Page - 228 - in Media – Migration – Integration - European and North American Perspectives

Round Table Discussion | Worst Case and Best Practice 228 prescriptive component to being an immigrant society, in so far as you have to fulfil certain criteria to become an immigrant society. First, there are laws and regulations that are made to regulate the intake – so that the new Canadians we get tend to be pre-selected in terms of they are liberal in value, they are well-equipped in terms of skills, and they tend to be legal. They come through normal channels, which is not a luxury that a number of European countries face, with open and increasingly borderless borders. So, first there is a set of laws in place, and second, there is an extensive post-immigration settlement service package. So that immigration is not just coming into the country, it’s also being serviced in terms of access to whatever is required to settle down, to fit in and to move up. And it’s quite extensive, because the immigration process is seen as extending beyond arrival at “Piercing Airport” in Toronto. Thirdly, immigrants tend to be seen as assets to society. Not everyone would agree with that and the government works hard to remind us that in an ageing economy we need immigrants, that they are good for society and that they provide us with a lot of benefits. Not the least of which is the idea of sustained economic development. 262,000 immigrants per year require food, shelter, start-up costs in terms of transportation and so on – a remarkable boost to the economy. And the service offered is seen as a basis for a kind of long-term sustained growth. So there are these three components of an immigrant society, and all of them work together to create a kind of accommodativeness that makes both multiculturalism and immigration safe options for Canada. From the audience You didn’t quite answer my question, I’m afraid. It’s very short: You said immigrants are useful, very good. But if the population isn’t persuaded and the majority actually doesn’t buy it – you said some don’t buy it, but if the majority actually doesn’t buy it – what do you do? The majority in Germany is still sceptical, I would say: And they say: “Migrants, are they useful? Rather no!” What do you do? Augie Fleras Step up the government propaganda. Crank it up until they don’t hear anything else except a humanistic version of 1984. Horst Pöttker I think there should be added one criterion for what is an immigrant society. And there is also the question what is a non-immigrant