ILLUSTRATION: TONIA COWAN; ISTOCK FEBRUARY 2017 BCBUSINESS 15
T
he 49th parallel seems
to almost perfectly
bifurcate the debate
about immigration these days.
South of the border, we have a
president who promises to build
a wall to stop illegal Mexican
inows. Donald Trump's o•cial
stance on immigration contends
that this hardline approach aims
to, among other things, "boost
wages and ensure that open
jobs are o•ered to American
workers €rst."
North of the border, the
federal Advisory Council on
Economic Growth is recom-
mending that the feds boost
immigration to 450,000 people
a year, up from around 270,000
in 2015. That would mean an
almost 500 per cent surge in
the absolute number of annual
immigrants since the last
Trudeau was in power.
The Advisory Council's take:
"An increased immigrant popu-
lation has positive implications
for business and job creation
for Canadians through entre-
preneurship and innovation,
international trade, and if done
right, can raise living standards
for all Canadians."
So which is it: immigration
as job killer or steroid for eco-
nomic growth?
The answer may be more
complicated than either side of
the conversation would prefer.
Judging from the numbers,
the supply is clearly there. "A
T H E M O N T H LY I N F O R M E R
tmı
"It's kind of about comeback. It's kind
of unexpected. So if you see this big,
monstrous 1972 Gran Torino driving
down the street, that's ours" –p.21
F E B R U A R Y 2 0 17
The In Crowd
Casting immigration as an economic blessing or curse could be missing the point
INSIDE
Home or income? ... High-speed to Seattle ... Pass the moose ... Lawyers in glass ofces ... + more
THE EXPLAINER
by Timothy Taylor
COME ON OVER?
Canada believes immigrants
are good for the country—the
U.S., maybe not so much
