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December 15, 2003

Re: Immigration Debate Takes Troubling Turn, Terence Corcoran, Nov. 27.
Mr. Corcoran suggests that challenging current immigration policy was not a \"winning issue\" for the united right. I beg to differ. While most Canadians are positive about immigration in general and justly proud of the extent to which it has enriched our society, many are increasingly aware that there are also major problems with current policies.
It is no secret, for example, that many recent immigrants are suffering because they are being encouraged to come here without good prospects of finding suitable employment. The ones affected most severely by this situation are those already here who are struggling to find work in competition with large numbers of new arrivals in a job market where the government's own researchers, as well as independent bodies, find Canada will probably have a surplus of skilled workers in general for the remainder of the present decade.
With the new immigration act passed last year, Canada has also made it easier to bring in extended family members, who require no skills or knowledge of English or French. It is clear that the government is more interested in bringing in large numbers of who may vote Liberal than they are in ensuring they can find jobs and have a reasonable chance of integrating into Canadian society. Many of the welfare and other costs are downloaded on to provincial and municipal governments.
On the question of whether immigration policy can be a \"winning issue\" at the polls, Canadian political parties would do well to take note of how this has played out in Australia. Despite strident opposition from those advocating wide-open immigration and refugee policies, the government of John Howard in Canberra has persisted in implementing changes that most Australians recognize as being in their best interests. This was, indeed, a major factor in his being returned to office with a strong mandate in that country's last national election.
A federal opposition party prepared to take up the issue of badly needed immigration reforms -- while at the same time making it clear it welcomes newcomers and is positive about immigration --stands to gain far more than it might lose.

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GIAN PAUL
WWICS
( World's Largest Canadian Immigration and Settlement Firm)
7025 Tomken Road, Suite # 231, Mississauga On, Canada
Phone 905 564 7797, Fax 905 564 8309
Email:
Website: http://www.wwicsgroup.com" rel="nofollow">LINK
(All opinions expressed are my own)