By Vancouver Sun |
Opinion: Five big differences and five surprising similarities in how the two countries handle large-scale immigration.
In a rare gesture of supposed moderation, U.S. President Donald Trump has proposed that his country follow the lead of Canada in regards to the kind of people it welcomes as immigrants.
The Republican president announced he hoped to change U.S. immigration policy so that, instead of allowing in only 12 per cent of newcomers based on their skills, the world’s largest economy would welcome 60 per cent based on “merit.”
His target figure for skilled immigrants would be virtually the same as that of Canada.
But Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi immediately dismissed Trump’s plan to increase the proportion of skilled immigrants as “dead on arrival” and “not a remotely serious proposal.”
To Canadian ears it was a strange response from the leading Democrat, since opinion polls have consistently shown over decades that four of five Canadians would, if they had a chance, vote Democrat.
But such is politics these days in the U.S., where partisan contempt is at poisonous levels, exacerbated by a blustering Trump who is determined to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border while railing against undocumented migrants as criminals.
This latest conflict offers an opportunity to explain key differences and similarities in how the two countries handle large-scale immigration.
Let’s start with five ways U.S. immigration realities are different from Canada:
1. U.S. immigration policy emphasizes family reunification
Contrary to conventional thinking, it could be argued the U.S. system is more “compassionate” than Canada’s. Almost seven in 10 of those who settle lawfully in the U.S. are close relatives of previous immigrants. Each U.S. immigrant on average sponsors 3.5 family members.
Canada, meanwhile, restricts “family reunification” immigrants to about one in five. Canada mostly picks immigrants to boost economic expansion. Two of three immigrants are brought in because of their skills and education. Trump’s plan, created by son-in-law Jared Kushner, copies Canada’s reasoning.
2. Canada has far fewer undocumented migrants
More than 12 million residents of the U.S. arrived illegally, mostly from Central America. One quarter of all foreign-born residents in the U.S. are undocumented. This year more than 60,000 people are illegally crossing into the U.S. each month.
Since Canada has less vulnerable borders, it has not had anywhere near the difficulties with irregular migrants. It’s only recently, as a result of Trump’s threats to send illegal immigrants home, that Canada is now seeing more than 50,000 asylum seekers illicitly crossing into Canada each year, mostly via a rural road in Quebec.
Americans, especially Democrats, have been relatively tolerant of illegal immigrants streaming across the border. That’s out of both compassion and opportuneness. They provide low-wage, unregulated labourers, landscapers and nannies, especially for well-to-do Californians and Texans.
3. Canada brings in far more immigrants, proportionally
Canada welcomes three times as many immigrants per capita as the U.S.
4. Americans debate immigration more than Canadians
Our neighbouring countries could not be more different in regards to publicly discussing immigration issues.
The U.S. debate has become intense, with Pew Research polls showing Democrats and Republicans growing further apart on subjects on which they once agreed, including the need for border security. While Trump fights to build a wall, top Democrats like senators Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillebrand call for abolishing the U.S. customs enforcement agency.
Meanwhile, Canadian politicians rarely disagree on immigration, including on whether to maintain one of the highest rates in the world. The few politicians recommending reducing immigration totals are Maxine Bernier of the newly formed Peoples Party of Canada and Quebec Premier Francois Legault.
5. Justin Trudeau has more power than Trump on migration
A key reason Americans debate immigration policy is that the president of the U.S. cannot dictate it. The president has to get approval of the U.S. Congress, which often pushes back.
In sharp contrast, Canadian prime ministers are virtually unimpeded in ruling on immigration totals and student and worker visas. As UBC political scientist Antje Ellermann says, Canadian immigration policy is unusual because it’s dominated by the government and civil servants. The public is rarely engaged in meaningful ways.
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Despite these key differences, there are significant similarities between the immigration spheres in Canada and the U.S. Here are five: