A change in the political landscape in Ontario may present a unique opportunity for Atlantic Canada, especially when it comes to immigration.
Major urban centres like Toronto have been inundated with asylum seekers and others hoping for a better life in Canada.
Asylum claims that should take 60 days to process are now taking more than 24 months. During that time, the City of Toronto and the province of Ontario are left to bear the costs.
Newly elected Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford describes it as a “mess” and is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to foot the bill.
Last year, our prime minister extended a welcoming tweet to those fleeing persecution the day after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a ban on refugees from several Muslim countries.
A provincial cabinet minister in Ontario said if Trudeau wants to extend the welcome mat “…it is not up to (Toronto) Mayor John Tory, nor is it up to Premier Doug Ford, to pay.”
Toronto – and in fact all of Ontario – has benefited greatly by being the destination of choice of immigration. Those of us in Atlantic Canada have long been frustrated by the fact that many who come to this country, even through Atlantic Canada, end up in major urban centres like Toronto.
We’re not here to challenge Ontario’s changing stance on immigration.
What we are saying is that the changing political landscape in places like Ontario, and in the U.S., create a unique opportunity for those of us in this region.
The question is – will we answer the call?
Prince Edward Island is bucking a trend in the region and is actually growing its population, something which is critical to our survival as a province.
Now, more than 153,000 people call the Island home.
We’re also seeing the face of the province, particularly the capital region, change. A large increase in the Chinese community in the greater Charlottetown area has prompted new business ventures, new investment and added a new vibrancy in the city known as the Birthplace of Confederation.
The growth, we’re also pleased to say, is not restricted to the capital region.
Earlier this year a new Filipino store opened in Bloomfield, in western Prince Edward Island to meet the needs of the more than 240 Filipino residents currently working in the region. That is expected to grow, as more and more Filipinos make Prince Edward Island their permanent home. We could be welcoming hundreds more when they bring their families to the Island.
We, as an Island, are so much richer – both literally and figuratively speaking – for welcoming these and other new Canadians to our beautiful province.
Now, we need to open the door even wider to some of the hundreds of asylum seekers who are now crowded into school dormitories and hotels in Toronto. This won’t be without its challenges. But it’s the right thing to do.
And in the end, it will be the hosts who are the true winners.
