Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Immigrants proudest to be Canadian


 Five organizations: CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) Environics Institute, Maytree, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship and the RBC Foundation commission an Environics poll asking Canadians their views on citizenship. 2000 Canadians took part in the telephone poll.
   Most Canadians had no trouble with dual citizenship or with Canadians living abroad. When asked what made a person a good citizen the top five answers were: 1) obeying laws, 2) actively participating in the community, 3) helping other people 4) being tolerant of others, 5) adopting Canadian values. I am never sure what the last is supposed to mean. Having high debt levels?
   Of respondents born outside of Canada 88 per cent said they were proud to be Canadian. Of those born here only 81 per cent felt the same. However both are high approval ratings for Canada. Immigrants choose to come here and need to go through a lot of paper work and often frustrating waits as the bureaucracy struggles to get out of first gear. It is not surprising that they feel proud to have made it. Often too their position here is superior to that in their home country.
   Citizens who are born here really did not choose their home country and they had to do nothing to achieve citizenship so it is not too surprising that not as many feel proud of the country. For much more see this article.
 
 



No comments: