Canadian Minister Talks About Benefits Of Immigration To Australia
Canada’s immigration minister is at the moment a global anomaly.
Not only is Ahmed Hussein a former refugee, but someone who loudly and regularly advocates for the benefits of immigration, which he calls a “world of closing the doors.”
Mr. Hussein spoke at the University of New South Wales on Friday as part of his multi-city visit to Australia, where he took a more progressive stance on immigration and refugee policy.
And for that, the theme is not just a portfolio, but a life experience.
At the age of 16, Mr. Hussein survived the civil war in Somalia and fled to Canada. Before becoming the country’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship last year, he studied and practiced law.
But he presented his script-like story to the Sydney audience.
“Apart from our indigenous population, the rest of us in Canada are either descendant of immigrants or are immigrants themselves… The history of modern Canada is the history of immigration,” he said.
Global Concerns
Mr. Hussein said current “global concerns” about migrants and refugees ignore many of the economic arguments for increased immigration.
“Talent and investment have never been more mobile. And they will go where they are most welcome,” he said.
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And he framed increased immigration as a significant improvement to the challenges posed by Canada’s growing population.
For such reasons, Mr. Hussein’s boss, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has raised Canada’s immigration target from 260,000 per year to 310,000 per year. A target has been set to increase this to 340,000 by 2020.
“The issue of diversity is clear. It is a force, not a threat,” Mr. Hussain said.
“Politicians can either play up concerns around immigration to come into the office or they can take the high route and talk about the benefits of immigration.”
310,000 New Permanent Residents
He said Canada and other developed countries should be “ambitious” on immigration.
But support appears to have dropped back home, with a poll last week suggesting that half of Canadians would prefer to lower the government’s immigration target of 310,000 new permanent residents for 2018.
On the subject of refugees, Mr. Hussain spoke of his country’s private sponsorship of the refugee program.
The initiative allows for financial cost and settlement assistance to be provided by private groups or organizations to refugees.
“We have seen from time to time the generosity of the Canadian people,” he said, adding that the program has settled 288,000 refugees since it began in 1978.
“This is transformative not only for the refugees but also for the sponsors… The sponsors become the biggest champions for refugees because refugees are no longer an essence but part of the family.”
On the issue of integrating new arrivals into a country, whether it is Canada or elsewhere, Mr. Hussein stressed that it is a “two-way street”.
“If you’re not prepared to provide them with a welcoming environment, you can’t just demand that people integrate.”
But Mr. Hussein did not heed the recent uptick in informal border crossings from the US into Canada, which has been a source of controversy for the Trudeau government.
The content of the Sydney program stated that Canada’s approach to immigration was based “on the principle of reciprocal obligations to new immigrants and Canadian society”.
“Its ultimate goal is for immigrants to participate fully in the economic, social, cultural, and political life of Canada,” it said.
And Mr. Hussain seems to be living proof of its success.
Source: SBS.COM.AU
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