Two sides to the coin
Thursday June 5 2008 Official figures indicate the South Asian population has outnumbered all ethnic minorities in Canada— and the numbers continue to grow. Going forward, these numbers are bound to accelerate, as the South Asian region will remain Canada’s primary source for new immigrants.

Given Canada’s steadily declining birth rate, it has often been pointed out that from 2012, immigration will account for all net growth in our labour market. But more interestingly, it will be the Subcontinent that will primarily supply the flow of newcomers to Canada. And here, India will be Canada’s biggest source market, Pakistan the third biggest, and Sri Lanka the fifth biggest. Even as things stand at present, there are close to a million Canadians of Indian origin.

While there is doubtless strength in numbers— and possibly a comfort level afforded— the community must also consider the responsibilities such numbers cast upon our society as a whole.

Even as we are all in awe of how large our ‘desi’ populations has grown, it may be fitting to take a moment to reflect on what this means in terms of the social issues that are relevant not only to newcomers but to our community, as social service organizations are now beginning to point out. This includes getting jobs commensurate with qualifications, focusing on health and well being, and promoting a greater quality of life for newcomers.

We couldn’t agree more.

Further, the expansion of a community also means a rise in the number of individuals accessing social services, and a concurrent rise in the demand for volunteers, and for financial support.

We need to be alive to these challenges. Yes, there might be a certain comfort level in the numbers— but there is also a responsibility attached that we will have to start addressing today, in order to face our tomorrows.

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