Immigration and Rural Areas

Government has always sent immigrants to the west but some

 do not stay long. They move east to Ontario or U.S. Photo: Union Station wall.

We have jobs, but no takers. That is the message from some industries, but what is not highlighted is that they are minimum wage jobs.  This is particular acute in rural areas because they historically lose workers to big cities.

That is why the federal government directs new comers to such areas. Canada is a two-part series: the federal government based in Ottawa and governments of the 10 provinces and the 3 territories.

The federal government is responsible for immigration. Most newcomers want to hit the big cities like Toronto and Vancouver. That is why it prefers to send its sponsored immigrants to provinces. You can also be sponsored by a church or family members.

For example, we were brought to Canada by the federal government and it placed us in Manitoba, one of the provinces. We later moved to Toronto in the Ontario Province where salaries are higher, to accommodate the high cost of living.

COVID-19 relief money Canadians received in 2020-2021 during the pandemic, is conveniently cited as the reason for labour shortage. Why work when you can get money from the government? That argument doesn’t hold water because COVID-19 relief has ended.

The labour shortage tends to be discussed out of context. The reality is that it is predominantly in minimum wage industries like farming and hospitality and in certain provinces. Therefore, it won’t be surprising if the federal government increases the number of newcomers to those provinces. Some won't stay long because their hearts are set on Toronto and other big cities. It has been like that for a long time.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.