Some Filipinos who are passionate about politics in their homeland sometimes say one thing during presidential elections.
It’s that they’re going to immigrate and leave the Philippines if the candidate they especially loathe wins the ballot.
Perhaps it’s a good idea for researchers to study how much of this actually happens.
That would be interesting to know.
But seriously now, Filipinos who are earnestly considering the idea of building new lives in another country should think about Canada.
On February 14, 2022, the federal government of Canada unveiled an ambitious immigration plan for the next three years.
The targets exceed the historic level achieved in 2021, when the country welcomed 401,000 new permanent residents, the most number in a single year ever.
The government’s recent announcement stated that the number of new immigrants last year was actually a bit higher, at 405,000.
The 2022-2024 Immigration Levels Plan will take in immigrants at a rate of about one percent of Canada’s population.
This means 431,645 permanent residents in 2022, 447,055 in 2023, and 451,000 in 2024.
In the February 14 announcement, the government stated that the plan “charts an ambitious but responsible path for immigration that will help the Canadian economy recover and will fuel post-pandemic growth, all while strengthening communities and industries across the country that rely on immigration”.
“The 2022–2024 Immigration Levels Plan will help cement Canada’s place among the world’s top destinations for talent, creating a strong foundation for post-pandemic economic growth while reuniting family members with their loved ones and fulfilling Canada’s humanitarian commitments,” the announcement also notes.
It also points out that there are “hundreds of thousands” of jobs to be filled across the country.
“Immigration already accounts for almost 100% of labour force growth, and with 5 million Canadians set to retire by the end of this decade, the worker to retiree ratio will drop down to only 3:1,” the announcement states.
Moreover, “This is a clear sign that we have a strong economic need for increased immigration.”
Following the announcement, a Vancouver-based opinion polling company released the results of a new survey about public sentiment regarding immigration.
Research Co. found that 54 percent of Canadians think immigration is having a “mostly positive effect in the country”.
In a media release on February 15, the polling firm noted that this rate was unchanged since a similar poll was conducted in December 2020.
The new study was based on an online study conducted on February 6 and February 7, 2022, among 1,000 adults in Canada.
Over one-in-four Canadians (26 percent) think immigration is having a mostly negative effect, while 19 percent of respondents in the study said that they are not sure.
Three-in-four Canadians (75 percent) believe the hard work and talent of immigrants make Canada better.
Also, two-thirds (65 percent) believe that immigrants should only be allowed in Canada if they adopt Canadian values.
Research Co. reported that majorities of Canadians who reside in Ontario (58 percent), Quebec (56 percent), Alberta (56 percent), Atlantic Canada (54 percent) and British Columbia (51 percent) hold favourable views on immigration.
As well, in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, 40 percent of residents think immigration is having a mostly positive effect in Canada, while 39 percent believe it is having a mostly negative effect.
The message is simple: Canada wants the world to come.
The campaign for the May 9, 2022 presidential election in the Philippines is ongoing, and passions are running high.
For those who say that they’ll leave if so-and-so candidate wins, the question is simple: Are you ready for Canada?
For the Canadian Filipino Net’s Editorial Board
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