Census Information Vital
for Immigrant Success
OpEd
Dr.
Eric Hoskins
Ontario
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
As
Ontario’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, I am deeply concerned
that the Federal Government has unilaterally decided to abandon the
mandatory long-form census.
Ontario
benefits from being home to one of the most diverse populations in the
world. Nearly half of all immigrants to Canada choose Ontario as their
home and our government wants to ensure that newcomers find success when
they arrive in Ontario. By ending the mandatory long-form census, Ontario
will no longer have access to valuable and reliable information that is
critical when developing programs to help our newcomers.
This
issue is about more than statistics.
It is about people – understanding their needs, their challenges
and their potential.
In
the coming years, immigrants will play an even more critical role in the
prosperity of Ontario. As the Conference Board of Canada has noted, the
continued strength of Ontario’s labour force relies on immigration.
Ontario’s success will depend in no small part on the success of our
newcomers. Immigrants to
Ontario come from many countries, speak many different languages, and
possess a range of experiences and talents. Having access to accurate,
reliable information is key to ensuring we can offer the types of programs
that help newcomers succeed.
We
need an accurate picture of the immigrants we serve when developing
programs to help them. We need to know where Ontario’s newcomers
originate and the languages they speak so we can communicate with them.
Knowledge of their age and education level also helps us determine the
programmes that can help them thrive and succeed in Ontario.
The
census provides us with the information to answer these vital questions,
information that is not available through other sources.
As
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, I have the privilege of working
with community agencies, not-for-profit organizations and businesses in
the delivery of programs and services to Ontario’s newcomers.
Along with our partner agencies, our government relies on the
accuracy of the information that is provided by the Government of
Canada’s long-form census. For
example, the information from the long-form census assists Ontario in
targeting investments of $175 million to more than 200 occupation-specific
bridge training programs, helping thousands of newcomers overcome barriers
and find jobs in their field of expertise.
Many
agencies also rely on this information to identify trends and to develop
services to meet the needs of Ontario’s newcomers.
This is why agencies such as the Toronto Region Immigrant
Employment Council (TRIEC) and the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving
Immigrants (OCASI) have voiced their opposition to the elimination of the
mandatory long-form census, and to the loss of important information that
would result.
At
a time when the federal and provincial governments are negotiating a new
Canada Ontario Immigration Agreement, the federal government’s decision
to reduce access to reliable newcomer information will make it more
difficult to deliver targeted and effective programs to ensure the success
of our newcomers. This fact,
in turn, reinforces our view that we need a new and better
federal-provincial partnership for the delivery of newcomer services and
programs – one that gives Ontario a greater ability to meet the needs of
our newcomers.
The
replacement of the mandatory long-form census with a voluntary
questionnaire will yield far less reliable results with under
representation from our newcomer communities. The current long-form census is an essential and reliable
tool that aids our newcomers. As the 2011 census nears, I urge the federal
government to reverse its decision to abandon the mandatory long-form
census.
