This article reviews and critiques the current immigration policies in Canada, which are increasingly focused primarily on economic considerations. Data from a sample of 182 immigrant Chinese families (including mothers, fathers, and adolescents) are used to illustrate disconnections between immigration policy and the experiences of immigrants to Canada. The current individually-oriented immigration class system does not recognize non-economic motivations for immigration among principal applicants (e.g., for children’s future prospects) or the economic contributions of accompanying spouses. We argue for the incorporation of a long-term family-based lens for creating and evaluating immigration policy, one which accounts for the sacrifices parents make for their children and the contributions to Canadian society made by this next generation of Canadians. Furthermore, we caution against adopting policies that, over time, may limit the cultural diversity of new Canadians. We argue that supporting immigrants’ ability to be bicultural promotes multiculturalism, which benefits all of Canadian society.
Cet article fait la critique des politiques d’immigration actuelles au Canada, qui sont de plus en plus axés essentiellement sur des considérations économiques. Les données provenant d’un échantillon de 182 familles immigrantes chinoises (y compris les mères, les pères et les adolescents) sont utilisés pour illustrer les déconnexions entre la politique d’immigration et les expériences des immigrants au Canada. Le système de classement d’immigration actuel orienté sur l’individu ne tient pas compte des motivations non économiques de l’immigration parmi les demandeurs principaux (par exemple, pour les perspectives d’avenir des enfants) ou les contributions économiques des conjoints accompagnant. Pour la création et l’évaluation de la politique d’immigration, nous appuierions l’incorporation d’une perspective long terme basée sur la famille, une politique qui prend en compte les sacrifices des parents pour leurs enfants et les contributions à la société canadienne faite par cette prochaine génération de Canadiens. De plus, nous mettons en garde contre l’adoption de politiques qui, au fil du temps, peuvent limiter la diversité culturelle des nouveaux Canadiens. Nous soutenons que le soutien de la capacité des immigrants de devenir biculturel favorise le multiculturalisme, qui profite à toute la société canadienne.
This article documents an example of a successful learning partnership for an activity called the Leadership Challenge (LC), an experiential learning design used by Royal Roads University (RRU) in its Master of Arts in Leadership Program. The LC is based on a co-learning model in which professors create the conditions for students’ learning; community-based organizations bring an authentic challenge as a scenario for learning to the students; and organizations, professors, and students all learn from one another throughout the process. We believe this experience is an example of how genuine partnerships between universities and community organizations can be created in which community partners are squarely placed in the center of the academic experience, rather than being treated as peripheral. Written from the perspective of representatives from both the university and the community service organization, this article also documents the limitations of this activity based on the short time frame allowed.
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