PM Justin Trudeau's Canada

[Northern Light]

Another piece from the Globe and Mail today deriding Canada's shadow immigration system (foreign students and temporary workers) and arguing its bad for business, bad for the real estate market, bad for schools and bad for the foreign students
we exploit as well.

Globe editorial: Immigration: Canada’s economy can’t rely on temporary workers and study permits forever

We need bright young people to build their future here, but exploitative programs aren’t the way to do it

www.theglobeandmail.com

As its behind the paywall, I'll bring a couple of bits forward:

"There may be a case for foreign workers in the agriculture sector, with its seasonal, time-sensitive work, as long as those employees are treated well. But industries such as fast food are also frequent users of the program. If the local Tim Hortons can’t find enough workers, it should raise wages, innovate or close. There is no economic imperative to prop them up; doing so makes it easier to put off productivity investments such as automation."
And
"Ottawa should immediately begin to rein in these immigration streams through annual caps, forcing schools and low-wage employers to face their respective realities. International students can contribute much to Canada, and we to them, as long as it is at levels at which they can be properly supported. For critical sectors that badly need workers, such as health care and construction, we should look to permanent streams that don’t tie workers to their employers.
Canada wants and needs bright young people to move here to build their future. But exploitative band-aids are not the way to do it."

Hear Hear!

 

[afransen]

Yep. As an alphabet person, I am kind of unsurprised by the backlash. I feel like pride is a bit overdone. I don't see any problem with explaining that there are different orientations, gender identities (just like there are different ethnicities and religious affiliations and so), in an age appropriate way in school, but making it a big celebration or festival seems a bit over the top. We're already changing the minds of younger generations to be accepting and tolerant through the broader culture, we don't need to enrage and trigger the conservatives. The last thing we want is make parents feel forced into segregating their children into conservative religious education, where the quality of education is likely to be lower and children will be inculcated with regressive ideas.

 

[Northern Light]

Yep. As an alphabet person, I am kind of unsurprised by the backlash. I feel like pride is a bit overdone. I don't see any problem with explaining that there are different orientations, gender identities (just like there are different ethnicities and religious affiliations and so), in an age appropriate way in school, but making it a big celebration or festival seems a bit over the top. We're already changing the minds of younger generations to be accepting and tolerant through the broader culture, we don't need to enrage and trigger the conservatives. The last thing we want is make parents feel forced into segregating their children into conservative religious education, where the quality of education is likely to be lower and children will be inculcated with regressive ideas.

To which post are you replying?

 

[afransen]

It was a post that appears to have been (re)moved, commenting on some protests by parents/family about schools engaging in pride celebrations/teaching about sexual minorities.

I'm not sure why those posts were removed. I can't recall who posted. There was a tweet with a video interview of a protesting mother and late teens daughter lamenting how young children are exposed to these topics and they want to pull their young family members from school in June.

 

[Admiral Beez]

There’s another option: research before you come.

‘I respect myself too much to stay in Canada’: Why so many new immigrants are leaving

If newcomers can’t find the right jobs, lack “Canadian experience” and are struggling with the high cost of living, what’s to keep them from giving up?

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/VL0gC

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

Great Canadian housing bailout: How real estate unaffordability is being propped up​

A latticework of government demand-side policies are seemingly tailor-made to hold the line on unaffordably high housing prices

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/gr...wcm/3efcc49e-88f8-4d7b-aeed-048fbbce5274/amp/

One of these relief measures is the extension of amortization terms. In recent months, all of Canada’s big banks have reported a vast expansion in the number of mortgages on their books with amortization periods of 35 years or longer.


For borrowers, that means their monthly payments go down, but they have to keep paying them for an extra 10 to 15 years. Either way, the effect is that Canadians are able to handle larger amounts of credit, which is further increasing the amount of money available to bid up prices. What’s more, it’s rewarding the ranks of overleveraged real estate buyers who helped bid up the market in the first place.

 

[afransen]

My amortization has remained constant but my payments are up around 35%. I'm looking to repay about half of my outstanding balance in the next year to avoid to much higher rates.

 

[Northern Light]

Great Canadian housing bailout: How real estate unaffordability is being propped up​

A latticework of government demand-side policies are seemingly tailor-made to hold the line on unaffordably high housing prices

https://nationalpost.com/opinion/gr...wcm/3efcc49e-88f8-4d7b-aeed-048fbbce5274/amp/

The gov'ts actions and inactions on this file; and the related issues.......is unconscionable, immoral and illogical and contrary to the public interest.

That didn't start with the current gov't; but they've taken a substantial problem that was a decade or more in the making when they ascended to office and made it substantially worse.

 

[kEiThZ]

‘I respect myself too much to stay in Canada’: Why so many new immigrants are leaving

If newcomers can’t find the right jobs, lack “Canadian experience” and are struggling with the high cost of living, what’s to keep them from giving up?

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/VL0gC

It's an easier path to the US or Europe. That's why they are here.

 

[Richard White]

There’s another option: research before you come.

‘I respect myself too much to stay in Canada’: Why so many new immigrants are leaving

If newcomers can’t find the right jobs, lack “Canadian experience” and are struggling with the high cost of living, what’s to keep them from giving up?

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/VL0gC

To be fair, I'm a Canadian and even I'm thinking of leaving Canada.

It's becoming a complete gongshow and I'm considering moving here to Hungary. Economic considerations aside the quality of life is more balanced here.

Where Canada has failed, the EU has succeeded.

Nobody is rushing everywhere, people are friendly and the quality of the food is so much better.

1 week here and I can already tell how American Canada has become.

Regarding the article itself, I'm not surprised. Canada is ass backwards in terms of immigration policies.

 

[Northern Light]

There’s another option: research before you come.

‘I respect myself too much to stay in Canada’: Why so many new immigrants are leaving

If newcomers can’t find the right jobs, lack “Canadian experience” and are struggling with the high cost of living, what’s to keep them from giving up?

www.thestar.com

Paywall free: https://archive.is/VL0gC

@wopchop an interesting read in light of our discussions on PEO.

****

I certainly would advise anyone to do their research before moving anywhere; that said, I think in the above case that reads as rather dismissive.

Highly qualified people, who were marketed to, to attract them to come to Canada, who were then permitted to come to Canada; under assorted programs/streams, have some reason to believe, that on average, their chances of
finding meaningful employment at a good wage ought to be reasonable.

Some people will always be outliers, perhaps due to poor choices on their part, or just unique circumstances or misfortune....

But when an entire cohort is showing signs of disillusionment, surely its unreasonable to thinks 'its them'...........

****

What @Richard White says subsequently is also relevant.

Too many Canadians (including those born here) are underwater on their mortgages, under-paid, over-worked, and utterly fed up.

I'm comparatively lucky, and have done a bit a better......

But that said...........I get where a lot of people are fed up.

This is not uniquely a story about immigration; though that is a critically important component; both for the immigrants themselves and issues specific to their circumstances; but also the indirect role immigration in the TFW and Foreign student category has on wages and productivity investments.

A further story is follow-on, that when people are strained for cash, in a society which is under-investing in productivity on top of that.............there are simply fewer high-skill jobs.

But its worth adding, when those jobs exist and when people are capable of filling them, we often don't let them; or they refuse, because wages/benefits/working conditions are poor, relative to those in peer countries.

This is a very serious issue, and one which is already adversely effecting a large number of Canadians (citizens and residents) and may soon, if it not already, affect the majority.

 

[kEiThZ]

@AlvinofDiaspar

Can we move all the immigration to the Trudeau thread? It's right in line with the discussion on the housing ponzi scheme, with the NP piece even explaining how immigration can drive demand.

 

[Richard White]

But its worth adding, when those jobs exist and when people are capable of filling them, we often don't let them; or they refuse, because wages/benefits/working conditions are poor, relative to those in peer countries.

This is a very serious issue, and one which is already adversely effecting a large number of Canadians (citizens and residents) and may soon, if it not already, affect the majority.

I was speaking with my Austrian friend on Saturday who was shocked by the conditions in Canada.

They see Canada as this wonderful place on par with the EU, Australia and the UK however it isnt.

I was telling her about how I top out at 3 weeks vacation annually and all the deductions on my pay. I also mentioned how vacation time and sick days are not a guarantee (depending on the company).

She was shocked because in Austria they get more vacation, better services and everything isn't taxed as much as it is here. They also get paid sick days and more social benefits.

The taxes there actually have meaningful and tangible uses unlike here where they go towards things like reports on the efficiency of single reports on reports.

Globally speaking, Canada is not comparable to other countries. It is becoming more like America than it is progressive institutions like the EU which isn't a good thing.

Our global standing is considerably lower than our politicians seem to think it is. Honestly, we are quickly going downhill and the average Canadian only knows what they are told (unless they travel outside North America).

The saying I use is this: "The Canada I was born in, is not the Canada I live in now".

Anyway, I hope that was on topic if not, MODs feel free to move it.

 

[Northern Light]

I was speaking with my Austrian friend on Saturday who was shocked by the conditions in Canada.

They see Canada as this wonderful place on par with the EU, Australia and the UK however it isnt.

I was telling her about how I top out at 3 weeks vacation annually and all the deductions on my pay. I also mentioned how vacation time and sick days are not a guarantee (depending on the company).

She was shocked because in Austria they get more vacation, better services and everything isn't taxed as much as it is here. They also get paid sick days and more social benefits.

I'm happy enough to agree w/the gist of most of this......but I'm going to have to take issue w/the taxes statement.

Wikipedia shows these income tax rates as at 2016 {I didn't see anything more recent on a cursory search)

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxation_in_Austria

At the reduced, post-2016 rates, those marginal tax rates are higher than Canada's except for the top two brackets (inclusive of provincial taxes)

60,000 Euros is roughly 85000CAD; the all-in marginal tax rate (prov + federal) in Ontario is 31.48% at that income threshold vs 48% there.

Also their VAT (sales tax) is 20% vs our 13%

Their corporate rates are pretty comparable.

But their social security (payroll) taxes for pension, their version of EI, and sickness, are on top of all that. (as ours are).

 

[kEiThZ]

This is why I'm looking to leave.

I've seen life on the outside and it's not what our politicians make it out to be unfortunately.

We need to step up or risk being left behind and the train is now boarding. It's leaving the station and we are still deciding where we wish to go.

I'll answer this here because it's not really a foreign policy question.

Successive governments have decided that our economy will consist of resource extraction and the housing ponzi.

Being left of AUKUS is just one more nail in the coffin of a steady loss of industry and more importantly intellectual property creation. They'll steal our best and brightest, and then sell us the fruits of their labour at inflated prices. Asv the industrial and intellectual bases erode, wealth inequality goes up and the ability of government to support the welfare state decreases. I fully expect taxes to go up and services to get worse.

And while I complain about this government. I'm fairly sure that a change in government will just change the emphasis from housing ponzi to resource extraction. Our leaders have no clue how to build a high tech, high value economy. And frankly they don't care, because it's beyond their electoral cycle to worry about such things. Even sadder is that most of the electorate is just as clueless, which is why we're getting the politicians we deserve.

But hey, at least we have more sleep deprived foreign students to serve us Timmy's.