Canada poised to remain a major destination for immigrants if it can maintain its advantage

07 Mar 2023

如果加拿大能够保持优势，它有望继续成为移民的主要目的地 Century Initiative 的一份新报告显示，对移民的更高水平的支持使加拿大在吸引新移民方面具有优势。 Canada poised to remain a major destination for immigrants if it can maintain its advantage A new report by the Century Initiative shows that elevated levels of support for immigration give Canada an edge when it comes to attracting newcomers.

根据 Century Initiative 发布的一份新报告《公众舆论与移民：维护加拿大的优势》，加拿大对移民的支持水平在世界上是独一无二的。 Canada’s level of support for immigrants is unique in the world according to a new report, Public Opinion and Immigration: Maintaining Canada’s Advantage, released by the Century Initiative.

这个全国性的无党派慈善机构倡导到 2100 年将加拿大人口增加到 1 亿的经济和社会效益。他们说移民是实现这一里程碑的主要因素，新报告称加拿大比其他国家更具优势，由于加拿大人对移民的压倒性支持。 The national, non-partisan charity advocates for the economic and societal benefits of increasing Canada’s population to one hundred million people by 2100. They say immigration is a principal factor in achieving this milestone and the new report says Canada holds an advantage over other countries, due to the overwhelming support Canadians have for immigration.

自 1990 年代后期以来，对加拿大移民的支持一直在稳步增长，并且由于 2008 年的全球经济衰退或 2020 年初 COVID-19 大流行的爆发而没有出现任何显着下降。报告称，支持与“移民增长”同时增长Canadian’s multicultural identity”，64%的加拿大人同意多元文化是加拿大身份的象征。与 25 年前的数据相比，这是一个显着的飞跃，当时只有 37% 的加拿大人表示同意。 Support for immigration in Canada has grown steadily since the late 1990s and did not see any significant decrease due to the global recession in 2008 or the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. The report says support has grown simultaneously alongside “growth in Canadian’s multicultural identity” with 64% of Canadians agreeing that multiculturalism is a symbol of Canada’s identity. This is a notable jump from data taken 25 years ago when only 37% of Canadians agreed.

该报告推测，支持的主要因素之一是加拿大总人口的近四分之一是移民。 2021 年的人口普查显示，在 2016 年至 2021 年期间，有 130 万新的永久居民定居在加拿大，加拿大统计局预测该国的移民人口将继续增加，到 2041 年将高达 34%。 The report surmises that one of the major factors in support is that nearly a quarter of Canada’s total population are immigrants. The 2021 census shows 1.3 million new permanent residents settled in Canada between 2016 and 2021 and Statistics Canada forecasts the country’s immigrant population will continue to rise, as high as 34% by 2041.

加拿大人认识到移民是一种力量 Canadians recognize immigration is a strength

报告称，保持加拿大人的这种积极态度对加拿大的移民战略至关重要。目前，加拿大希望到2025年每年迎来50万新移民。 According to the report, maintaining this positive attitude among Canadians is crucial for Canada’s immigration strategy. At present, Canada hopes to welcome 500,000 new immigrants per year by 2025.

Century Initiative 报告引用了 Environics Institute 最近进行的 Focus Canada 研究，该研究小组收集加拿大公众对塑造国家的问题的意见。该研究的数据显示，十分之七的加拿大人支持目前的移民水平。这是自 Environics Institute 45 年前开始追踪以来的最大支持水平。它说加拿大人认识到移民对于加强国民经济和增加加拿大人口很重要。 The Century Initiative report cites a recent Focus Canada study done by the Environics Institute, a research group that collects public opinion in Canada on the issues that shape the country. The data from that study shows that seven in ten Canadians are supportive of current immigration levels. This is the largest level of support since the Environics Institute began keeping track 45 years ago. It says Canadians recognize that immigration is important to strengthening the national economy and growing Canada’s population.

越来越多的人支持将更多难民和移民带入加拿大。报告显示，76%的加拿大人认为加拿大应该接纳更多来自发生重大冲突地区的移民。同样，这比 1993 年的 34% 有了很大的飞跃。 There is also growing support for bringing more refugees and migrants into Canada. The report shows that 76% of Canadians think Canada should accept more immigrants from places experiencing major conflicts. Again, this is a large jump from 34% in 1993.

报告称，加拿大吸引移民的主要因素之一是加拿大的“国际品牌”。在国际上，加拿大被认为是一个在医疗保健、教育、住房、安全和宽容方面提供高质量生活的国家。这意味着加拿大在吸引和留住新移民方面处于有利地位。 One of the main factors in Canada’s ability to attract immigrants is, what the report describes as,  Canada’s “International Brand.” Internationally, Canada is perceived as a country that offers a high quality of life in terms of healthcare, education, housing, safety, and tolerance. This means Canada is well-positioned to attract and retain newcomers.

风险因素 Risk factors

加拿大的形象和加拿大对移民的支持相结合，使得它很可能会继续看到大量移民。 The combination of how Canada is perceived and Canadian’s support for immigration makes it likely that it will continue to see large numbers of immigrants.

不过，该报告强调了为新移民保持有利条件的重要性。世纪倡议于 2022 年 12 月完成了一项风险因素分析，并确定了四种可能对移民产生负面影响的新风险： Still, the report highlights the importance of maintaining favourable conditions for newcomers. The Century Initiative completed a risk-factor analysis in December 2022 and identified four possible emerging risks that could negatively impact immigration:

• 获得负担得起的住房 - Access to affordable housing
• 公共基础设施和服务 - Public infrastructure and services
• 经济挑战 - Economic challenges
• 政治言论 - Political rhetoric

负担得起的住房是所有加拿大人都关心的问题，包括新移民。报告称，从 2005 年到 2020 年，加拿大是经济合作与发展组织 (OECD) 成员国中房价涨幅最大的国家之一。 Affordable housing is a concern for all Canadians, including newcomers. The report says that between 2005 and 2020, Canada recorded one of the largest increases in housing prices among members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

根据加拿大房地产协会的最新数据，目前加拿大房屋的平均价格为 612,204 美元。然而，超过 40% 的新移民选择定居的安大略省的房屋平均价格为 798,835 加元。加拿大最近还出台了一项法律，禁止任何非加拿大公民或永久居民购买住宅物业。存在例外情况，但临时居民仍然面临重大挑战。 The current average price of a home in Canada is $612,204 according to the most recent data from the Canadian Real Estate Association. However, the average price of a home in Ontario, where over 40% of newcomers choose to settle, is $798,835. Canada also recently introduced a law that prohibits anyone who is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident from buying a residential property. Exceptions exist but there are still significant challenges for temporary residents.

公共基础设施和服务也构成挑战。加拿大需要移民来弥补劳动力的紧迫缺口并保持经济强劲，但如果他们无法获得高质量的教育或医疗保健服务，他们就不太可能选择加拿大。例如，目前加拿大医疗保健部门就存在工人短缺问题。加拿大统计局 12 月份的数据显示，医疗保健行业占所有职位空缺的 17.7%。 Public infrastructure and services also pose a challenge. Canada needs immigrants to close urgent gaps in the labour force and keep the economy strong but they are less likely to choose Canada if they cannot access high-quality education or healthcare services. For example, there is currently a shortage of workers in Canada’s healthcare sector. Statistics Canada data from December said the healthcare sector accounted for 17.7% of all vacancies.

在全球范围内，加拿大经济强劲，加拿大央行 (BoC) 表示加拿大不太可能在 2023 年出现严重衰退。不过，截至去年 1 月，当前的通货膨胀率高达 6.9%，加拿大央行将利率上调至通过抑制借贷和支出来减缓经济。预计 GDP 增长将从 2022 年的 3.6% 放缓至 2023 年的 1%。 Globally, Canada’s economy is strong and the Bank of Canada (BoC) says it is unlikely Canada will see a major recession in 2023. Still, the current rate of inflation is high at 6.9% as of last January and the BoC raised interest rates to slow the economy by disincentivizing borrowing and spending. It is expected that GDP growth will slow and decrease from 3.6% in 2022 to just 1% through 2023.

最后，该报告指出，政治言论会对新移民对加拿大的看法产生破坏性影响。政治领导人有时将对工资和就业的负面影响归因于移民增加。报告特别提到，人民党领袖马克西姆·伯尼尔和魁北克省省长弗朗索瓦·勒戈“都发表了反移民的政治言论，但这种言论在加拿大政坛仍然很少见”。加拿大三大政党自由党、保守党和NDP（新民主党）均表示加拿大需要更多移民，支持移民水平计划中的高目标。 Finally, the report cites that political rhetoric can have a damaging effect on how newcomers view Canada. Political leaders sometimes credit negative impacts on wages and employment to increased immigration. The report specifically mentions that People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier and Quebec Premier Francois Legault have “shared anti-immigrant political rhetoric, but such discourse remains rare in Canadian politics.” Canada’s three major political parties, the Liberals, the Conservatives and the NDP (New Democratic Party) all say that Canada needs more immigrants and support the high targets in the Immigration Levels Plan.

建议 Recommendations

该报告包含世纪倡议关于保持移民首选目的地的建议。例如，报告称加拿大应通过经济流动途径试点和全球技能战略等项目支持和加强对移民的商业吸引力。 The report contains the Century Initiative’s recommendations for remaining a top destination for immigrants. For example, the report says Canada should support and strengthen business attraction of immigrants through programs such as the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot and the Global Skills Strategy.

它还表示，应该加大对积极激励措施的投资，以吸引技术移民和企业家。它说，加拿大目前的创业签证计划非常有限——占新移民的 0.1%，处理时间接近 3 年。 It also says there should be more investment in proactive incentives to attract skilled immigrants and entrepreneurs. It says that Canada’s current Start-Up Visa Program is very modest – representing 0.1% of new arrivals and with a processing time approaching 3 years.

新移民面临的主要挑战之一是获得从事其专业工作的必要认证，这可能导致一些移民从事他们资格过高的工作。报告说，“如果雇主和监管机构能够提高对国际经验和证书的认可，并建立改进的招聘实践以消除隐含偏见的标准和规则，那么为移民提供优质工作是可能的。” One of the major challenges for newcomers is getting the necessary accreditation to work in their profession and it can lead to some immigrants working in jobs that they are overqualified for. The report says, “providing quality work for immigrants is possible if employers and regulatory bodies can improve recognition of international experience and credentials and build improved hiring practices to eliminate criteria and rules that are implicitly biased.”

FCGvisa translated, © CIC News All Rights Reserved.