Canada-Colombia trade deal takes effect.

2008 deal now in force removes tariffs on coal from Colombia, wheat from Canada

The Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement came into force on Aug. 15, 2011. The deal removes or reduces most tariffs on trade between the two countries.

The agreement was reached in 2008 and received royal assent in Canada in 2010.

Two-way trade between Canada and Colombia totalled $1.4 billion in 2010. So what do the two countries trade?

Here are the top five Canadian imports from Colombia and the top five exports to Colombia, based on the average value for 2004-2006:

Canadian imports from Colombia	Canadian exports to Colombia
Coal	Wheat
Coffee	Newsprint and paper
Bananas	Machinery and equipment
Fuel oil	Off-highway dumpers*
Cut flowers*	Pulses (beans, peas, lentils)
The top five imports account for 80 per cent of Canada's imports from Colombia.	The top five exports account for 70 per cent of Canada's exports to Colombia.
	Wheat alone represents 22 per cent but that is just 2.5 per cent of the wheat Canada exports worldwide.
*Half the cut flowers that Canada imports come from Colombia.	*Almost a quarter of the off-highway, heavy-duty dump trucks that Canada exports go to Colombia.
(Source: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada)

5 ways Canada's workforce will change in 20 years

If current trends continue, Canada's labour force is going to change drastically over the next 20 years, Statistics Canada said in a report Wednesday.

Here's the outlook:

• After expanding by about four per cent a year in the past, the labour force growth rate will slow to less than one per cent a year by 2031.
• The workforce is going to get a lot older. In 2001, when the first batch of baby boomers turned 55, only one in 10 Canadian workers was at least that age. By 2031, Statistics Canada expects that ratio to jump to almost one in four.
• In 1981, there were roughly six people in the labour force for each retiree. By 2031, 50 years later, that ratio will have declined to fewer than three to one.
• Twenty years ago, fewer than one in five Canadian workers were born in a different country. By 2031, that ratio is expected to rise to one in three.
• In 1996, one in 10 Canadian workers were part of a visible minority group. By 2031, that's expected to be more like one in three. And even if immigration stopped completely from this point on, the percentage of Canadian workers who were a member of a visible minority would still be more than one in five by 2031.

Statistics Canada considers the labour force to be the country's total of people aged 15 years old or more, who are currently working or actively looking for work.

Any way you slice it, that pool is going to change dramatically, the agency says.

Canada's statistics agency projected 20 years into the future based on a number of different projections and assumptions. Though the final numbers changed a little, the trend was the same in all cases. "The projections also [are] that … the labour force will become older and increasingly ethnoculturally diverse," as the agency put it.

The agency cites demographic trends to explain the changes. Specifically, baby boomers will age and exit the workforce, and an increasing percentage of those who will replace them will be immigrants.

The trends were moving in the same direction in every province.

Study shows projected trends to 2031 for Canadian labour force

The aging of the baby boomers, which is largely behind the projected decline in the overall participation rate, has had a major impact on the aging of the labour force.

TEXT SIZE  

2011-08-17

---

Ottawa, ON -- Using a range of projection scenarios, Canada's labour force is projected to grow to between 20.5 million and 22.5 million by 2031, according to a new study from Statistics Canada released in August 2011. In 2010, the labour force numbered about 18.5 million.

All scenarios suggest a slowdown in the rate of growth in the labour force, primarily because of the retirement of baby boomers. The overall participation rate, that is, the percentage of the total population aged 15 and over that is in the labour force, is also projected to decline.

This report, Projected Trends to 2031 for the Canadian Labour Force, is based on an article in the Canadian Economic Observer about new projections for Canada's labour force from 2011 to 2031, by which time the entire baby-boom generation will have reached the age of 65.

Between 1971 and 1976, when the large baby-boom cohorts were entering the labour market, the labour force increased at an average rate of just over 4% a year. This growth rate slowed to about 1.4% between 2006 and 2010. By 2016, growth is projected to be less than 1% on average in all scenarios. Projections show it could slow even further to between 0.2% and 0.7% in the period from 2021 to 2026.

In four of the five scenarios, the growth is projected to stop slowing after 2026, once most baby boomers have left the labour force.

The projections also suggest that, if recent trends continue, the labour force will become older and increasingly ethno-culturally diverse. Close to one person out of four in the labour force could be aged 55 or over by 2021. There would also be higher proportions of foreign-born people and people belonging to a visible minority group (as defined by the Employment Equity Act) in the labour force.

Projections also show that the overall participation rate would decline and the diversity of the labour force would increase in every province.

Overall participation rate declines in all scenarios

As the growth of the labour force loses momentum, the population of seniors aged 65 and over is projected to grow increasingly rapidly as a result of population aging and the entry of the baby boomers into this age range.

Consequently, according to all scenarios, the overall participation rate is projected to decline during the next two decades.

In 2010, the participation rate was 67.0%; by 2031, it is projected to range between 59.7% and 62.6%, which would be the lowest observed since the late 1970s.

The projected decline in the overall participation rate over the next two decades would be largely attributable to demographic phenomena, such as the aging of the baby-boom cohorts, increasing life expectancy and a fertility rate below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.

Nearly one person in four in the labour force projected to be 55 or more

The aging of the baby boomers, which is largely behind the projected decline in the overall participation rate, has had a major impact on the aging of the labour force. Between 2001 and 2009, the proportion of people in the labour force aged 55 and over rose from 10% to 17%, an increase of 7 percentage points in nine years. The first baby boomers reached the age of 55 in 2001.

This increase is projected to continue from 2010 to 2021, when the succeeding cohorts of baby boomers in turn reach 55. By 2021, according to three of the five scenarios, nearly one person in four in the labour force (roughly 24%) could be 55 years of age or over, the highest proportion on record.

Also, by 2031, the ratio of people in the labour force to seniors aged 65 and over not in the labour force, that is mostly retired people, is also projected to decline.

In 1981, there were roughly six persons in the labour force for each retiree. By 2031, or 50 years later, this ratio is projected to decline to less than three to one, according to all five scenarios. The ratio is projected to decline in every province.

About one person in three in the labour force projected to be foreign born

By 2031, roughly one in every three people in the labour force could be foreign born. Between 1991 and 2006, the percentage of foreign-born people in the labour force rose from 18.5% to 21.2%. If recent immigration levels were to continue, that proportion is projected to reach almost 33% in 2031, according to most scenarios.

For more than 20 years, Canadian immigration has come mainly from Asian countries. Consequently, between 1996 and 2006, the proportion of people in the labour force belonging to a visible minority group rose from 10% to 15%. According to most scenarios, this proportion could more than double to 32% by 2031.

Even if there were no immigration between 2010 and 2031, the proportion of people in the labour force belonging to a visible minority group would increase to about 23% in 2031.

This would be the result of two factors: first, the age structure of the visible minority population is younger than the general population, which means that fewer visible minority persons would retire by 2031. Secondly, the children of recent immigrants would gradually enter the labour force.

In addition, between 2006 and 2031, an increasing proportion of persons in the labour force belonging to a visible minority group is projected to be Canadian born. In 2006, Canadian-born visible minorities accounted for about 17% of all visible minority people in the labour force; by 2031, their proportion is projected to rise to roughly 25%.

Again, this increase is mainly a result of two factors: first, Canadian-born visible-minority people tend to have a high level of education, so more participate in the labour force. Second, the children of immigrants who have arrived since the early 1990s will gradually enter the labour market.

Note to readers

The projections were based on five scenarios that combine assumptions on future population growth with assumptions on future labour force participation rates. These scenarios suggest increases of various sizes in the labour force population depending on assumptions for rates of fertility, mortality, immigration and participation rates.

The projections were obtained using a microsimulation projection model called Demosim. This model makes it possible to project populations by simultaneously taking into account the demographic components related to population growth, the education level, the participation rates and the person's belonging to a visible minority group. The population base for this model comes from the microdata file of the 20% sample of the 2006 Census, adjusted for net undercoverage.

The labour force is defined as all individuals aged 15 years and older who work or who are looking for work. It is, therefore, the pool of individuals who are employed or available for employment in a population. The overall participation rate is the proportion of the population aged 15 years and older that is in the labour force.

Canada struggling to prepare for aging boomers, smaller workforce

Peggy Curran, Postmedia News

Published: Wednesday, August 17, 2011

MONTREAL - Blow out your candles and make a wish.

It's 2051, and you've just celebrated your 103rd birthday. Did you mark the occasion by getting your black belt in judo? Host a retrospective of the brilliant art career you launched when you retired from your real job 40 years ago? Or are you too crippled up with arthritis, confused in the head, or just plain poor to enjoy the moment?

Canada still has no plan to cope with the implications for our public services and our economy of a swelling demographic wave of seniors.

Email to a friendPrinter friendly

Font:

Many years ago, back when we still thought aging was something funny that would never happen to us, my cousin Sandra made up a morbid little birthday song. "You're old, and you're going to get older, and one day when you get old enough, then you will die."

So what's old enough these days? And how is Canada preparing for a society where more of us will live much longer, while fewer people will be in the workforce paying the bills?

On Wednesday, the Jewish Eldercare Centre in Montreal hosted a birthday party for 22 residents who are 100 or older. Together, they have celebrated 2,241 birthdays. The oldest among them, Bella (Huss) Zomberg, is 109. She was born the year the Boer War ended, Edward VII became King of England, and Teddy Roosevelt became the first U.S. president to ride in a motor car.

Back in 1902, life expectancy for women was 47. Eight per cent of North American homes had a telephone, 14 per cent had a bathtub and most people died young, from diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria and the flu.

These days, life expectancy in most Western democracies hovers around 80. With the oldest baby boomers turning 65 this year, it's predicted that over the next 20 years the number of seniors in Canada will outnumber those under age 20.

"A major demographic transition is under way that will strain government finances," warns a fiscal sustainability report prepared for the federal government last year. As the oldest baby boomers reach their traditional retirement age of 65, it cautions, "spending pressures in areas such as health care and elderly benefits are projected to intensify."

Over the next eight years, there will be a rapid bump in the number of people 65 and over. Throw in a higher life expectancy and a lower fertility rate, and the gap between old and young, between the workforce and a retired population that is older and frailer will continue accelerating and widening until 2029, when it will continue to dip, but at a slower pace.

Barring major shifts in immigration policy and a return to the big families of yore, by 2070, it's expected there will be one senior citizen in Canada for every two people aged 15 to 64, the typical breadbasket of the full-time labour force. That's down from just under eight to one back in 1971, right around the time that first wave of boomers graduated from university.

The crunch could happen even sooner. A report published by Statistics Canada Wednesday says that within 10 years, as many as one in four Canadian workers will be 55 or over. If they are tempted by the Freedom 55 dream of beaches and going to the park with their grandkids - or victims of a mid-life buyout/layoff program - that's a lot of lost manpower and tax revenue.

Fewer people in the workforce means the economy will grow at a slower rate. It will also place a heavier burden on pensions, health care and other social programs.

No wonder policy planners and politicians are working - sometimes at cross purposes - on scenarios exploring the costs of an aging population, and who should foot the bills.

"Ninety per cent of seniors live on their own and are able to take care of themselves," says Diane Schweitzer, director of quality and operations at the Jewish Eldercare Centre.

But the longer we live, she noted, the more likely it is we will eventually come to rely on health and social services. "After age 85, the number of people with cognitive or physical impairments increases."

Jewish Eldercare is home to 320 people, mostly elderly, who require the heaviest level of assistance. Schweitzer said the average age of residents is 87 - and climbing. "A year or two ago, we had 13 residents who were over 100. Now we have more than 20."

The public, long-term care facility hosts more than 80 activities every month to keep residents busy. "We treat people like you would want your mother or father to be treated, or how you would want to be treated, with respect and dignity in a homelike environment."

But Schweitzer said people who care for the elderly are already scrambling to make do with constraints in health and post-secondary education funding compounding shortages in critical fields, such as nursing and occupational therapy.

Jewish Eldercare recently struck a deal with John Abbott College to help foreign-trained nurses qualify for certification in Quebec - the program's first graduates will soon take up jobs at the centre.

"The government keeps cutting back, but there is an ever greater demand," said Schweitzer. "So you have to come up with innovative ways to provide the services that are needed."

© The Montreal Gazette 2011

Why Use a Regulated Consultant in Canadian Immigration?

Before acquiring the services of an immigration consultant, it is important to understand the difference between a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) and an unauthorized provider of immigration services.  RCICs are required to abide by a strict Code of Conduct – available here.  There will be numerous benefits associated with utilizing the services of a RCIC and serious risks associated with utilizing the services of these unauthorized providers.  

Regulated Consultants vs. Unauthorized Providers of Immigration Services:

Attribute	RegulatedCanadian Immigration Consultant	Unauthorized Provider of Immigration Services
Accountable to ICCRC; complaints are taken seriously	Yes	No – accountable to no one
Monitored by ICCRC; non-compliance is taken seriously	Yes	No – may operate unknown to authorities
Supported by ICCRC to enhance quality of services	Yes	No – not supported by anyone
Knowledgeable and informed on immigration law and Canadian immigration system	Yes	No – no education prerequisite on immigration issues
Proficient in English or French	Yes	No – may be unable to communicate properly in English or French
Required to abide by stringent ethical and professional rules that are designed to protect consumers	Yes	No – not subject to any ethical requirements
Possess valid Errors and Omissions Insurance for enhanced consumer protection	Yes	No – may not have any Errors and Omissions Insurance
Work with agents known to ICCRC	Yes	No – no information on their associates
Required to provide evidence of good character prior to becoming Regulated	Yes	No – may have committed fraudulent or illegal activities in the past

Tips for Consumers 

If you are looking to obtain the services from a RCIC, look at the Council’s list of members to ensure he or she is regulated by the Council – if his or her name is not on the list, he or she is NOT authorized. The up-to-date list will be accessible on the Council’s website 

Read the Code of Ethical and Professional Conduct for Members (available on the Council’s website) – this will help you to know what you can expect from a RCIC


Benefits of Obtaining Immigration Services from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant


A Regulated Consultant is your assurance of quality. Certified consultants are equipped with the latest information on immigration law, procedures and practices and go about their business according to a strict, enforceable Code of Conduct.   

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are educated and informed
Prior to becoming RCICs, candidates are required to demonstrate their knowledge and language skills with entrance examinations. Since 2004, candidates to become authorized immigration consultants have been required to complete an accredited program. An accredited program provides consultants with essential information regarding immigration law in Canada and proper procedures regarding applications with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Additionally, members of the Council are kept well-informed on developments in the immigration field. They are required to complete ongoing professional development and Practice Management Education.
 
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are required to abide by stringent ethical and professional guidelines
Council members are subject to a Code of Ethical Conduct that stipulates proper procedures for their practice. The Code requires all members to adhere to stringent rules, including those regarding quality of service, professionalism, ethical practice and confidentiality. A breach of this code is considered an act of non-compliance; it is taken seriously and dealt with expeditiously by the Council. Additionally, members of the Council must provide evidence of good character before being newly regulated, including submitting a police record check.
 
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are insured
Members of the Council are required to obtain Errors and Omissions Insurance, which protects consumers against unintended actions that may cause financial damage. 

The agents of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are known to the Regulator
Members’ agents, or those individuals who work with RCICs on a regular basis, often play a big part in processing and handling important documents and correspondence. RCICs are required to provide to the Council a list of agents with whom they work. The actions of these agents reflect upon the member, and members will thus be responsible for ensuring that their agents act with professionalism and integrity.


Risks of Obtaining Services from Unauthorized Providers of Immigration Services
 
These unauthorized providers are breaking the law
Unauthorized practitioners who charge money for immigration services are acting illegally. These individuals should not be trusted to provide immigration services in exchange for money.  

These unauthorized providers may not be educated or informed
These unauthorized providers may be operating without proper education or knowledge of the Canadian immigration system or Canadian immigration law. They may be unaware of essential requirements or procedures in dealing with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and may not be informed of developments regarding the immigration system or of immigration legislation that could have a negative effect on a consumer’s circumstances as related to CIC.
 
These unauthorized providers may not be ethical or professional
As someone who is operating illegitimately, these individuals may have no qualms about engaging in highly unethical or unprofessional actions. Many times, these unauthorized providers are seeking only to swindle money from unsuspecting clients. Additionally, they may engage in unethical or illegal practices in their dealings with CIC, which could jeopardize an applicant’s current and future status with CIC.


These unauthorized providers are not accountable to the Council
Non-members are practicing without the authorization of the regulatory body. They are not subject to the rules and regulations that govern Council members, who are held accountable for their actions by the Council. They may not properly identify themselves on official documents and records and most likely operate unknown to the Council and appropriate officials.
 
These unauthorized providers are not insured
Unauthorized providers do not have Errors and Omissions Insurance and are subsequently unprotected and unable to compensate consumers adequately who have been financially hurt. (Source ICCRC)

Benefits of Obtaining Immigration Services from a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are accountable to the Regulator of Immigration Consultants in Canada, the Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council (ICCRC). They are audited on a regular basis to ensure that they are complying with the requirements of the regulator and are providing
quality services.

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are educated and informed
Prior to becoming RCICs, candidates are required to demonstrate their knowledge and language skills with entrance examinations.  Since 2004, candidates to become authorized immigration  consultants have been required to complete an accredited program.  An accredited program provides consultants with essential information regarding immigration law in Canada and proper  procedures regarding applications with Citizenship and Immigration Canada.  Additionally, members of the Council are kept well-informed on developments in the immigration field.  They  are required to complete ongoing professional development and Practice Management  Education.

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are required to abide by stringent ethical and  professional guidelines
Council members are subject to a Code of Ethical Conduct that stipulates proper procedures for their practice.  The Code requires all members to adhere to stringent rules, including those regarding quality of service, professionalism, ethical practice and confidentiality.  A breach of  this code is considered an act of non-compliance; it is taken seriously and dealt with  expeditiously by the Council.  Additionally, members of the Council must provide evidence of  good character before being newly regulated, including submitting a police record check.

Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are insured
Members of the Council are required to obtain Errors and Omissions Insurance, which protects consumers against unintended actions that may cause financial damage.

The agents of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants are known to the Regulator
Members’ agents, or those individuals who work with RCICs on a regular basis, often play a big part in processing and handling important documents and correspondence.  RCICs are required to provide to the Council a list of agents with whom they work.  The actions of these agents reflect upon the member, and members will thus be responsible for ensuring that their agents act with professionalism and integrity.

Risks of Obtaining Services from Unauthorized Providers of Immigration Services

These unauthorized providers are breaking the law
Unauthorized practitioners who charge money for immigration services are acting illegally. These individuals should not be trusted to provide immigration services in exchange for money.

These unauthorized providers may not be educated or informed
These unauthorized providers may be operating without proper education or knowledge of the Canadian immigration system or Canadian immigration law.  They may be unaware of essential  requirements or procedures in dealing with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and may not be informed of developments regarding the immigration system or of immigration legislation that could have a negative effect on a consumer’s circumstances as related to CIC.

These unauthorized providers may not be ethical or professional
As someone who is operating illegitimately, these individuals may have no qualms about engaging in highly unethical or unprofessional actions.  Many times, these unauthorized providers are seeking only to swindle money from unsuspecting clients.  Additionally, they may engage in unethical or illegal practices in their dealings with CIC, which could jeopardize an applicant’s current and future status with CIC.These unauthorized providers are not accountable to the Council Non-members are practicing without the authorization of the regulatory body.  They are not subject to the rules and regulations that govern Council members, who are held accountable for  their actions by the Council.  They may not properly identify themselves on official documents and records and most likely operate unknown to the Council and appropriate officials.

These unauthorized providers are not insured
Unauthorized providers do not have Errors and Omissions Insurance and are subsequently unprotected and unable to compensate consumers adequately who have been financially hurt.

Source : ICCRC

Retiring baby boomers will slow labour force growth to a crawl: StatsCan

OTTAWA - Canada's labour force continues to grow but retiring baby boomers will slow the rate of growth to a crawl over the next 20 years, Statistics Canada says.

The agency estimates there could be as many as 22.5 million people working by 2031, up from 18.5 million last year.

However, it projects that the rate of growth will slow to between 0.2 per cent and 0.7 per cent a year from 2021 to 2026. When the boomers were entering the job market in the 1970s, the labour force increased at an average rate of just over four per cent a year.

In 1981, there were roughly six people working for each retiree. By 2031, the ratio will be three to one, Statistics Canada forecasts. By that time, the entire baby-boom generation will have reached the age of 65.

The agency also projects that the participation rate in the labour force by 2031 could be as low as it was in the 1970s, with less than 63 per cent of Canadians over the age of 15 at work.

"The projected decline in the overall participation rate over the next two decades would be largely attributable to demographic phenomena, such as the aging of the baby boom cohorts, increasing life expectancy and a fertility rate below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman," StatsCan said in a release.

Canada's workforce is not only aging, it is also becoming more ethnically diverse. StatsCan estimates that by 2031, roughly one in every three people in the labour force could be foreign born.

Even if there was no immigration for the next 30 years, the number of visible minorities in the workplace would be expected to increase.

Visible minority communities in Canada tend to be younger, so fewer members will be retiring over the next three decades, StatsCan said. Their children will also be entering the workforce.

The labour force projections are based on five scenarios that combine assumptions on future population growth with assumptions on future labour force participation rates.