Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - November 2011
A new survey has found almost universal consensus on the issue of whether or not immigrants should adopt Canadian values upon arrival in the country.
The survey, conducted and released by Environics for the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation, found that 97 percent of Canadians agreed that immigrants should only be admitted to the country if they are willing to take on its values, including equality of men and women as well as tolerance of others.
The same view was held overwhelmingly by Canadian immigrants polled � 96 percent of whom agreed that newcomers need to adopt the values of their new country.
Results of the survey showed that values were more important to the public than economic contributions. Only about 60 percent agreed that immigrants should be financially independent within one year of arrival.
Other areas examined in the survey were whether immigrants should be familiar with Canadian history and culture (88 percent of Canadian-born respondents agreed while 87 percent of immigrants agreed) as well as whether immigrants should raise their children as Canadians do (approximately 80 and 74 percent agreed for Canadians and immigrants, respectively).
Many immigrants choose to come to Canada specifically because of the values known at the international level, with the country being particularly reputed for its strong roles as peacekeepers rather than soldiers.
Source: Globe and Mail
