The Positive Impact of Immigrants on BC's Economy and Culture

This essay examines the significant contributions of immigrants to British Columbia's economy and culture. It begins with a historical overview of Canadian immigration, highlighting the Komagata Maru incident and the evolving immigration policies. The essay then delves into the economic benefits, such as filling labor gaps, boosting consumption, and contributing to tax revenue. It emphasizes the role of immigrants in mitigating low fertility rates and an aging population. Furthermore, the essay discusses the cultural diversity immigrants bring, attracting international companies and fostering cultural competency. The conclusion reiterates the positive impacts of immigrants on British Columbia's economic growth and cultural landscape, solidifying their importance to the region.

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Immigrants to Canada are beneficial to the economy and culture; a focus on British Columbia
and its immigrant population
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Immigrants to Canada are beneficial to the economy and culture; a focus on British Columbia
and its immigrant population
The 21st century is fraught with the immigration crisis to many parts of Europe. The
movements of the immigrants are motivated by different conditions that include political and
economic reasons. Despite reports that other countries are skeptic about the surging numbers of
immigrants in their countries, Canada has maintained a positive opinion about immigrants into
their country (Bonikowska et al. 175). For instance, during the 2016 migrant crisis, Canada
alone took in about 30, 000 Syrian refugees into their country (Smith). The immigration policy
of Canada has sparked debate from many quarters in regards to issues like culture, the
sustainability of the social support system, terrorism, and wages. This essay will support the fact
that immigrants to Canada, specifically British Columbia, are beneficial in respect to their
economy and cultural diversity.
Firstly, the history of immigration into Canada is nostalgically remembered by the
Komagata Maru incident. The ship that was hired by Gurdit Sigh who doubled up as the

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spokesperson of the passengers was involved in a great challenge against the anti-Asian
immigration rules that had been imposed in Canada in 1914. The discriminatory regulation
required the Indians to undertake a continuous journey to Canada and have an extra $200 for
each individual immigrant. The violent confrontations and frustrations meted against the Indians
led to serious uprising of nationalists against the British Empire rule in the Indian colony and the
eventual repealing of the regulations to allow Indian immigrants into the country (Johnston).
This indicated that not all quarters in Canada were happy with the immigration policy initially.
However, the benefits of the immigrants have been witnessed to date and the policy remains in
place.
The history of Canada offers intriguing data about the composition of the Canadian
population and the immigration trends. Firstly, about 70% of the Canadian population is ageing,
leaving only about 30% of active individuals in the public and private service. Further,
approximately 22% of the Canadian population is foreign-born. The indigenous inhabitants of
Canada make up about 4.3% of the total Canadian population ("The Daily — Immigration And
Ethnocultural Diversity: Key Results From The 2016 Census"). Notably, history reveals that
Canada emerged from the European colonies that were run by the French and British
immigrants. As such, the shared history of the immigrants makes Canada essentially a
multicultural and immigration hub. The welcoming approach adopted by the government and the
diversity manifested by the population has since grown to be a national pride in Canada.
Economically, the contribution of Canadian immigrants is immense. According to the
2018 Annual Report of Immigration to the Canadian parliament, The Minister of Immigration,
Citizenship, and Refugees indicated the significant impacts of immigrants to Canada. He

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indicated that the future of the nation depended on the immigrants welcoming and effective
integration policies (Coutinho). The support of the government is majorly reliant on the critical
roles played by the young skilled immigrants to the Canadian economy and the labor market.
The hope of the Canadian government based on the sustainability of their growth and economic
stability hinges on the immigration policies. It is clear proof that the immigrants to British
Columbia are beneficial to the economy and culture.
Moreover, it should be noted that British Columbia (BC) just like other parts of Columbia
suffers from low fertility rates and a large proportion of an ageing population (Coutinho). Any
notable economic growth requires an adequate labor force to remain afloat and effective.
Statistics revealed above indicates that there is less growth in the population and hence, the labor
market of BC. The less growth ensures there are few people available to engage in active
economic growth through the provision of the required labor in the different industries. As such,
the immigrants provide a viable alternative to rejuvenate the labor market, and population growth
requires economic growth in BC and Canada as a whole. This is coupled with the fact that the
selected immigrants through the point system are often young and skilled individuals. The ageing
demographic shift in the country is effectively mitigated by the immigrants in the country to
sustainably. Hence, immigrants are beneficial to BC economically.
Further, numerous existing labor gaps in Canada are filled by immigrants. According to
the recent projections in 2018, several labor gaps in Canada required the input of additional
measures to sustain (Pandey). These gaps included health professionals, skilled trades, sciences,
and transport personnel. It is evident that as long as there are jobs for the Canadian population,
some gaps remain to be filled for the growth of the economy. Through the provincial nominee

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programs rolled out by the Canadian government, the regional needs of labor are met effectively
by the immigrants. It should also be noted that the concerns about the integration issues and the
rates of immigration are considerably waning in British Columbia making it one of the regions
that benefit greatly from economic growth and cultural diversity (Smith).
Consequently, immigrants are essential consumers and taxpayers, just like the inhabitants
of British Columbia. Apart from the labor force, consumption and revenue collection are
important facets of economic growth and development in any country. British Columbia benefits
immensely from the presence of the immigrants by collecting taxes from their earnings as well as
the consumption of economic items in the country (Lo et al. 635) As such; the immigrants
increase the productivity of the BC region by increasing their revenue income and boosting
consumption capacity. Therefore, the immigrants to BC are important economic agents
contributing to the growth of the region.
Furthermore, immigrants in British Columbia contribute to cultural diversity. In the wake
of globalization, many international corporations have their operations in diverse economies
globally. These corporate face challenges operating and working with diverse populations due to
cultural differences. The cultural diversity in British Columbia attracts many international
companies as investors who contribute to the growth of the economy. Similarly, the friendly
immigration policy improves the relationship between Canada and other countries as it fosters
cultural competency among the Canadian population (Dwyer et al. 667-692). The diverse talent
attracted by the immigration policy is a cultural boost to the labor force to help drive innovation
and growth of the Canadian firms as well as multicultural acceptance and appreciation.

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In conclusion, it should be noted that immigrants to British Columbia are beneficial to the
economy and culture. History of Canada reveals progressive and favorable immigration policies
that have existed for decades. The Komagata Maru incident is an indication that the immigration
policy of Canada has grown steadily overtime to accommodate all people. The outcome of the
policies has added multiculturalism and immigration as part of the national identity of Canada in
the global stage. The governments appreciate that the future growth of the economy depends on
the immigrants into the country. The low fertility rates and large ageing population leaves the
immigrants as a good replacement for the labor force. Further, the immigrants act as taxpayers
and consumers for the British Columbia goods as well as contributing to the cultural diversity
fabric of BC. Hence, the immigrants are beneficial to the economy and culture of British
Columbia.

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Works Cited
Bonikowska, Aneta, Feng Hou, and Garnett Picot. "New Immigrants Seeking New Places: The
Role of Policy Changes in the Regional Distribution of New Immigrants to
Canada." Growth and Change 48.1 (2017): 174-190.
Coutinho, Deborah. "Why Immigration Is So Important To Canada's Economy?". Canada
Immigration News, 2018, http://www.immigrationnews.ca/2018/11/06/immigration-
canada-economy/. Accessed 5 July 2019.
Dwyer, Claire, Justin Tse, and David Ley. "‘Highway to Heaven’: the creation of a multicultural,
religious landscape in suburban Richmond, British Columbia." Social & Cultural
Geography 17.5 (2016): 667-693.
Johnston, Hugh. "Komagata Maru | The Canadian Encyclopedia". Thecanadianencyclopedia.Ca,
2016, https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/komagata-maru.
Lo, Lucia, and Carlos Teixeira. "Immigrants doing business in a mid‐sized Canadian city:
Challenges, opportunities, and local strategies in Kelowna, British Columbia." Growth
and Change 46.4 (2015): 631-653.
Pandey, Manish, and James Townsend. "Prior host-country work experience and immigrant
labor market outcomes: evidence from Canada." IZA Journal of Migration 6.1 (2017): 3.
Smith, Stephen. "Majority Of Canadians Remain In Favour Of Immigration, New Study Finds |
Canada Immigration News". CIC News, 2018,

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https://www.cicnews.com/2018/03/majority-of-canadians-remain-in-favour-of-
immigration-new-study-finds-0310368.html#gs.mxolba. Accessed 5 July 2019.
"The Daily — Immigration And Ethnocultural Diversity: Key Results From The 2016
Census". Www150.Statcan.Gc.Ca, 2018, https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-
quotidien/171025/dq171025b-eng.htm. Accessed 5 July 2019.