IMMIGRATION AND CANADIAN VALUES: NEW POLL

The question should be "What are Canadian values?". Unlike the United States, Canada has not historically defined national goals or distinct identity, but rather a very slow evolution of abstract concepts based on parliamentary democracy and accomodation. Still, some values are "core", such as freedoms of expression, religion and movement. Such values are worth instilling in everyone, particularly on those who may come from totalitarian regimes or who are accustomed to impose their will on others.


Immigrants should adopt Canadian values, says poll

Postmedia News
November 17, 2011

Canadians almost unanimously want new immigrants to adopt Canadian values of gender equality and tolerance of others, a new study suggests.

And the study from the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation found that Canadians believe adopting these values should be a condition of being accepted into the country.

New immigrants feel the same way. Almost the exact same percentage of immigrants - 96 per cent - agreed on the need to adopt Canadian values of tolerance.

The foundation says the poll should help the federal government as it looks to redefine Canada's immigration policy.

The study found that new immigrants and native-born Canadians share the same opinions on several key immigration issues.

For example, about half of Canadians and 42 per cent of immigrants surveyed said Canada should accept applicants who qualify for immigration based on education and employability.

In general, Canadians have positive feelings about immigration. By a three-to-one margin, the participants said that immigration is making Canada a better place.

Meanwhile, in a separate study, newly arrived immigrants are reported to be healthier than their Canadian-born counterparts, but can expect their health to decline the longer they stay in Canada.

Statistics Canada researchers said newly arrived immigrants to Canada had lower mortality rates than the Canadian-born, and also reported lower levels of fair or poor health.

Those mortality rates tended to rise the further removed immigrants were from their arrival in Canada, as were the reported levels of fair or poor health.