Re: CCSD study Does a Rising Tide Lift All Boats? Labour Market Experiences and Incomes of Recent Immigrants

To the Editor:

We feel we must respond to correct a misapprehension evident in your editorial (It’s not about race; February 26), in which you commented on our study of the labour market experiences of recent immigrants to Canada. Unfortunately, your assertion that racism is not a factor behind the large income gap between recent immigrants and other Canadians is hardly warranted by the research.

Our study took great pains to point out that racism is a factor, but not the only factor, behind large pay and income gaps. Indeed our central finding was that recent immigrants began to catch up to the mainstream in the 1990s recovery. A growing economy has indeed helped provide new opportunities, and many recent immigrants have been able to take advantage of these.

That being said, our study cites numerous government and academic studies which have found that the 'catch up' period after immigration has become longer and longer. This coincides with a shift in the mix of immigrants to groups vulnerable to racial discrimination. Many recent visible minority immigrants perceive themselves to have been discriminated against in the job market. We were surprised at your readiness to discount out of hand their experiences in this area.

Racism can be a very subtle phenomenon. It may be less about excluding candidates for a job from consideration because of the colour of their skin, than about fearing that they won’t ‘fit in.’ And it may be about seeing foreign credentials and experience as ‘obviously’ inferior, rather than objectively assessing skills and abilities on an individual basis.

As clearly stated in our report, racism is far from the only factor at play behind large income gaps. Language skills are crucial, and an uncertain economic environment and limited settlement services have helped keep recent immigrants back. But it is one problem among others.

There is an element of demographic urgency in resolving these problems, since we will shortly be depending on immigration for virtually all the growth of the Canadian labour force. Our future prosperity – as well as social justice – demands that we take steps to ease the rapid integration of immigrants into the labour force.

Andrew Jackson and Ekuwa Smith

Director of Research and Senior Research Associate
Canadian Council on Social Development
(613) 236-5868, ext. 228

Does a rising tide lift all boats? - Related Material

Canadian Council on Social Development, 190 O'Connor Street, Suite 100, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2R3
Tel: (613) 236-8977, Fax: (613) 236-2750, Web: www.ccsd.ca, Email: council@ccsd.ca