Canadian attitudes towards immigrants revealed

According to a new survey, Canadians hold generally welcoming attitudes towards immigrants living in the country, although their feelings become less positive where issues such as employment are concerned.

The survey, conducted by CBC News, found that 75 per cent of respondents felt that Canada was a welcoming place for immigrants, while 65 per cent said that they were “proud of Canada’s multicultural makeup.

However, when asked about economic and employment issues, attitudes of the poll’s 1,500 respondents tended to be less positive. While 79 per cent of respondents said they would be comfortable both employing or working for someone of a different ethnic background, only 55 per cent “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that immigrants are “very important to building a stable Canadian economic future.”

What’s more, 30 per cent of those surveyed either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that “immigrants take jobs from Canadians.”

There were also some notable regional differences from the survey’s findings. For example, while 72 per cent of British Columbian respondents said they were proud of the country’s multicultural make up, only 57 per cent of Quebec residents polled felt the same way.

BC also had the highest proportion of respondents (73 per cent) who said they would be comfortable being in a romantic relationship with someone of a different ethnic background, compared with 65 per cent in Ontario and 63 per cent in Quebec.

Similarly, in the Atlantic Provinces, 86 per cent said they would be comfortable if someone of a different ethnic background married their best friend, while in the prairies that dropped to 71 per cent.

Article published 13th November 2014