL corrected him on the former point (only UK currently has this approach, Australia is considering) and it was under Diefenbaker, two generations ago, that Canada stopped revoking citizenship from dual citizens.

And a bit of an interesting debate between Saperia and Basnicki with Macklin of CARL on whether the world would think better of Canada if we revoked citizenship or not. For Saperia and Basnicki, this was viewed as a strong signal worldwide that Canada did not tolerate such activity; Macklin argued the contrary that “outsourcing” our problem would signal that Canada does not take responsibility for the activities of its citizens. A philosophical divide.

Links (where available) are below. One note of frustration, the Parliamentary website, apart from posting agenda and the video link, does not appear to be posting briefs or transcripts, making it harder for those who wish to follow the discussions. A related frustration is that a number of organizations to not post their briefs and statements on their websites automatically or respond to requests for copies. I will update this list as the briefs and statements become available.

Inter-Clinic Immigration Working Group

Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs – CIJA (link not yet posted)

Alliance of Canadian Terror Victims Foundation

Foundation for Defense of Democracies (link not yet posted)

Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (brief)

CARL Press Release: New Citizenship Act Threatens Rights of All Canadians

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Job-vacancy rate plunges as Tories drop Kijiji data – Evidence vs Anecdote

2014/05/06 1 Comment

A reminder that bad and incomplete data can lead to bad policy decisions and arguments, as exemplified by the over-stating of labour shortages and justification for programs like Temporary Foreign Workers.

Employment and Social Development Canada recently revised its Employment Insurance, Monitoring and Assessment report to take out weak data from on-line sites like Kijiji (see earlier post How Kijiji’s data threw off Ottawa’s math on skills shortages – The Globe and Mail):

“There’s isn’t really any good data out there. Online postings are online postings. How well can you clean those up?” he [Mostafa Askari] asked, pointing out the need to avoid double counting jobs or counting jobs that have been filled but were not taken offline. He said the solution would be to give Statistics Canada more money to improve its research on job vacancies, which are based on surveys of employers.

“I think Statscan can definitely provide better data if they have the means to,” he said. “I assume they are obviously under budget constraints as well. So they have to put that as a priority but they won’t do it unless there’s pressure on them to provide that kind of information.”

Job-vacancy rate plunges as Tories drop Kijiji data – The Globe and Mail.

Konrad Yakabuski’s take on the problem with big data and lack of rigour in analysis:

Yet, if Mr. Kenney and his advisers are guilty of anything, it is of falling victim to the same social media hype that has led many data enthusiasts to spurn official statistics as oh-so yesterday. Want to know if the flu is headed your way or the housing market is set to take off? Why, go to Google Trends. Forget the official unemployment rate. Just track “lost my job” on Twitter.

The idea that the trillions of bytes of data we generate on social media are equipping policy-makers with vast new predictive powers is all the rage these days. Official statistics, the kind compiled by bureaucrats through scientifically tested surveys and representative samples, seem to bore the geeks. But they get all hot and bothered at the mere mention of the word algorithm….

This is but one example of how big data can lead to misguided policy. Mr. Kenney’s Kijiji snafu is another. You’d think this would make people cautious. But in our insatiable desire to make sense out of an increasingly complex world, we are turning evermore to big data to sort it out.

The latest trend is “data journalism” with The New York Times and several upstart media outlets hiring an army of twentysomething computer geeks to massage the numbers in order to spot trends, predict elections and provide funky, counterintuitive insights in the vein of Freakonomics.

The problem is that much of what they report is probably wrong, or at least tendentious. The Upshot, The Times feature launched April 22, has come under fire for stories that either read too much into the data or leave too much out. “First-rate analysis requires more than pretty graphs based on opaque manipulations of data unsuited to address the central substantive points,” prominent U.S. political scientist Larry Bartels wrote in response to one piece on Southern politics.

The most common sin in data journalism is making spurious correlations. Just because Google searches of the term “mortgage” have closely tracked Canadian housing sales in the past two years means nothing on its own.

Big data’s noise is drowning out the signal

A final irony, the final report of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee on the Public Service comes out at the same time as these news reports, affirming the need for outside information and discounting the value of more objective surveys:

New sources of information and data have shaken up the process of providing advice to government, he [David Emerson] said, and the public service is adapting to accept data from outside Statistics Canada or other traditional sources.

“I think we made some real progress in helping public servants to open up and I think political staff now have access to a lot of that same information, so there are checks and balances that I think are a little sharper-edged than they were perhaps in the past,” he said.

While I don’t disagree with opening up, we also need to learn the lessons from Kijiji jobs data, ensure better quality control and analysis, and strengthen the role of official statistics and Statistics Canada.

PS thinking more about the digital revolution: Emerson

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Voting rights restored to Canadians living abroad long-term

2014/05/06 1 Comment

I expect the Government to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court, as it would be consistent with their overall approach to citizenship, anchored more to residency and connection to Canada:

“The [government] essentially argues that allowing non-residents to vote is unfair to resident Canadians because resident Canadians live here and are, on a day-to-day basis, subject to Canada’s laws and live with the consequences of Parliament’s decisions,” Penny wrote.

“I do not find this argument persuasive.”

For one thing, Penny ruled, expats may well be subject to Canadian tax and other laws.

The government, the judge found, had decided some citizens are “not worthy” to vote despite their constitutional right to do so.

“This is not the lawmakers’ decision to make — the Charter makes this decision for us,” Penny wrote.

Expatriate Canadians may or may not follow Canadian issues closely, the vast majority pay no Canadian taxes, mainly follow country of residence laws, and other connections to Canada diminish over time. The five-year rule was a way to capture that reality in one that can be implemented and less subject to interpretation.

Voting rights restored to Canadians living abroad long-term – Politics – CBC News.

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Jonathan Kay: The politics of genocide

2014/05/06 Leave a comment

Jonathan Kay on genocides and the related policies and controversies.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance refers to the Holocaust as “unprecedented” in its thoroughness and industrial approach, but that human suffering and killing is universal, whatever the specifics of the genocide or atrocity. Kay is on the same page; Yad Vashem sessions focus on the stories of individual lives, not just the horror of the numbers:

And herein lies the great paradox of memorializing genocides qua genocides: The whole exercise always is cast as one conducted for the victims and their suffering. Yet by agonizing and fighting over the semantics of genocide, we systematically ignore the way these victims actually die: as individuals full of individual grief and pain and love and loss. Everything else is arid semantics.

Jonathan Kay: The politics of genocide | National Post.

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