Thoughts on David Suzuki's comments about Canadian immigration

When people compare the United States of America to Canada. One of the main differences in our cultures that is almost always pointed out is that America is seen as a melting pot of cultures where as Canada is seen as a diverse mosaic of rich cultures.

In David Suziki’s recent comments, he mentions that Canada should not accept so many immigrants because it will drain the country of its resources. But contrary to Suzuki’s belief, this country was built upon immigration and that continues to be one of the best things we have to offer, our rich mix of cultures.  Not only do we pride ourselves on being accepting of different cultures but we also greatly benefit from immigration economically. Most of all Canadian born people had the luck of being born into a comfortable first world country. Many other on the other hand, did not have the luck of the draw and instead were born into a third world country. It is up to us as Canadian citizens to let others in because we could have very we not had the luck of being born into a first world country

Canada has been faced with a problem for many years. Since we are not producers of very many products we depend on exports to sustain our economy. The report , Selling Beyond the US:Do Recent immigrants Advance Canada’s Export Agenda, found that business owners who recently immigrated to Canada are more likely to export then settled Canadian citizens. This is turn helps the economy grow by bringing more money into the country.  The reason why new immigrants tend to help the economy in this way is because after moving to Canada they are used to a life full of hard work and they are often more motivated to succeed and generate income. The other reason they tend to export more is because they are more likely to have connections in countries other then Canada, normally their home country. And on top of the connections they have to other countries they normally also speak the language of their home country, which makes establishing trade relations in their home country easier.

It is often said that you become who you hang around with. That is why it is always good to get new ambitious immigrants in the country, both to help the economy grow, but to also inspire other Canadians to be more ambitious.

In Ontario, the population per square km was 14.1 people in 2011. In Bangladesh on the other hand, the population density was 1174 people per square km in that same year. That equates to Bangladesh having a population density 83 times more then that of Canada. And Bangladesh is just one statistic. Many other countries are more densely populated then Bangladesh especially in big cities. As one could imagine, populations of this grandeur can lead to starvation, disease and dehydration. Other countries are ravaged by war and corruption as well which makes living equally as difficult. In Canada we have lots unused space with population density in prairie  provinces going as low 1.8 people per square km. With space like that, it is no question that we can accept many more immigrants to take up some land and help the economy. After all any of us could have been born into a 3^rd world country and would want the opportunity to one day move to a better place like Canada. As well, with a population density of 1.8 people per square km, it is pretty obvious that we would have the resources to hold more immigrants

The final reason immigration helps Canada is that after the 2nd word war a generation of people emerged called the baby boomers. The baby boomers take up the largest percentage of Canada's citizens. The problem is the baby boomer generation is moving towards retirement. With that large of a population moving into retirement, society wont have enough working citizens aged 25-40 who mostly contribute to the economy and paying the pension of the aging population. Coincidentally, most immigrants who enter the country are of the working age, between 25-40. Because of this it is important that Canada receives immigrants so that we can support the aging population and maintain the economy

As Canadians it is important that we see the importance of immigrants and welcome them into our country. With all the unused space Canada has and both the economic, and cultural benefit immigrants give to Canada, it is us Canadians who should be thankful for the immigrants coming to Canada.

learn more about canadian immigration at www.visaplace.com