National Immigration Month Bill
Second Reading--Debate Continued
November 20, 2024
Honourable senators, I rise today to voice my support for Bill S-286, an Act respecting National Immigration Month.
I would like to recognize Senator Gerba for her advocacy on this bill and for her continued dedication to creating an inclusive environment for our country’s newcomers.
As Canadians, we are lucky to have such a wonderfully diverse population, and a national immigration month would provide us an opportunity to both recognize and celebrate those who came to Canada from abroad as well as stand up to the ever-increasing rhetoric against immigration.
Here in Canada, immigration is and always has been a vital part of our country’s history, and has shaped what it means to be Canadian from coast to coast to coast. From the Chinese immigrants in the West who worked on the Canadian Pacific Railway in risky environments to the Irish immigrants who helped build the Rideau Canal, right outside this chamber, under hazardous conditions to Pier 21, the Halifax seaport where nearly 1 million immigrants landed in Canada from 1928 to 1971. I name a few across our country, but examples are endless.
Today, immigrants make up a considerable portion of our population. Immigrants accounted for 23% of the population in 2021, which was the largest proportion in over 150 years. In Atlantic Canada alone, the share of recent newcomers settling in our provinces has almost tripled in 15 years, increasing threefold between 2006 and 2021.
In my home province of New Brunswick, it rose from nearly 7,500 in 2015 to over 37,600 in 2023. This is an indication of Canada’s inclusive and welcoming spirit. I like to say, “Don’t just be friendly, but be a friend.” However, we still have work to do to reinforce our capacity to welcome and retain newcomers in our communities.
I share Senator Gerba’s belief that national immigration month is of particular importance given our current climate. Recently, we have seen an increase of distrust towards immigrants, a surge of blame for our country’s problems attributed to the immigrant population. This represents a very concerning trend, and one that merits our attention. I believe it is our collective responsibility to create a welcoming and supportive environment for newcomers to build their futures and to change the concerning narrative being aimed at immigrants.
It’s also critical to our workforce and labour market to facilitate the integration of newcomers to our country. I’ll use the example of my home province of New Brunswick. A 2023 New Brunswick jobs report on the labour market outlook projected that between 2022 and 2032, the province is expected to see an 11.4% population growth. Labour force and employment are forecasted to grow by 9.1% and 9.6% respectively. That means over 98,000 individuals who are expected to retire will need to be replaced, and an additional 35,000 new jobs that are expected to result from growth will also need to be filled.
A significant portion of these openings are expected to be filled by young New Brunswickers, but this population alone will not be large enough to meet the future demand for labour, as New Brunswick is expected to experience negative natural population growth. Overall, young people entering the labour force for the first time are expected to fill only 54% of forecasted job openings, as projected by a New Brunswick job report. In order to bridge the gap between population growth and labour growth that is forecasted, the remaining 46% must be filled through a mix of immigration, workers from other provinces and increased rates of labour force participation.
In order to ensure the vitality of the workforce in my province and, more broadly, across the country, we must continue to solidify our commitment to inclusive practices. It’s important for businesses, organizations, governments and communities to provide programming and opportunities for newcomers. I have long been an advocate for newcomers, working to understand the challenges they face and doing my best to help them overcome barriers.
While I was at the Fredericton Chamber of Commerce, we showed leadership by creating and running three different programs aimed at supporting newcomers. We ran the Business Immigrant Mentorship Program; The Hive, which was an incubator centre for newcomer entrepreneurs; and Succession Connect, which helped build connections between those in our community looking to transfer their business and newcomers who were looking to put down roots in the community and buy a business. Those programs were copied in other communities across the country.
I also volunteered with the Ignite Connector Program and Opportunities New Brunswick, helping mentor international students, recent grads and internationally educated newcomers, trying to connect them to people within my network. Someone new to a province or region may be unfamiliar with the landscape and how things work there. Their network is limited, and they might have challenges in terms of employment and community access. Providing connections and guidance helps them gain opportunities and experience they can turn into stepping stones for their future.
We have so many success stories in New Brunswick and in Fredericton of businesses led by newcomer entrepreneurs, from businesses in the service sector across the gamut to those in tech and innovation.
However, they need support to get there. All of us here today can provide that.
Overall, it might be easy to see immigrants as numbers or percentages instead of newcomers to our communities, but it’s our collective responsibility to ensure we continue to approach immigration in a welcoming way and create a supportive environment for them to build their futures by being friends, not just friendly.
In my hometown of Fredericton, we have long celebrated our Immigration Month with events, celebrations and storytelling. I would love to see that implemented nationally so that we can all celebrate, from coast to coast to coast.
In closing, by supporting this bill, we not only recognize the valued contributions of immigrants to Canada’s history but also reinforce our commitment to core values such as inclusion, diversity and economic prosperity. We also send a powerful message to Canadians and the international community that we continue to represent and defend those values.
I am proud to support Bill S-286 and sending it to committee for further study. I encourage my colleagues to do the same. Thank you. Woliwon.
Honourable senators, I rise today in support of Bill S-286, An Act respecting National Immigration Month, introduced by my dear friend Senator Gerba. I thank her for her initiative in this regard.
This bill provides an opportunity to formally recognize the immense contributions immigrants have made to our country while also reflecting on the complexities and challenges that have shaped our immigration history. It invites us to acknowledge the obstacles many immigrants continue to face and to celebrate the indispensable role they play in enriching Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric.
Please allow me to share an aspect of this journey that is often overlooked: the impacts and historical context of first contact with the nations that lived and prospered on these lands as well as the vibrancy and rich spiritual heritage of our First Nations that were dismembered by waves of colonization, disease and displacement.
At its core, this bill reflects the values that define Canada: resilience, inclusivity and a recognition that immigration has been a driving force in shaping our nation’s identity and success. By establishing National Immigration Month, we reaffirm that the strength of our country lies in the diversity and dynamism that immigrants bring to our communities.
My own journey to Canada in 1984 from Zimbabwe, formerly Rhodesia, was shaped by the harsh realities of political volatility and racial and tribal tensions. Immigration for me and many others was the path to hope and new beginnings.
The dislocation from the land of your birth, leaving behind all that you are familiar with — warts and all — is a particularly traumatic experience. Arriving in Canada brought a stark contrast. Canada has embraced diversity and welcomed immigrants from all walks of life, offering opportunities to those seeking a better future.
As a rural family doctor in Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador, I witnessed first-hand how vital immigrants are to sustaining and transforming local communities. When I arrived, this generous and loving community embraced my skills, and I was welcomed with warmth and gratitude. It was this sense of belonging that compelled me to build my life there. I will forever be grateful to my community for shaping my ideas and ideals and for embedding in me the values of altruism and kindness.
Newfoundland and Labrador, with its vast, remote landscapes, has always faced economic and population challenges. Immigrants have been and continue to be instrumental in addressing these issues. Our immigrants have contributed in essential roles, including as health care providers, academics, entrepreneurs and workers in critical industries like agriculture and fisheries. The presence of international health professionals, for instance, has bolstered health care in rural regions, where recruitment and retention of health care professionals are difficult.
Historically, the province has been shaped by waves of migration, including the Norse at L’Anse aux Meadows; the Irish, English and French settlers who built thriving fishing communities; and the Mennonite community that made a significant contribution to Labrador. Today’s immigrants continue that legacy, revitalizing shrinking communities and contributing to the cultural and economic vibrancy of my province.
More recently, my province has recognized the ongoing importance of immigration through its 2022 Population Growth Strategy, which focuses on attracting newcomers to address labour shortages and support economic growth. Its goals are to attract and retain 5,100 newcomers annually by 2026. The strategy places emphasis on attracting skilled workers, international students and entrepreneurs with the hope that they will settle permanently in the province.
While immigration is vital to Canada’s future, we must also confront the more challenging aspects of our immigration history, including policies like the Chinese head tax and the exclusion of Jewish refugees during World War II. Those serve as painful reminders that Canada’s immigration system has not always lived up to the ideals of inclusivity. These examples are critical for us to remember. They must motivate us to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.
Bill S-286 is important because it recognizes the contributions that immigrants have made, but it also invites all Canadians to reflect on the broader historical and cultural significance of immigration. National Immigration Month will offer us the opportunity to acknowledge both the positive and challenging aspects of immigration as well as the benefits that have come through the years.
As Senators Gerba, Mégie and Miville-Dechêne have emphasized, immigration is central to who we are as a nation. It celebrates the richness that diversity brings and recognizes the power of our collective stories.
I proudly support this bill to ensure the stories and contributions of immigrants continue to be honoured and celebrated for years to come.
Let me conclude by quoting Her Excellency the former Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, from her induction speech in 1999:
As John Ralston Saul has written, the central quality of the Canadian state is its complexity. It is a strength and not a weakness that we are a “permanently incomplete experiment built on a triangular foundation—aboriginal, francophone and anglophone”. . . . It is an old experiment, complex and, in worldly terms, largely successful. Stumbling through darkness and racing through light, we have persisted in the creation of a Canadian civilization.
She continued:
There seem to be two kinds of societies in the world today. Perhaps there have always been only two kinds—punishing societies and forgiving societies. A society like Canada’s, with its four centuries of give-and-take, compromise and acceptance, wrong-doing and redress, is basically a forgiving society. We try—we must try—to forgive what is past. . . .
Thank you. Meegwetch.
