Nick Noorani Website

Canada prides itself on being one of the most multicultural countries in the world. There is also a lot self-congratulation about having a less restrictive immigration system than, say, that of the United States. But at the same time, we have been hearing all those stories about foreign-trained doctors, university professors and other professionals driving taxis, cleaning toilets and selling pizzas or burgers, because their credentials from the “old country” are not recognized by Canadian employers, which prevents those skilled workers and professionals from overseas from working in the fields they have been trained for.
Now with the recession hitting Canada, it was only a matter of time before someone would call for a reduction in the number of immigrants admitted every year. In a recent article for the National Post, Rudyard Griffiths, of the Dominion Institute, argues that immigrants are a drain on the public purse and that, therefore, fewer immigrants should be allowed to enter Canada for the duration of the economic crisis.

Griffiths is right on one count: immigrants are a burden to the Canadian taxpayer. Only 23% of immigrants in Canada are “net tax contributors”, with the remaining 77% costing the taxpayer $18 billion. But is this the fault of those immigrants, or is it that most of those people end up relying on welfare, because employers refuse to give them a chance to prove their worth?
As someone with a foreign-sounding name, I know what it feels like to be ignored or rejected by employers. English is my first language, but due to my name, I have gone through various job applications in my life where I never even warranted a callback from potential employers, because after seeing my name on my CV, they would automatically assume that I was some non-English-speaking immigrant without any Canadian experience. It probably does not help either that I obtained my education (up to Master’s level) outside the country (even though the quality of my education tops most anything available to Canadians today). What makes such experience especially galling is when you see whom they hire instead of you: Canadian alright, but barely competent or literate enough to function in the usual world of a three-year-old.
Generally, it is hard not to get upset over the ubiquitous incompetence one finds out there today. Banks, government agencies, retailers, etc. seem to hire only the most backward people – no doubt after rejecting many who would have done an excellent job if given a chance. My wife and I tend to joke about those daily frustrations. After yet another run-in with a hopeless employee somewhere, such as the tellers at our local bank branch, she would say to me, “See? We have to tell them how to do their jobs, and unless we do it ourselves, things would never get done. Worst of all, you could do all that in your sleep, yet if you applied for a job here, they’d turn you down because of your name and lack of Canadian credentials.” (In fact, I once did, just to see what would happen, and my wife was right: I was discriminated against due to my name and the origin of my education credits – shame on you, CIBC!)
Instead of using this crisis to stir up sentiment against immigrants, as Griffiths does, our politicians should pass very strict laws that would force Canadian employers to recognize immigrants’ foreign credentials in full (or foreign credentials held by Canadians). We have so much experience and expertise stored in this country that is never utilized because of employers’ ignorance, racism and narrow-mindedness.
Currently, immigrants are barred from living up to their full potential and thus contributing to Canada. We force them to live on welfare, make them perform menial tasks way below their qualifications or push them into self-employment, which cuts them off any benefits during economically nasty times and does not guarantee a “net-tax-contributing” career at all.
What we need is not a reduction in the immigration quota (250,000 a year) but a clear and unwavering commitment to all those skilled workers, professionals, academics and “knowledge workers” from around the world that they will be treated equally and fairly, so that all Canadians can benefit from their skills and know-how.
http://www.agoravox.com/article.php3?id_article=9164