Asian Immigrants
Although Asia is a huge continent and encompasses many nations, the main two ethnic groups which immigrate to Canada are: Chinese and Indian. The influence of these two groups has been exponential. They have influenced Canadian cuisine, attitudes, democratic beliefs and fashion. Many Chinese emigrate to Canada to escape from the repressive regime of the Communist government at home; in Canada they are allowed to express themselves in a liberal democratic state, which supports individualism.
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Ujjal Dosanjh.
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One rarely comes across individual examples of immigrants who have successfully integrated into Canada, as ethnic groups tend to be lumped together in statistics by government departments. ‘Canada’s Immigrants, Heroes and Countrymen’ written by Robin Arthur and Sam Bayat, provides an interesting insight into the real life stories of immigrants from across the globe. ‘Chang Kang’, a Korean Businessman, immigrated to Canada in search of new job prospects; he now runs a flourishing business in Nova Scotia, which has brought huge investment and job opportunities to the province. A government official said that ‘if we had 1,000 people like you [Chang Kang] we should have no problem developing this region’[1]. This is just one of many successful ethnic diversity stories that exist, confirming that Asians make a very positive contribution to Canadian society and the economy.
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There is also a general
consensus, on the part of Asian-Canadians, that they are readily accepted by
Canadians and embraced as part of the ethnically diverse nation. Senator
Vivienne Poy, herself an immigrant to Canada, said ‘I do believe we enrich
Canada with what we bring to this country’[2].
From the other side of the spectrum, Ujjal Dosanjh was the first Indian to be elected
Premier of Canada (head of a provincial or territorial government); this
historic moment in Canada’s national history is reflected in the speech he gave
to his constituents. He thanked them for ‘the election of a once ordinary
immigrant worker to such a high position [which] showed the commitment of the
Canadian people’[3]
to ethnic diversity. This ability to include, on the part of the people, shows
a nation with, some would argue, high levels of tolerance and national unity;
which is only strengthened by the growing ethnic diversity of its peoples,
which seeks to add new skills and ideas to Canada. One can argue that this has
crucially led to its success in many areas.