Coyne: If birth tourism is such a big scam, why do so few immigrants take advantage?

2025/10/16 Leave a comment

Tellingly, Coyne does not cite the example of Australia, which does require one of the parents to be either a Permanent Resident or citizen along with some residency requirements. Agree as the author of the study cited that the numbers are relatively small but they do have an impact on some hospitals in urban areas and overall undermine the meaningfulness of Canadian citizenship.

Classic case, to use former immigration minister Kenney’s phrase, “Canadians of convenience:”

…It’s often argued StatsCan’s numbers are an undercount. Hospital discharge data maintained by the Canadian Institute for Health Information appear to show the number of births to non-residents at three to four times that number: peaking at more than 5,200 in 2024, or (gasp) 1.4 per cent of all births. But still: 3 million temporary residents, and only a measly 5,200 babies? A ticket to citizenship, if not for themselves then at least for their kids, that 99.8 per cent of them pass up? 

If that suggests the problem of “birth tourism” is more rhetorical than real, there is still the principle: doesn’t it “devalue” Canadian citizenship to hand it out to the children of non-citizens? Let’s follow that line of thought. So we deny them citizenship. What happens then?

The critics are right to suggest that a good many of those 3 million “temporary” residents, perhaps as many as half, are likely to remain in Canada, more or less permanently. And yet their children born here would be denied citizenship? A permanent underclass with no legal connection to the country they’ve lived in their whole lives? Is that likely to encourage a sense of belonging, or the contrary?

There are countries that have adopted this rule, but they’re not particularly happy examples. Would anyone claim that Britain or France has a superior record when it comes to integrating immigrants? Or Germany, which, before the law was changed in 2000, denied citizenship to people who had been living there for generations? If we’re talking about “peer countries,” why talk about Old World countries, and not about most of the New World, immigrant-based countries like us, where jus soli is the norm?

I’d say this is a solution in search of a problem, but it’s more like an accelerant in search of a flame. Birthright citizenship works fine. Leave it alone.

Source: If birth tourism is such a big scam, why do so few immigrants take advantage?

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Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People

2025/10/16 Leave a comment

“Give me your privileged, your rich, / Your huddled elite yearning to breathe free…”,

The Trump administration is considering a radical overhaul of the U.S. refugee system that would slash the program to its bare bones while giving preference to English speakers, white South Africans and Europeans who oppose migration, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The proposals, some of which already have gone into effect, would transform a decades-old program aimed at helping the world’s most desperate people into one that conforms to Mr. Trump’s vision of immigration — which is to help mostly white people who say they are being persecuted while keeping the vast majority of other people out.

The plans were presented to the White House in April and July by officials in the State and Homeland Security Departments after President Trump directed federal agencies to study whether refugee resettlement was in the interest of the United States. Mr. Trump had suspended refugee admissions on his first day in office and solicited the proposals about how and whether the administration should continue the program.

Trump administration officials have not ruled out any of the ideas, according to people familiar with the planning, although there is no set timetable for approving or rejecting the ideas. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the confidential plans….

Source: Trump Considers Overhaul of Refugee System That Would Favor White People

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CPC Petition: DEI spending and government waste needs to DIE

2025/10/16 Leave a comment

Virtue signalling for their base and fundraising as a party petition, not one to be tabled in the House of Commons:

Whereas the Liberals are wasting millions of taxpayer dollars on bloated Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programs;

Whereas the Liberal government has wasted $1.049 billion on DEI bureaucracy while Canadians struggle to make ends meet;

Whereas research funding must reward the best ideas – not identity checkboxes;

Whereas by tying research funding to identity politics, the Liberals are undermining academic freedom, silencing dissenting voices, and eroding trust in Canadian institutions;

Whereas this Liberal government is out of touch, wasting billions on bureaucracy and ideological projects while Canadians face the highest cost of living in decades.

Therefore, we the undersigned support the Conservative plan to restore fiscal discipline, end the billion-dollar DEI bureaucracies, and put taxpayer dollars into services Canadians actually need.

    Source: DEI spending and government waste needs to DIE, Star article Diversity, equity and inclusion are coming under scrutiny — and Pierre Poilievre is ready to push the conversation

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    Picard: Does it matter where our future doctors attended high school? Doug Ford seems to think so

    2025/10/15 Leave a comment

    Good analysis on the substance although suspect this works politically:

    …The new residency-application criterium is a whole different kettle of fish. Requiring the completion of two years of high school in the province is a ridiculous metric. Many Ontarians who did not study high school in the province still have deep and meaningful ties to Ontario and to Canada. They should not be treated as second-class citizens.

    Besides, IMGs are a cornerstone of medicine in Canada. Almost one-quarter of our doctors were born elsewhere, and they are the only thing keeping the health system from collapsing entirely in rural and remote regions. It makes no sense to have immigration policies that actively invite medical professionals, only to see provinces like Ontario put up discriminatory barriers once they’ve arrived. 

    Positions in medical residency, and medicine more generally, should be allocated based on merit, not postal code. Who cares where a doctor did high school? 

    Mr. Ford should be ashamed. In an apparent bid to satisfy a small cadre of well-connected medical students wealthy enough to study abroad, Ontario is leaving thousands of other internationally trained physicians by the side of the road. 

    Source: Does it matter where our future doctors attended high school? Doug Ford seems to think so

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    Maddeaux | Mark Carney hopes to lure tech workers to Canada. One problem: Canada is already struggling to keep and attract talent

    2025/10/15 Leave a comment

    Reminder not so easy:

    Domestic STEM talent is fleeing, too. A 2023 study of STEM graduates from the classes of 2015 and 2016 at the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo and University of British Columbia found two-thirds of them working in the U.S. Similarly, a 2020 survey of graduating STEM students at the University of Waterloo found 84 per cent of the class planned to work in the U.S., driven primarily by significantly higher compensation. Nevermind attracting the best and brightest; we should be more worried about the U.S. absorbing our best and brightest.

    In 2023, think tank The Dais clocked the average American tech salary to be about 46 per cent higher than the average Canadian tech salary with exchange rate and cost of living taken into account.

    Top talent is smart enough to run a simple equation: wages are too low and living costs are too high. In particular, housing costs are outrageously divorced from incomes. Canada’s tech hubs in particular have some of the most distorted price-to-income ratios in the world….

    Source: Opinion | Mark Carney hopes to lure tech workers to Canada. One problem: Canada is already struggling to keep and attract talent

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    ICYMI – Globe editorial: Ottawa narrows the private path for settling refugees

    2025/10/15 Leave a comment

    One of the more successful programs:

    …However, the sidelining of this remarkable program is unfortunate, as privately sponsored refugees have better outcomes than those assisted by the government. Not only is it initially cheaper for the government, but a study tracking the outcomes of Syrian refugees showed that privately sponsored ones were more likely to be employed and less likely to be on government assistance. Privately sponsored refugees also have higher incomes. A 2024 Senate report recommended boosting the program. 

    Yes, Canada needs to get better control of its immigration system, but let’s not lose track of our rich tradition of helping refugees. Their entry doesn’t always need to be directly managed by government – grassroots groups can help, and their strong interest shows these refugees have support to integrate here. 

    While it’s true that Canada can’t help all people in need during this time of increased global displacement, surely we can maintain our commitments to help refugees. The privately sponsored program remains one of the best ways to do it. 

    Source: Ottawa narrows the private path for settling refugees

    Filed under Immigration, Refugees Tagged with ,

    ICYMI – Brunner: Canadian international student policy at a crossroads

    2025/10/15 Leave a comment

    Good list of some of the issues and some easier to address than others:

    This policy brief identifies four core challenges:

    • Lack of clear, cross-sectoral policy co-ordination: A disjointed, diffused and volatile policy arena is marked by competing objectives among its many actors and lacks a holistic approach to long-term planning and shared accountability.
    • Funding dependency: Overreliance on international student tuition fees as a revenue source has left post-secondary institutions vulnerable and without clear alternatives.
    • Damaged public consensus: High international student recruitment levels, unsupported by adequate settlement services and infrastructure, have eroded public support not only for international students but also for immigration more broadly.
    • Transparency and fairness: Complex and inconsistent immigration pathways create prolonged uncertainty and vulnerability for international students, resulting in a system marked by precarity and potential exploitation.

    To address these systemic issues, this brief recommends:

    • An international education strategy that is collaborative, multi-level and cross-sectoral;
    • Predictable and clearly communicated pathways to permanent residency so international students can make informed choices before choosing to study in Canada;
    • Increased and sustained public investment in higher education to reduce institutions’ dependency on international student tuition;
    • Co-ordinated, universally accessible settlement services with clear accountability across government and institutional actors;
    • Strengthened transparency and regulation of institutional and recruitment practices, supported by accessible public data on student outcomes.

    By rebalancing the policy landscape toward sustainability, transparency and ethical responsibility, Canada can better manage international students’ economic benefits, protect institutional integrity and uphold its commitments to the international students it recruits.

    Source: Brunner: Canadian international student policy at a crossroads

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    ICYMI – Chan: Religious literacy can help Quebec balance identity and inclusion

    2025/10/15 Leave a comment

    Of course, this works both ways, the religiously devote also need secular literacy to engage meaningfully in a a pluralistic society:

    …In a world where religious and ideological polarization is growing, with three in 10 countries experiencing high levels of restrictions or social hostilities involving religion, religious literacy is not an academic luxury; it is a necessity. Over 84 per cent of the global population identifies with a religion, and, even in Quebec where laïcitéis cherished, religion continues to shape values and policies. As the Bouchard-Taylor Commission warned, “Ignorance of religious traditions fosters misunderstanding and social tension.”

    Religious literacy enables devout Quebecers to deepen their faith, helps the religious understand their cultural heritage and equips the secular with tools to engage meaningfully in a pluralistic society.

    Religious literacy addresses Quebec’s challenges with integration and polarization. As the province welcomes newcomers from diverse backgrounds – Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and others – understanding their worldviews is critical for social harmony and cohesion. It helps deconstruct stereotypes surrounding religious and cultural practices and encourages constructive dialogue around accommodations. Through mutual understanding of the ABCs of belief systems, Quebecers can bridge divides, whether in cosmopolitan Montreal or rural regions with deep Catholic roots.

    To promote religious literacy, Quebec and Canada should integrate it into educational curricula and public awareness initiatives, empowering youth and adults to navigate diversity with empathy and awareness.

    W.Y. Alice Chan, PhD, is the executive director and co-founder of the Centre for Civic Religious Literacy, a non-religious, non-profit organization. She holds a master’s degree in teaching from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto and a doctorate in education from McGill University.

    Source: Religious literacy can help Quebec balance identity and inclusion

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    Ahmad: Zohran Mamdani and How to Be a ‘Good’ Muslim in America

    2025/10/14 2 Comments

    Good long read on Mamdani and being Muslim in America:

    …But Muslims have been made to grin and bear it in America for more than two decades. Watching Mr. Mamdani stand unwaveringly in the face of a stream of anti-Muslim abuse is to witness the distillation of that dynamic in a single person. I’d be lying if I said I think his fate in this particular matter will improve over time. It is a certainty that Mr. Mamdani, if he wins the mayoralty, will have to contend with even more Islamophobic slurs, on a national scale.

    In the face of this, it’s easy to become cynical, even as his popularity marks a moment of triumph for Muslims. Mr. Mamdani sees it differently.

    “I used to be quite consumed by forever being a minority — of being an Indian in Uganda, Muslim in India, all of these things in New York City,” he said to me. It’s a sentiment he’s had to express often over the course of his campaign. It’s at once well rehearsed and heartfelt. “I remember my father telling me that to be a minority is also to see the truth of the place, to see promise and to see the contradictions of it.”

    Mr. Mamdani finds hope in that tension.

    “I was always left with a cleareyed sense of the world that I was in,” he said, “and how to ensure that the contradiction of that world didn’t leave you with a sense of bitterness.”

    Meher Ahmad is an editor in the Opinion section.

    Source: Zohran Mamdani and How to Be a ‘Good’ Muslim in America

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    Chapman: Bill C-3 corrects inequalities, brings Citizenship Act into compliance with the Charter

    2025/10/14 Leave a comment

    Written before the amendments made by the House immigration committee although I expect Chapman likely opposes all of the amendments based upon his previous writings and testimonies.

    And in his criticism of the CPC and their procedural maneuverings, he neglects to acknowledge that the Liberal government and the NDP in previous parliaments poisoned the chalice by expanding the scope of the narrow S-245 to include removal of the first-generation cut-off, hardly an example of being “respectful of democratic institutions:”

    …Last week, I watched the committee discussion with concern as the Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre returned to a familiar, dogmatic and troubling playbook—one that elevates fear over fact, and partisan rhetoric over responsible governance. Dismissing expert analysis, disregarding a clear judicial ruling, and inflaming public sentiment may deliver short-term political gain.

    However, the long-term cost is steep: the steady erosion of the institutions that underpin our prosperity, our unity, and the rule of law itself.

    Democracy depends not only on laws and courts, but on a shared commitment to uphold them. When a political party becomes comfortable with unequal treatment under the law, distorts public discourse, or refuses to acknowledge and correct its own mistakes—these are not isolated errors. They are signs of weakened accountability and declining leadership.

    The moral and legal imperative to enshrine equal rights in the Citizenship Act is clear. Equality rights cannot be optional. Canadians must be cautious not to follow the troubling path of democratic backsliding visible else where. A decade ago, few would have predicted how quickly democratic norms in the United States would come under pressure. Institutional decline begins quietly—then accelerates. As with financial markets, trust builds slowly but can disappear overnight. 

    And in politics, fear remains an expedient and dangerous currency—too often spent more readily than truth. Leadership of any party—indeed of any party—must be about more than electoral calculus. It must be rooted in principle—be respectful of democratic institutions, guided by evidence, and committed to the rights, dignity, and equality of all citizens.

    Bill C-3 is a necessary step in that direction.

    Source: Chapman: Bill C-3 corrects inequalities, brings Citizenship Act into compliance with the Charter

    Filed under C-3, Citizenship Tagged with

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