Global Migration And Domestic Policy Notes

• 23 million people live outside of their country of origin (1/3 of the world’s population)

• Reasons for travel outside of country include: geography (cost of travel, geographic limitations), economy, nature of system (ex. timelines, benefits), social advantages (health care, family networks, community), visa/entrance requirements, etc.

• Causal factors related to the voluntary movement of migrants:

  • 1) highly skilled workers

  • 2) demand for manual labour

  • 3) family reunification

  • 4) worker/food safety

  • 5) population explosion

  • 6) globalization

  • 7) students (2.8 million abroad; consider their ability to be part of the experienced class to obtain PR)

• Domestically, 20% of Canadians are foreign born; economic immigrants comprise most of the PR class in Canada (most from Asia and Pacific)

• Historically, Canada’s track record is poor. Consider

  • Chinese Immigration Act 1885 which imposed a head tax (23 million was collected from the Chinese until 1923)

  • Black and Aboriginal slaves in the loyalist population (some were not given same inducements or land grants). In 1911, an Order-In-Council was passed deeming them unsuitable to the climate in Canada

  • Refugees by boat: Komagata Mavu IN 1914 (376 turned away), Jews on SS Louis coming from Germany (937 turned away in 1939), Tamil boats in 2009-2010 (MV Ocean Lady, MV Sun Sea) (which resulted in indefinite detention)

• Historically, other exclusive provisions include: criminals, alcoholics, illiteracy, illegitimacy, attempted suicide, disability and deportation as a means of silencing foreign labour agitators

• Today, it remains as such: Consider C-43 and the legality of detention for a year without the possibility of independent review. The legislation also denies family reunification and right to travel aboard for less than 5 years.

• Racism: IRPA with respect to distribution posts (s. 15 backlog claims have ensued as a result), point system (favouring young, healthy workers, right of permanent residence fee ($975), principal investor ($1050), sponsorship ($550), 81% of countries requiring visas are from the south and 19% are predominantly white, requirements producing identity documents

Forced Migration

• Causes include civil strife, persecution, laws of the land contrary to one’s values, environmental migrants, development-induced displacement (ex. deforestation or mining), disaster-induced migration (ex. tsunamis, degradation, etc.)

• How they differ from voluntary migrants:

  • Choice of destination out of necessity

  • Many go to developing countries due to proximity

  • Some may be subject to life in refugee camps which have serious constraints (Ex. UNHCR capacities)

  • Reliance on goodwill countries

  • Can be sent home if conditions in country of origin change

    • If the Minister can demonstrate on a BOP that a PR’s home country conditions have improved, that person can be sent back to their home country (based on human rights reports, UNHCR reports, amnesty international, etc.)

• Debatable “forced” categories: discrimination, medical concerns, trafficking/smuggling, regular/irregular migrants (regular being those who go through the procedure overseas and irregular being migrants who have not gone through these means – ex. Tamil boats)

Thesis: Borders should generally remain open and people should choose freely to live where they want to build a better life for themselves (focus on liberty)

• limitation of entry, historically, is linked to birthright privileges, but there is no natural social order, and all human beings are of equal moral worth

• borders should stay open because 1) freedom of mobility is a prerequisite to many freedoms, and is essential for equality of opportunity 2) commitment to equal moral worth means commitment to keeping economic, social and political inequalities low

• immigration law is the basic right of states on an international level – what is deemed morally correct with respect to the regulation of borders should be challenged

• open borders creates distributive justice and speaks to egalitarianism

• exceptions to open border national security and disease

Thesis: Statistics have demonstrated that immigration has been a net benefit to the vast majority of residents of destination countries. Empirical studies also demonstrate that an increase in immigration numbers plays little role in reducing...

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