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MANILA, Philippines?Statistics Canada or StatCan, the federal government agency producing statistics used in, among others, aiding the formulation of Canada?s policies, released on 8 March 2010 a report projecting a big increase in the number of this country?s resident foreign-borns including Filipinos in the next 20 years.
The report, titled: ?Projections of the Diversity of the Canadian Population,? was prepared by StatCan for the Canadian Heritage, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada policy departments.
According to StatCan, seen to rise to nearly one-third of the country?s population by 2031 is the number of ?visible minorities,? a term in the Canadian Employment Equity Act (EEA) of 1986, as amended in 1995, referring to "persons, other than Aboriginal people, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in color." Apart from Filipinos, also among the visible minorities in Canada are those from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and others.
Based on this law, which extensively defines Canada?s immigration and labor programs, the country?s visible minorities are not just non-discriminated against, but more importantly, are subjects of pro-active beneficial treatment, especially in terms of providing them ample access to employment opportunities.
The StatCan said Filipino and black populations, which were respectively the third and fourth largest visible minority groups in 2006 (the most recent of population census reports in Canada, with such census undertaken on the first and sixth year of every decade) could double in size in the next two decades. Based on available estimates, there are around 500,000 Filipinos living in Canada, with their population being consistently among the top five immigrant population since 1981.
The report said the visible minorities could comprise the majority of the population in Canada?s major cities such as 63 percent in Toronto, 59 percent in Vancouver and 31 percent in Montréal.
The StatCan said, "Between now and 2031, the foreign-born population of Canada could increase approximately four times faster than the rest of the population," reaching between 9.8 million and 12.5 million, amounting to up to 28 percent of the country?s total population.? Canada's total population now is 33.87 million.
The StatCan report came on the heels of the ?Speech from the Throne? (the official government address to the Parliament) delivered on 3 March 2010 by no less than Governor General Michaëlle Jean, titled: ?A Stronger Canada. A Stronger Economy. Now and for the Future.?
In that address, Jean declared, among others, ?Our Government will introduce legislation to establish Pier 21 in Halifax?the site where so many began their Canadian journey?as Canada's National Museum of Immigration. It will continue to work with the provinces to strengthen recognition of foreign credentials through the Pan-Canadian Framework for the Assessment and Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.?
Jean used as backdrop in her speech Canada?s recovery from the 2008-2009 global economic slump, but noting the lingering effects of the crisis.
The Throne Speech did not provide details of such ?strengthening recognition of foreign credentials,? nor did the StatCan report, the latter being merely a presentation of demographic data.
Likewise, neither the Throne Speech nor the StatCan report provided a glimpse as to how Canada will treat the current and future entry of foreign-borns with respect to the country?s job opportunities and corresponding labor requirement.
But perhaps, what could be seen as encouraging for foreign-borns especially Filipinos were statements from industry players themselves who have been very vocal about the need to hire skilled foreign workers.
Companies were quoted as saying that Canada should give more serious attention to attracting and retaining immigrant skilled workers by giving more weight to work experience, and address a lack of skilled workers.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said Canada risks losing out in the global competition for workers, noting that other countries have more efficient immigration-and-labor rules.
The Canadian Construction Association, for its part, said its industry will need to replace 317,000 workers by 2017, including on-site workers, managers, and supervisors. The chamber, however, noted that ?it's easier to get into Canada as a permanent resident with a couple of degrees in Greek pottery or Greek mythology rather than 25 years experience as a welder" because of a policy of point system geared toward people with post-secondary education and with proficiency in Canada?s official languages, while giving very little points or merit for experience or qualifications in a trade.
The chamber further said for such a very difficult task as replacing hundreds of thousands of workers, it needs better and more efficient immigration policies from government.
