Ottawa set to announce immigration overhaul

[Newsjock]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20050924.wximmigrants24/BNStory/National

By CAMPBELL CLARK
From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Ottawa -- Canada would bring in more than 300,000 immigrants a year within five years, including more tradespeople such as pipefitters and truck drivers, under a major expansion of the immigration system that Ottawa is preparing to announce, government sources say.

The plan would eventually mean an increase of about 35 per cent from current levels of more than 220,000 permanent residents a year. It also includes elements such as recruiting more people to work outside the largest cities and giving permanent status to more foreign nationals already here, such as university graduates who came on student visas.

... Although it will not scrap the current immigration system, which emphasizes university degrees, French and English-language skills, and ties to Canada, the new proposal would make more openings for tradespeople, in part through an expanded local and provincial role in selecting immigrants.

more

[Darth_Kitten]

1. How much is this going to cost?

:shrug:

I pay enough taxes. ;) :evilgrin:

Yes, yes, we need immigration, but I'm just tired of paying through the teeth for every bloody government program out there. :)

[applegrove]

2. Um.... Immigrants on the whole pay out much more in taxes than

they cost. Keep that in mind. The taxes from those that arrived in the last decade can well pay for any admin costs for this new group.

[Yupster]

3. Especially when you filter the occupations

and skills of the people you let in and don't let in like Canada does. I would guess those skilled immigrants contribute greatly to Canada, but they aren't the people who need to get in the most.

[applegrove]

9. Even if you only include the families who are not so well off. They

pay taxes at the mall - same as you and me. And for the most part - are young and will be paying for my health care when I am old.

[Darth_Kitten]

5. I live in Canada and pay a whole slew of taxes...

I know the benefits of immigration, but there are always the costs no one really wants to talk about.

it's very politically incorrect to say anything about immigration these days without being seen as a bigot, unfortunately.

[applegrove]

7. Immigrant populations on the whole have made our cities grow and

thrive. For sure there is the odd gang and such. Depends how well you integrate the city. Without immigrants - we would be as depressed as iceland & as barren. We would be poor across the board.

[ret5hd]

4. I'm a machinist...

and my wife is a microbiologist...wonder if we'd get in?

[sarcasmo]

6. This Truck Driver is ready to sing OH Canada.

[applegrove]

8. Please - you are welcome. Come one, come all! And yes we do let

in some economic refugees and refugess. It is not all rich immigrants (or upper middle class) ones who get in.

[CHIMO]

10. Labour Is Only A Commodity

Type of attitude I fear.

The Horizon Project: Showdown over Labour Rights

Our Concerns

The process outlined under Division 8 of the Labour Code differs substantially from the approach to bargaining usually followed by oil sands developers and the workers and/or subcontractors they employ. Basically, what the new arrangement means is that anyone who wants to work on the Horizon project will have to accept the terms of the central agreement. There will be no room for individual unions or contractors to negotiate their own agreements.

The Alberta Federation of Labour fears that CNRL's intent is to negotiate a "sweetheart" deal with a questionable bargaining agent (most likely the employer-friendly Christian Labour Association of Canada - or CLAC for short). From our perspective, any deal negotiated under these conditions will likely cement in place a wage and benefit regime for the project that is below the going market rate.

A related concern has to do with a special labour force agreement enacted by the federal government last May (with the Alberta government's explicit encouragement and approval) that establishes a fast track for big companies like CNRL wanting to bring foreign workers into Alberta to fill oil sands construction jobs.

The AFL sees the combination of the fast-track for foreign temporary workers and special treatment for employers under Division 8 of the Labour Code as a dangerous one-two punch, aimed directly at Alberta trades workers. CNRL's goal appears to be to set wages lower than the going market rate and, if Canadian workers are unwilling to work for those wages, use the foreign-worker fast-track to bring in workers from other countries who would be willing to work for less.

http://www.afl.org/campaigns-issues/fortmcmurray/horizon.cfm

So it might help if one were a christian.



http://www.canadianchristianity.com/cgi-bin/na.cgi?nationalupdates/050630alberta

[POAS]

11. I wish they would scrap

the ban on retirement visas.

I'd like to relocate to Canada when I retire but they have stopped permament residency visas for retired foreigners.