David Berger
Liberal
Mr. David Berger (Laurier):
Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to hear that this Government, following the example of its predecessor, has decided to further reduce immigration levels for 1985. It is a tragedy for our country as a whole and for the thousands of people who would like to settle in Canada.
The present act and the immigration levels set each year are based on the false assumption that immigration ought to depend on the state of the economy. This is merely a pretext to close the gates. We are trying to stimulate the economy in every possible way, and Canadians should know that immigrants create jobs. They bring with them a very special genius which is their determination to succeed. They want to show that their adopted country was right to admit them. Since 1982, we have in effect closed our doors to independent immigrants who do not have pre-arranged employment and are not entrepreneurs. These people often have relatives in Canada but may not enter the country because they are over 20 or 21.
1 hope the day will come when the Minister of Employment and Immigration will be worthy of her title and stop acting like a border guard.
Subtopic: IMMIGRATION
Sub-subtopic: GOVERNMENT POLICY