Canada is celebrating the Welcoming Week from September 8-17. The goal of this week is to inspire Canadians to embrace new immigrants and assist them in establishing themselves in their new homes and starting a new life. 

Why is Canada Celebrating Welcoming Week? 

As per the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada’s welcoming week is a yearly occasion observed in the country that offers a chance to welcome and honor newcomers to the country and make them sense that they are a valuable part of the community they live in, irrespective of their country of origin. 

As per the census report 2021, Canada is home to almost 8.3 million immigrants, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the Canadian population. Also, the immigrant population of the country is anticipated to reach 34% of the total population by 2041, as per a Statistics Canada report. 

According to the IRCC, the more accepted and comfortable the newcomers feel in Canada, the more likely they will successfully integrate into their communities and the better they will contribute. 

IRCC’s Immigration Matters Campaign: What is it? 

As Canada Celebrating Welcoming Week, it’s notable that it is a significant part of the IRCC’s Immigration Matters Campaign. The campaign aims to spread awareness concerning the advantages related to immigration in Canada. Also, it urges Canadians to participate in the program and allows them to suggest various recommendations on how the people of Canada can help in this. 

According to the IRCC, the effective way to take part in the welcoming week is to get in touch with an association offering settlement services in the country and become associated with a newcomer. 

Canadians can then help the new immigrants understand and manage their everyday tasks and life in the new society. The campaign also enables Canadians and new immigrants to enjoy meals together and attend cultural events jointly. 

Furthermore, interacting with a newcomer is straightforward, as anyone gets engaged in a conversation aiming at enhancing English or French language proficiency. 

A feeling of belongingness and Newcomers 

A recent research conducted by Statistics Canada revealed that compared to Canadian-born people, the immigrants to the country enjoy a greater sense of belonging in Canada. 

This particularly applies to the immigrants established in the provinces of Ontario, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. 

A greater sense of belongingness implies that the new immigrants to the country tend to engage more in their society. They forge better relationships and are more likely to decide to remain in the country. This ultimately helps in enhancing the country’s economy. 

According to the study, a newcomer’s sentiments concerning Canada’s multicultural policies, thoughts about unique constitutional rights and freedoms, and their beliefs that the country’s national symbols are a vital part of Canadian identity all contribute to belongingness.  

Canada and Immigration. 

Recently, Canadian Immigration Minister Mr. Marc Miller emphasized the advantages of immigration in Canada. He stated that being a hospitable country for immigrants gives Canada various advantages and added that immigration has fueled the economic growth of the country. 

Miller further stated that immigration is also a crucial component of a country’s economic strategy, which helps it deal with the aging population of Canada. 

Furthermore, immigrants in Canada are important contributors to Canada’s economic and cultural landscape as they help in various areas, such as enhancing innovation across several industries, addressing labor market shortages, creating jobs, and more. 

Notably, immigrants make up almost 100 percent growth of the country’s labor force and approximately 75 percent of the country’s population growth. Also, a significant number of immigrants to Canada who are skilled workers enter Canada via the economic programs. 

Canada’s economy depends on immigration, which strengthens it greatly.  

As per the report of Statistics Canada, the firms that are majorly owned by immigrants make up almost 24.4 % of all privately owned businesses in the third quarter of 2022, in fact, a total of 437,000 new immigrants entered Canada in 2022.  

As per immigration levels plan 2023-2025, Canada seeks to accept around 465,000 new immigrants by the end of 2023. The country further aims to accept more than 500,000 new Permanent Residents by the conclusion of 2025.