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#Written by David Tam, 1994            #
#davidkftam@netscape.net Copyright 1999#
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                          Immigration Symposium 1994
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  The immigration symposium was very intense and productive.  Many issues of
the immigration act were discussed within the conference group.  Perhaps too
many issues were expected to be covered within the limited time that was
available.  Preparation time in our expert groups was not adequate, and this
case was similar in our conference groups as well.  It was difficult to
co-ordinate our expert group activities within the limited time we were given.
Our decisions on the twenty points to use and on our goals to achieve were
rushed, so I do not think we did a thorough job.  The conference groups
allowed information from each expert interest group to be gathered and
analyzed collectively.  Many ideas, opinions, and issues were brought up and
discussed.  The discussions alone could have taken the entire day but we were
forced to stop the debate and continue with the drafting of amendments to the
immigration act.  I found the conference groups to be helpful in making
rational decisions on the recommended changes.  Each expert group
representative provided opinions that helped to alter many initial proposals,
resulting in well-analyzed recommendations.  This brought on the encouraging
atmosphere of a think-tank group.  There was some dissension on certain issues
but the facilitator handled the situation quickly.  Members of the conference
group were very involved and enthusiastic in the drafting of proposals.  I,
myself, became very much interested in the immigration issues, whereas before
I was not too enthusiastic.  As a contrast to that situation, we did not have
a "working" lunch as planned.  Work resumed after lunch and was very focused.
I feel that the conference group activity was very productive and was
completed to the best of our ability given the time constraints.  I believe
that if the conference was extended we would have been even more productive
because we were building up involvement and enthusiasm.

  The speakers provided very useful information in their presentations that
could have been used in our conference groups.  Audience involvement did not
take place until the second half of the presentations because it took time to
build up the involvement.  The much involved discussions was the highlight of
the day.  Even the presenters were fighting to answer the questions posed by
the students.  It was very interesting and shedded light on many issues
related to immigration. We could have spent the entire afternoon and evening
discussing these issues but unfortunately we had reached the end of the
symposium.  The presentations provided a lot of insight on the immigration
issue.    The symposium was very informative, productive, and insightful.  I
would recommend that the symposium be extended to two days to allow the
buildup of involvement.

  From the insight I received at the symposium, I have developed a few overall
opinions about immigration.  Immigration must reflect current times so I
believe that the main goal should be for economic benefits.  Second in the
priority should be for humanitarian reasons, such as the protection of
refugees and the reunification of family members.  Based upon the first goal,
I believe that independent class immigrants should be able to understand
either English or French.  Independent class immigrants are those who wish to
contribute to Canadian society economically and socially.  In order to do
that, they must have a common ground in which to communicate.  Keep in mind
that this would not apply to refugee or family class immigrants but only to
the independent class.  In this way, these independent / business class
immigrants will have to a goal to achieve  before thinking about becoming a
Canadian citizen.  The cost of social and education programs is high and we
must deal with these issues to reflect our current times.  These independent
class immigrants do not have to be able to speak English or French perfectly.
They must be able to read, write, and speak the language at a basic level.
This would allow them to communicate with others in the business world and
local community.  Another amendment to the immigration act would be in the
immigrant investor program.  Currently, this program requires an immigrant
investor to invest a minimum of $500 000 in Canada.  From the case study on
British Columbia, it can be seen that the majority of the funds are invested
in that province.  A possible amendment would be to require a certain
percentage of the intial $500 000 to be invested in another province or
territory, as decided upon by the federal government.    The initial
percentage of the investment must remain in that province for a certain
minimum period of time.  This ensures that the investment will remain in the
province and will no be immediately shifted to a different province, such as
British Columbia.  In this way, some of the wealth could be distributed across
the rest of the nation.  This is one way around the mobility rights under the
charter of rights and freedoms.  If we cannot force immigrants to live in a
certain area, at we can at least require them to invest a proportion of the
$500 000 in a certain province.  The immigration act must reflect current
times and so a proper mixture of economic and humanitarian goals must be
decided upon.  The emphasis must be placed on economic benefits to ensure a
successful future for Canada.