by Ryan Lum →Halifax News, →Migration
HALIFAX - On May 28, nearly 100 people filled the St. Andrew’s Community Centre Gymnasium to take part in the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society’s (NSBS) annual public forum, called “Council in the Community,” on timely issues impacting Nova Scotians. This year’s meeting, jointly hosted with Halifax-based Immigrant Settlement and Integration Services (ISIS), was on the theme of access to the legal system in Nova Scotia for immigrants and refugees.
“It’s a two-way street,” when it comes to newcomer interactions with the law, says Sherry Jackson-Smith, who works with immigrants involved with the prison system. “Immigrants have to have a grasp of the Canadian legal system, but legal workers need to understand where they are coming from.”
About half the participants were newcomers to the province - some recently arrived, some more seasoned - who lent their experiences as immigrants or refugees trying to access the legal system or other forms of government service.
This meeting was the first of its kind for the province as far as the organizers are aware, and many were grateful for the conversations.
“Newcomers and legal workers rarely interact outside of a formal setting,” said Mirjana Musanovic, a crisis councilor with ISIS, “so this kind of a meeting stirs up thoughts and ideas that hardly get touched on elsewhere.”
Many newcomers cited difficulties with Canadian legal culture, whether it was through a court, or something like trying to find housing.
“Buying property in my country is easy,” says Linda, an immigrant from China. “Here, you need a lawyer, you need insurance.”
Another man, who preferred not to be named, arrived from Iran 10 months ago under the Nominee Program, and has been unable to get recertified in his profession. “I was a dentist for 16 years. Here, I cannot get my license unless I spend 5 years and pay $100,000”.
For newcomers, language can also be a significant barrier to accessing the proper legal outlets.
“When you don’t speak [one of the official] languages, getting proper legal representation becomes very difficult. Poor translation leads to misinformation, and there is huge waste of the system’s resources because of it,” says Claudine Bertin, who runs Access Language Services, a legal interpretation business. She says that while there is a huge demand for legal interpreters, Nova Scotia Legal Aid has no budget to meet the demand. Most of the newcomers participating in the conference were invited through English classes they are currently enrolled in.
Strategies for supporting newcomers are becoming increasingly important in Nova Scotia. During last summer’s election campaign, Premier Darrell Dexter said that he plans to double the number of immigrants to Nova Scotia in the next 10 years to make up for a widening demand gap in skilled workers.
“To double the number of immigrants, you need to double the capacity of programs that promote access,” said Jack Potter, Diversity and Leadership Outreach coordinator at ISIS, “Ultimately, access to the legal system enhances access to all the other elements of our social support network.”
Jane Kirby, a member of No One Is Illegal Halifax (NOII-Halifax) adds that current immigration policies that restrict immigration status to certain classes of skilled workers, including high application fees and bureaucratic restrictions, bar many people currently living in Canada from accessing legal immigration status. She also says that skilled workers are not the only newcomers filling economic needs.
“An estimated 200 000 to 500 000 people are living without status in Canada, often working in precarious, low-wage jobs,” says Kirby. “These people are filling labour market needs, but because of their economic status are barred from obtaining status in Canada via the immigration system.”
Potter thinks a shift in thinking about immigration is required. “Traditionally, bringing immigrants to Canada has been about fulfilling the needs of the country, which have been mostly economic. What we want to see is a system that considers the needs of immigrants as well.”
Kirby agrees that a shift in thinking is necessary.
“What is needed at the most basic level is an immigration system that looks at migrants as people, not as commodities to fill economic needs,” she says.
Kirby says Canada’s immigration system is currently moving in the opposite direction: late last year, Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism Jason Kenney cut the number of refugees accepted in Canada from 29,000 to 12,000, according to NOII-Halifax. Earlier this month, members of NOII dropped a banner in Halifax to draw attention to reforms Minister Kenney is proposing that would make it more difficult for people to seek asylum in Canada
Canada on track to lead G7 economies this decade: CIBC
By STEFANIA MORETTI, QMI Agency
This may be Canada’s decade, according to a new report by CIBC that predicts the country is likely to lead growth in the G7 for the next 10 years if it plays its cards right.
Relatively lower government and corporate debt, immigration and trade balances mean it’s Canada’s “time to shine,” according to a report released Friday by CIBC World Markets.
Mounting debt troubles in Europe and geopolitical tensions in Asia have grabbed headlines in recent weeks.
It’s not that Canada will benefit from others’ malaise, Avery Shenfeld, CIBC's chief economist, told QMI Agency. A weakening in any part of the world is still bad for every other country in terms of exports.
“It’s more that when we look at who’s going to do better over the medium term, we have some advantages in terms of not having as many problems as they do.”
Problems in Europe have overshadowed Canadian fundamentals and even dampened expectations for growth.
But Canada's rich resources, resilient financial system and favourable demographics relative to other G7 nations make it an economic contender looking out over the next five to 10 years, Shenfeld said.
Another notable positive is in Canada's healthier state of public- and corporate-sector balance sheets.
But these factors aren’t “ironclad,” Shenfeld warned. They only mean Canada is better positioned than its debt-laden counterparts. “It’s not smooth sailing from here.”
Controlling ballooning debt and tightening fiscal policy appear to be the keys to success, Shenfeld said.
Canada’s central bank will be among the first to hike its interest rates this summer, so growth may not be something to boast about in 2011. But that will change, Shenfeld said.
“It’s as we look further on that we will have fewer years of cuts, that Canada may, in fact, shine through,” he said.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has put into motion a plan to rein in spending with the hope of all but reducing Canada’s budget deficit from $53.8 billion in 2010 to less than $2 billion by 2015.
Canada’s parliamentary budget officer has said the effort isn’t enough, and that five years down the line, federal balance sheets are projected to show a structural deficit of $12.3 billion.
Still, Canada’s current federal deficit of 3% of GDP (5% including provinces) pales in comparison to the U.S.'s and U.K.'s double-digit deficit-to-GDP rations, Shenfeld said.
Canada’s population and productivity demographics are also in better shape than more mature economies thanks to strong immigration and renewed business investment.
Resource-hungry emerging markets will also ensure strong demand for energy and metal products, which traditionally account for about a third of Canada's domestic income growth, the report said.
This may be Canada’s decade, according to a new report by CIBC that predicts the country is likely to lead growth in the G7 for the next 10 years if it plays its cards right.
Relatively lower government and corporate debt, immigration and trade balances mean it’s Canada’s “time to shine,” according to a report released Friday by CIBC World Markets.
Mounting debt troubles in Europe and geopolitical tensions in Asia have grabbed headlines in recent weeks.
It’s not that Canada will benefit from others’ malaise, Avery Shenfeld, CIBC's chief economist, told QMI Agency. A weakening in any part of the world is still bad for every other country in terms of exports.
“It’s more that when we look at who’s going to do better over the medium term, we have some advantages in terms of not having as many problems as they do.”
Problems in Europe have overshadowed Canadian fundamentals and even dampened expectations for growth.
But Canada's rich resources, resilient financial system and favourable demographics relative to other G7 nations make it an economic contender looking out over the next five to 10 years, Shenfeld said.
Another notable positive is in Canada's healthier state of public- and corporate-sector balance sheets.
But these factors aren’t “ironclad,” Shenfeld warned. They only mean Canada is better positioned than its debt-laden counterparts. “It’s not smooth sailing from here.”
Controlling ballooning debt and tightening fiscal policy appear to be the keys to success, Shenfeld said.
Canada’s central bank will be among the first to hike its interest rates this summer, so growth may not be something to boast about in 2011. But that will change, Shenfeld said.
“It’s as we look further on that we will have fewer years of cuts, that Canada may, in fact, shine through,” he said.
Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has put into motion a plan to rein in spending with the hope of all but reducing Canada’s budget deficit from $53.8 billion in 2010 to less than $2 billion by 2015.
Canada’s parliamentary budget officer has said the effort isn’t enough, and that five years down the line, federal balance sheets are projected to show a structural deficit of $12.3 billion.
Still, Canada’s current federal deficit of 3% of GDP (5% including provinces) pales in comparison to the U.S.'s and U.K.'s double-digit deficit-to-GDP rations, Shenfeld said.
Canada’s population and productivity demographics are also in better shape than more mature economies thanks to strong immigration and renewed business investment.
Resource-hungry emerging markets will also ensure strong demand for energy and metal products, which traditionally account for about a third of Canada's domestic income growth, the report said.
Canada will have more seniors than kids in the next decade: StatsCan
Canada’s population is expected to increase by as much as 14 million by 2036, according to Statistics Canada’s newest report on population growth.
The agency projects that between 2009 to 2036, Canada’s population could grow from its current 33.7 million to between 40.1 million and 47.7 million.
According to the report, immigration levels represent the greatest share of the projected population increase, with Canada receiving as many as 333,600 immigrants a year by 2036, compared with 252,500 in 2010.
But high immigration levels won’t put a dent in Canada’s rapidly aging population– seniors could account for nearly a quarter of Canada’s entire population by 2036, nearly double the 13.9% they accounted for in 2009.
Seniors are expected to surpass the number of children aged 14 or under for the first time ever between 2015 and 2021.
StatsCan’s provincial and territorial breakdowns have Ontario and B.C. leading the pack in population growth, with rates higher than the national average. Newfoundland and Labrador was the sole province projected to have a population decrease.
Ontario’s population is expected to increase from nearly 13.1 million in 2009 to between 16.1 million and 19.4 million in 2036; Quebec’s population would increase from 7.8 million in 2009 to between 8.6 million and 10 million in 2036. In the west, British Columbia’s population would increase from nearly 4.5 million in 2009 to between 5.8 million and 7.1 million in 2036.
Below, a complete breakdown of StatsCan’s projected population growth by province.
• Alberta’s population would increase from 3.7 million in 2009 to between 4.6 million to 5.4 million in 2036.
• Manitoba’s population would increase from 1.2 million in 2009 to between 1.4 million to 1.7 million in 2036.
• Saskatchewan’s population would increase from 1 million in 2009 to between 1.1 million to nearly 1.3 million 2036.
• Nova Scotia’s population would increase from 938,000 in 2009 to between 987,000 and 1.1 million in 2036.
• New Brunswick’s population would increase from 750,000 in 2009 to between 772,000 and 874,000 in 2036.
• Newfoundland and Labrador’s population could decrease from nearly 509,000 in 2009 to 483,000 in 2036. But medium to high growth projections could result in an increase of anywhere from 514,000 to 545,000 in 2036.
• Prince Edward Island’s population would increase from 141,000 in 2009 to between 161,000 and 188,000 in 2036.
• The population of the Northwest Territories would increase from 43,000 in 2009 to between
49,000 and 57,000 in 2036.
• Yukon’s population would increase from nearly 34,000 in 2009 to between 36,000 and 42,000 in 2036.
• Nunavut’s population would increase from 32,000 in 2009 to between 36,000 and 44,000 in 2036.
Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/05/26/canadas-population-could-exceed-40-million-by-2036-statscan/#ixzz0pBYcSKNq
The agency projects that between 2009 to 2036, Canada’s population could grow from its current 33.7 million to between 40.1 million and 47.7 million.
According to the report, immigration levels represent the greatest share of the projected population increase, with Canada receiving as many as 333,600 immigrants a year by 2036, compared with 252,500 in 2010.
But high immigration levels won’t put a dent in Canada’s rapidly aging population– seniors could account for nearly a quarter of Canada’s entire population by 2036, nearly double the 13.9% they accounted for in 2009.
Seniors are expected to surpass the number of children aged 14 or under for the first time ever between 2015 and 2021.
StatsCan’s provincial and territorial breakdowns have Ontario and B.C. leading the pack in population growth, with rates higher than the national average. Newfoundland and Labrador was the sole province projected to have a population decrease.
Ontario’s population is expected to increase from nearly 13.1 million in 2009 to between 16.1 million and 19.4 million in 2036; Quebec’s population would increase from 7.8 million in 2009 to between 8.6 million and 10 million in 2036. In the west, British Columbia’s population would increase from nearly 4.5 million in 2009 to between 5.8 million and 7.1 million in 2036.
Below, a complete breakdown of StatsCan’s projected population growth by province.
• Alberta’s population would increase from 3.7 million in 2009 to between 4.6 million to 5.4 million in 2036.
• Manitoba’s population would increase from 1.2 million in 2009 to between 1.4 million to 1.7 million in 2036.
• Saskatchewan’s population would increase from 1 million in 2009 to between 1.1 million to nearly 1.3 million 2036.
• Nova Scotia’s population would increase from 938,000 in 2009 to between 987,000 and 1.1 million in 2036.
• New Brunswick’s population would increase from 750,000 in 2009 to between 772,000 and 874,000 in 2036.
• Newfoundland and Labrador’s population could decrease from nearly 509,000 in 2009 to 483,000 in 2036. But medium to high growth projections could result in an increase of anywhere from 514,000 to 545,000 in 2036.
• Prince Edward Island’s population would increase from 141,000 in 2009 to between 161,000 and 188,000 in 2036.
• The population of the Northwest Territories would increase from 43,000 in 2009 to between
49,000 and 57,000 in 2036.
• Yukon’s population would increase from nearly 34,000 in 2009 to between 36,000 and 42,000 in 2036.
• Nunavut’s population would increase from 32,000 in 2009 to between 36,000 and 44,000 in 2036.
Read more: http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/05/26/canadas-population-could-exceed-40-million-by-2036-statscan/#ixzz0pBYcSKNq
OECD lifts 2010 growth forecasts for rich economies but sees no end to era of instability
Economic recovery in the world’s richest countries is accelerating thanks to a “substantial” rebound in trade and growth in Asia, but austerity measures are needed to reduce government deficits, a leading agency said Wednesday.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a watchdog for 31 of the world’s most developed countries, said the current environment is “relatively auspicious” but faced with serious risks.
Those include Europe’s sovereign debt crisis and a possible boom-bust scenario in emerging markets such as Brazil, India and China – which have been growing much faster than the more developed OECD economies.
“The period of significant financial instability that began in August 2007 is not yet over,” the OECD warned in its latest biannual Economic Outlook.
The Paris-based group also raised its forecasts for economic growth in its member countries – which include Canada, the United States, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom – to 2.7 per cent this year, up from its forecast of 1.9 per cent last November.
Canada’s growth this year is expected to be ahead of most other OECD countries, with real gross domestic product to be 3.6 per cent over the weak performance of 2009.
The OECD lifted its forecasts for Japan, the United States and the eurozone countries, but Japan and the U.S. are still expected to outpace Europe, the report said. Japan’s growth is estimated at three per cent in 2010 and the U.S. GDP is expected to rise by 3.2 per cent.
“The outlook has really improved in this short period” since the OECD’s last forecast, Secretary-General Angel Gurria said in a news conference at the organization’s headquarters.
But the OECD chief urged member countries to pursue “fiscal consolidation” – reducing their deficits through spending cuts and a clampdown on tax evasion – which he said was “imperative” to make the OECD’s positive growth outlook a reality.
The OECD publishes its economic outlook twice a year, although it updated some 2010 forecasts in an interim assessment published in April.
Europe’s response to its sovereign debt crisis – the latest chapter in the global financial and economic turmoil that began three years ago – has been “prompt and massive,” the OECD said, but has failed to settle the currency bloc’s “underlying weaknesses.”
The OECD called for “bolder measures” – up to and including an effective fiscal union – among eurozone countries in order to “dissipate doubts about the long-term viability of the monetary union.”
“Bolder measures need to be taken to ensure fiscal discipline, along a continuum that ranges from stronger surveillance and more effective sanctions for noncompliance, to external auditing of national budgets all the way to de facto fiscal union,” the OECD said.
Gurria stressed that the current turbulence in Europe is part of the same crisis that began in the U.S. in 2007. “This is the same crisis, it’s a continuum,” Gurria said, adding that the next challenge after slashing the massive debt loads countries took on save the banking industry and combat recession is unemployment.
Unemployment in the OECD area is forecast to peak at 8.5 per cent by the middle of this year, Gurria said. It will remain stuck at over 8 per cent next year however, as companies in Japan and Europe are expected to increase working hours of employees rather than hire new workers.
The U.S. economy has been boosted by stimulus measures, improving financial conditions, demand from the fast-growing non-OECD economies of Asia – especially China – and the stabilization of the housing market.
The employment outlook in the United States also looks better than in Europe and Japan. The OECD predicted that unemployment will come down to 8.9 per cent next year from a high of 9.7 per cent this year, as unlike their counterparts in Europe and Japan, U.S. businesses shed large numbers of employees in the downturn and should “rehire relatively strongly” in the upturn, the OECD said.
The OECD predicts the U.S. economy will expand at a rate of 3.2 per cent in 2010, up from a November forecast of 2.5 per cent.
In Europe, the economies of the 16 countries sharing the euro are now expected to grow by 1.2 per cent this year compared to a November forecast of 0.9 per cent.
Unemployment will peak at 10.1 per cent this year in the eurozone and stay stubbornly at that level in 2011, sapping the strength of the recovery, the OECD said.
The recent weakness in the euro versus the dollar will benefit European growth, OECD chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan said. “I would not be concerned if we see a further decline in the euro,” Padoan said, “This would be a welcome addition to external demand for the euro area.”
Padoan added that “the global economy needs some rebalancing in exchange rates,” saying that the euro has been overvalued versus the dollar and China’s currency undervalued.
Japan’s economy will grow by three per cent this year compared with the November forecast of 1.8 per cent, the report said.
– By Greg Keller, The Associated Press, with a contribution from The Canadian Press in Toronto
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, a watchdog for 31 of the world’s most developed countries, said the current environment is “relatively auspicious” but faced with serious risks.
Those include Europe’s sovereign debt crisis and a possible boom-bust scenario in emerging markets such as Brazil, India and China – which have been growing much faster than the more developed OECD economies.
“The period of significant financial instability that began in August 2007 is not yet over,” the OECD warned in its latest biannual Economic Outlook.
The Paris-based group also raised its forecasts for economic growth in its member countries – which include Canada, the United States, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom – to 2.7 per cent this year, up from its forecast of 1.9 per cent last November.
Canada’s growth this year is expected to be ahead of most other OECD countries, with real gross domestic product to be 3.6 per cent over the weak performance of 2009.
The OECD lifted its forecasts for Japan, the United States and the eurozone countries, but Japan and the U.S. are still expected to outpace Europe, the report said. Japan’s growth is estimated at three per cent in 2010 and the U.S. GDP is expected to rise by 3.2 per cent.
“The outlook has really improved in this short period” since the OECD’s last forecast, Secretary-General Angel Gurria said in a news conference at the organization’s headquarters.
But the OECD chief urged member countries to pursue “fiscal consolidation” – reducing their deficits through spending cuts and a clampdown on tax evasion – which he said was “imperative” to make the OECD’s positive growth outlook a reality.
The OECD publishes its economic outlook twice a year, although it updated some 2010 forecasts in an interim assessment published in April.
Europe’s response to its sovereign debt crisis – the latest chapter in the global financial and economic turmoil that began three years ago – has been “prompt and massive,” the OECD said, but has failed to settle the currency bloc’s “underlying weaknesses.”
The OECD called for “bolder measures” – up to and including an effective fiscal union – among eurozone countries in order to “dissipate doubts about the long-term viability of the monetary union.”
“Bolder measures need to be taken to ensure fiscal discipline, along a continuum that ranges from stronger surveillance and more effective sanctions for noncompliance, to external auditing of national budgets all the way to de facto fiscal union,” the OECD said.
Gurria stressed that the current turbulence in Europe is part of the same crisis that began in the U.S. in 2007. “This is the same crisis, it’s a continuum,” Gurria said, adding that the next challenge after slashing the massive debt loads countries took on save the banking industry and combat recession is unemployment.
Unemployment in the OECD area is forecast to peak at 8.5 per cent by the middle of this year, Gurria said. It will remain stuck at over 8 per cent next year however, as companies in Japan and Europe are expected to increase working hours of employees rather than hire new workers.
The U.S. economy has been boosted by stimulus measures, improving financial conditions, demand from the fast-growing non-OECD economies of Asia – especially China – and the stabilization of the housing market.
The employment outlook in the United States also looks better than in Europe and Japan. The OECD predicted that unemployment will come down to 8.9 per cent next year from a high of 9.7 per cent this year, as unlike their counterparts in Europe and Japan, U.S. businesses shed large numbers of employees in the downturn and should “rehire relatively strongly” in the upturn, the OECD said.
The OECD predicts the U.S. economy will expand at a rate of 3.2 per cent in 2010, up from a November forecast of 2.5 per cent.
In Europe, the economies of the 16 countries sharing the euro are now expected to grow by 1.2 per cent this year compared to a November forecast of 0.9 per cent.
Unemployment will peak at 10.1 per cent this year in the eurozone and stay stubbornly at that level in 2011, sapping the strength of the recovery, the OECD said.
The recent weakness in the euro versus the dollar will benefit European growth, OECD chief economist Pier Carlo Padoan said. “I would not be concerned if we see a further decline in the euro,” Padoan said, “This would be a welcome addition to external demand for the euro area.”
Padoan added that “the global economy needs some rebalancing in exchange rates,” saying that the euro has been overvalued versus the dollar and China’s currency undervalued.
Japan’s economy will grow by three per cent this year compared with the November forecast of 1.8 per cent, the report said.
– By Greg Keller, The Associated Press, with a contribution from The Canadian Press in Toronto
'Ghost agents' slip through immigration loophole
By: Barry O'Regan
Ghost agents, providing pen to paper filling out immigration paperwork on behalf of Canadians seems to be a pretty lucrative business making some Ghost agents thousands and thousands of dollars in Vancouver and the lower mainland.
Whether by word of mouth, attending cultural community events and networking, Ghost agents promise Canadians a speedy process, sometimes promising an "in" with immigration authourities, to bring family members to Canada for a fee.
What is distressing is many Ghost agents are usually from the same culture or country, such as the Far East, thus giving the prey a false sense of security and comaraderie to those seeking immigration advice to those in the community.
Currently Ghost agents, long a thorn in the side of legitimate and registered Immigration Consultants need not be registered in Canada. It is akin to having a friend of a friend do your income taxes, because they are cheap or promise a big tax refund, only to have the Canadian Revenue Agency audit or find glaring errors in your return.
The federal government if they have their way will soon put a stop to unscrupulous Ghost agents who promise the moon and the stars for cash, yet deliver very little. Those who use the services of Ghost agents seem to have little recourse in recouping the thousands of dollars paid by those seeking a solution in bringing over family members.
The CIC website has implicit instructions on how everyone can fill out all the paperwork themselves.
The two mottos to abide by it seems are, "if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is", and "if you want something done right, either do it yourself or hire a legitimate agency."
Ghost agents, providing pen to paper filling out immigration paperwork on behalf of Canadians seems to be a pretty lucrative business making some Ghost agents thousands and thousands of dollars in Vancouver and the lower mainland.
Whether by word of mouth, attending cultural community events and networking, Ghost agents promise Canadians a speedy process, sometimes promising an "in" with immigration authourities, to bring family members to Canada for a fee.
What is distressing is many Ghost agents are usually from the same culture or country, such as the Far East, thus giving the prey a false sense of security and comaraderie to those seeking immigration advice to those in the community.
Currently Ghost agents, long a thorn in the side of legitimate and registered Immigration Consultants need not be registered in Canada. It is akin to having a friend of a friend do your income taxes, because they are cheap or promise a big tax refund, only to have the Canadian Revenue Agency audit or find glaring errors in your return.
The federal government if they have their way will soon put a stop to unscrupulous Ghost agents who promise the moon and the stars for cash, yet deliver very little. Those who use the services of Ghost agents seem to have little recourse in recouping the thousands of dollars paid by those seeking a solution in bringing over family members.
The CIC website has implicit instructions on how everyone can fill out all the paperwork themselves.
The two mottos to abide by it seems are, "if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is", and "if you want something done right, either do it yourself or hire a legitimate agency."
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