IMMIGRANTS CAN BOLSTER COMMUNITIES AND HELP THE ECONOMY, BUT ONLY IF EMPLOYERS PITCH IN
Everyone in Newfoundland and Labrador came from somewhere, notes Tony Fang.
He’s the Stephen Jarislowsky Chair in Economic and Cultural Transformation at Memorial University of Newfoundland.
“This place has a long history of immigration,” Fang says. “Outside of the Beothuks, there was a host of pioneers who came and settled here from European countries.”
Noting the province’s business community has a small population from which to hire — just over 500,000 — he suggests attracting immigrants could only help.
“We need farmers, fish plant workers … jobs people are not willing to do. This is our common future and by adding immigrants and temporary foreign workers, we can help overcome the shortages we have in the workforce.”
Fang says attracting and hiring more newcomers will help to build community, which will help the immigrants stay. If this doesn’t happen, he believes communities will die. “It is a close-knit community here in Newfoundland with a high sense of belonging in Canada. But it’s hard for newcomers to break in … or for the employers to trust people to let them in. A cultural shift is required.”
Fang says statistics show immigrants in highly-skilled trades exceed education levels of respective Canadian-born workers by more than 20 per cent.
Not using these immigrants to enhance the workforce is a “waste of human capital,” he says.
He believes there has to be a greater role on the part of the employers to change this.
Fang spoke at a conference recently where a number of people addressed these issues, including government and employment organizations.
Glaringly missing were employers.
“The employers are not there. They are the key to assimilation. Integration is driven by this. They need to get a job to survive.”
Fang notes Newfoundland and Labrador’s declining fertility rate and that 2018 saw the province’s lowest birthrate in recent years.
“There were less than 4,000 babies born here last year, and we lost 3,000 more residents through outmigration in 2018.”
He later adds, “People need to have babies, and this is not going to happen, so immigration is how to fix the issue.”
Attracting newcomers can help offset the drain on the province’s coffers caused by population decline, he says.
“If we bring in young people, they will contribute to the economy right away.”
To illustrate the impact of hiring more immigrants, Fang looks to Manitoba.
“Manitoba, which is in the centre of Canada, some would consider the middle of nowhere … and it’s cold … is also booming due to immigration. Immigrants can serve to complement the local work force, to fill the void we have now.”
Fang notes the population of Germany, and other European countries, is also aging and those nations have turned to immigration to reverse the population trends.
He suggests Newfoundland and Labrador needs to bring in 5,000 immigrants annually, a similar number to Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Fang notes other benefits — like food, culture, education, international trade — are all driven by multiculturalism.
“We are a homogenous population. If we bring in more people from different places, it will make our economy more vibrant, more exciting.
“Adding all of these to our society will make this a more attractive place to live and stay.”