Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Oct. 17th, 2017

[Laurent Martel]

I think you've said it all. The demographics of Alberta are really different right now. Part of the reason is that, yes, a lot of immigrants are coming to that province, and there are a lot of internal movers as well, with people leaving other places in Canada and going to Alberta. That has an impact on the fertility rate, as you're saying—rather, not on the fertility rate, but on the number of births that province can generate, because there are more females in their prime child-bearing years in that particular province than there are elsewhere.

We've just said that in Atlantic Canada, one out of five people is 65 and over, which also means that the proportion of females in their prime child-bearing years is lower than in other places, meaning that you don't generate as many births—

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

That was my point.

[Laurent Martel]

— in Atlantic Canada as you generate births in Alberta.

These patterns are making a huge difference in terms of the demographics of the different regions of Canada, especially Alberta, leading to these growing differences. I think that's one message I want this committee to remember. There are growing demographic differences between the different regions of the country.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

What do you feel are the major reasons that can be used for retention in those areas, then?

[Laurent Martel]

As a demographer, I can say that when we see shifts in demographics, especially related to migration, very often it's because we've observed shifts in the economy of these regions before that. There's always a lag between the two, but usually we can see links between those two phenomena. I guess the future demographic trends in Atlantic Canada will be closely linked to economic trends there.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Mr. Rivera, the oil industry in Newfoundland is a capital-intensive business, but so is agriculture. I would mention this to Mr. Martel, as well. Agriculture is not just the production of the product and everything that goes with that on the farms; it's also the manufacturing of equipment and the export and transportation of the products for processing, both domestically and internationally.

Do you feel that some stability in a strong agricultural industry, as well as other capital-intensive industries, would particularly benefit Newfoundland?

[Jose Rivera]

As a matter of fact, newcomers have been part of an increasing agricultural production, and they're bringing new trends and products to the market. A large number of newcomers are working in start-ups and starting industries from perspectives that have never been dealt with locally in Newfoundland.

An interesting trend is in services provided locally for the oil and gas industry. Again, the lack of information for these start-ups prevents them from being more successful in a short period of time, but we have them.

[Larry Maguire, Conservative, Brandon—Souris, MB]

Yes, and of course that would go for fishing in your particular region as well.

Recently I've had some experience with Iceland. The population there is about 330,000, two-thirds of it in Reykjavik, one major city. About 2.3 million tourists are coming through Iceland this year.

How big a role does tourism play in your markets, Mr. Martel? Is that a major industry in Canada because a lot of service industries are required there?

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Be very brief, either of you.

[Jose Rivera]

In our case, tourism is growing significantly here in Newfoundland and Labrador. Newcomers are playing a big role there, providing new services and new adventures in the province.

[Laurent Martel]

Unfortunately, I don't have that information with me at this point.

[The Chair, Liberal, Rob Oliphant]

Thank you very much.

Ms. Kwan, you have about nine minutes.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the presenters.

Mr. Martel, I'm wondering if you have information you can share with us on post-secondary education stats, particularly the spaces that are available, the comparison of tuition fees, and so on.

[Laurent Martel]

I wouldn't be able to comment on this as a demographer.

We do have statistics on education. I could find you the information.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I wonder whether we could get somebody in your department, perhaps not you, to share that information with us so that we can compare the Atlantic provinces with the rest of the country in terms of available post-secondary education spaces, the number of international students taking those spaces, the tuition fee rates, etc., so we can get a sense of what that looks like in those provinces.

[Laurent Martel]

Certainly. I will follow up.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Rivera, thank you for your presentation.

[Jose Rivera]

You're welcome.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

What we're hearing from a lot of people is that there is a need to increase the population in the Atlantic provinces. Of course, as we just heard, if the death rate is higher than the birth rate, the long-term trajectory is just not a good one.

We agree that we need to increase the population, yet we also heard that there is a lack of infrastructure to support the immigrant and refugee population in the Atlantic provinces.

You come from that sector. You mention that you need core funding, which you don't have currently, to support the approximately 1,000 individuals in your community. If we're going to look at increasing those numbers, you're projecting that about $200,000 per year per 1,000 people is what you need to increase your services.

Can you break down for us the kinds of services you need? You mentioned mental health support as one piece. Is language training an aspect of it? Can you elaborate on that for us?

[Jose Rivera]

When I mentioned $200,000, Ms. Kwan, it's what RIAC would need to be able to look after a thousand individuals per year.

In terms of services, adults don't have access to English as a second language services in a volume that allows them to quickly gain access to the labour market. In terms of services that an individual requires, it's more interpretation than language training. Translation and these kinds of services are required to be settled, to be organized, and to be put into the market. There's a good number of individuals who out of the goodness of their hearts go and do translation, but there is no professional I know of specifically for the mental health issues.

Post-secondary education requires a bit of a shakeup, because teenagers come here and are placed where they don't feel that they fit. People from Latin America, say, who come here and are placed in grade 10 have already seen all the subjects, so that is motivation for them to skip school and to go out and abandon education altogether. That is a trend that hasn't been seen in the numbers. This is something that families really are concerned about. They want their children to be able to stay in school and pursue a career.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

On that last point, you're saying that parents are concerned about students staying in the school system. Do you mean that high school dropout rates are a concern?

[Jose Rivera]

Yes, exactly. I don't know the tendency or the numbers, but some of the concerns the families bring to us are about how to keep their children, their teenagers, in school when they find that it's boring because they've already seen the topics. They feel that they're repeating and that the system does not help them to get ahead. On the numbers, I don't know.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I see. I guess what you're getting at, then, is the support network that's required for youth in the community and particularly even in the educational system, in the K-12 system.

[Jose Rivera]

Yes.

[Jenny Kwan, NDP, Vancouver East, BC]

I see.

Is there a table in your community where there is collaboration among the local, provincial, and federal governments in discussing how there could be a better strategy to support the refugee and immigrant population?