Is Canada's new "English or French" immigration policy on the right track?

YES!!!

But is this about money again? Or is the whole proces of immigration not expessive enough as it is??

Absolutely ; How could they function in Canada, they don't know the law, the culture, they can't read a road sign, they can't read safety signs in the plants and factories. What we teach them english or french and meanwhile we put them on welfare.

YES! Also, we should be able to celebrate our holidays and traditions the way we want. Why are we allowing others to change the way Canada is when they are coming here for a better life? If we change to their ways aren't we doomed to end up like what they flee? Where do we flee to when that oppression comes here, this is freedoms last stand, lest we forget!!!!

Ahamburger said it all . I couldnt agree more.

I don't know why French is an official language? They always talk about separating.

i think the criteria that should be reviewed is..(and i already know the answer) are the people immigrating to Canada a financial burden for our country...why are they allowed, in some cases to have many children and collect social assistance, often they make no attempt to learn our language...but now we have to adapt in our schools and even in our place of business to accomodate them....they dont have to be in this country for all that long before they can collect old age pension....while never contributing to it.....and i am generalizing but i see it everyday....car accidents....slip and fall....anything to get some money but heaven forbid you actually work for a living....refugee status is different ..although some of the countrys that have that status i think need to be reviewed.....nothing in life is free....this is my opinion

The problem is not whether the immigrants speak both languages, but why the Canadians born in Canada don't speak both languages, both official languages and, in many cases, one correctly.
See the guy above me with countrys!!!
Pretty pathetic to come on the Web and judge when you are illiterate and born in Canada.
I am an immigrant, soon to be going back to my native country, as I am sick and tired of the know-it all Canadians who pretend they are supporting us when the reality is different.

I would rather see our government invest much more in those who were born here rather than importing people from across the globe.
Such investment in the form of lower tuition means a higher number of employable citizens able to fill the workforce...not to mention greater freedom to start families at a younger age which would also solve the problem of an aging population.
As it is, our nation is bled dry by the many social programs set up to help new & soon to be Canadians whose first language isn't English or French. For example ESL progrms in urban schools cut into budgets with drastic efect, in short robbing Canadian students of funds better spent on classrooms.

I totally agree Cris. A lot of these self righteous Canadians that are born in Canada have worse written English than Canadians that immigrate here. Disgraceful.

And Ahamburger, of course you can celebrate your holidays and traditions the way you want. Who's stopping you???? And how how does an immigrant coming here for a better life cause our country to be oppressive? Think it through before you press post.

I hate to break it to you people but the majority of immigrants that come here are honest, hardworking people who truly are in search of a better life....not to scam Canada. I work in a hospital and guess who comprises 99% of our janitorial and cafeteria staff? Immigrant workers. Thank God for them. They keep the hospital running doing jobs that Canadians born in Canada think they're too good to do. And guess what? They pay taxes (income, EI, and CPP) just like everyone else.

At our hospital we are blessed with some of the brightest specialists (Cardiologists, Oncologists, Surgeons, Pediatricians etc). They are made up of all ethnicities. A lot of them are visible minorities who speak perfect English along with their parent's native tongue. Sure, sometimes their parents/grandparents are not perfectly assimilated into Canadian society and I see a lot of you are critical of immigrants for this. But their children are because they are born here. The children they raise give back to the community they grew up in....improving/saving lives (possibly yours or your loved ones).

So unless you're First Nations, you have no right to judge new Canadians. If it wasn't you, then it was someone in your ancestry who migrated here at one point in search of a better life. As well, the vast majority of new immigrants are not here to go on welfare or prevent you from celebrating your "holidays and traditions".

If you dont look like an aboriginal individual-then your families also migrated. I totally agree what KT and Chris have written, think deeper fellows.

why the big emphasis on french language for new immigrants if it si important then only let them live in quebec only and open up other opportunities for other immigrants to enter canada and obtain citizenship the goverment makes it impossible for a european immigrant to becomr full time citizen. meanwhile they let every other race in canada and canadians are sick of it put a ban on african or pakastani peolple coming in canada has enough of them and we r sick of there overflow

Thats right KT....it was our ancestors who worked like dogs to build CANADA! Now you get into this country and get WELFARE!!!!!

I would love to leave Canada to find employment in some other country but unfortunately no other country will let me in. I can't go and collect welfare and I cant land as a refugee......What's with that???? Fair is fair.... I can't find a job here because thats right you said it all the immigrants have them. I work in a legal firm and most of the job postings on job banks say you must know Chinese, or Hindu or some other foreign language to obtain employment with them..What the f_ _ _ _ is with that?? Tell me KT.

FAIR IS FAIR AND IF SO MANY IMMIGRANTS ARE ALLOWED INTO OUR COUNTRY THEN I SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO GO TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY AND BE TREATED THE SAME.....

LETS LOOK AFTER THE PEOPLE HERE THAT ARE STARVING AND JOBLESS BEFORE WE LET IN MORE PEOPLE.... DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT KT? What if your family was starving and homeless and some immigrant came here and was given welfare and a townhouse and clothes and food and then an education (that, let me remind you we have to pay thousands of dollars for if we want to be educated). Would you think differently then? Jobs are scarce here as it is.

As for your hospital job and the immigrants working as janitors, they have obviously replaced someone else for a cheaper wage....Get real KT your not that naive are you???

really cris how ignorant are you...countries is that all you have
go back to your country we didnt ask you here in the first place you have the same mentality as every immigrant i have met...your attitude is that canada owes you...you will not make an attempt to learn our language our government or even common courtesy yes the words are actually please and thank you....its not that hard...but the things you do attempt to learn is how to apply for welfare, ei, disability and how to get things for nothing..i have the statistical information to back up what i am saying cris..
when you immmigrated here you had two choices to work hard and embrace our country with all of the wonderful things it has to offer or you could choose not to do that and live off the system..and in your ignorant response to my typo i am guessing the latter...check for typos cris only people with nothing of value to say choose the low road....oh canada...do you know the words ? doubtful

Amen to Sid, Ahamburger and Gen!!
Glad to hear you are going back to where you originated from Cris and don't let the door hit you on the way out! As for you KT, you are racist as far as I'm concerned. If you don't like "self-ritious" Canadians you are welcome to go back to your homeland like Cris as well!
Yes, we are all from somewhere, but the difference like Gen pointed out is our ancestors worked hard, were respectful and didn't have things handed to them, unlike many of the new Canadians that have "self-ritious" attitudes. If there weren't so many immigrants here, then more Canadians would be employed! Us Canadians wouldn't be treated anywhere near as well as immigrants in Canada, but yet many immigrants have the audacity to complain! If you don't like Canadians or our wonderful country, then either don't come here, or go back if you are already here!!!!!

for those who say things about french ,,, well ,, I'm french , i don't live in quebec and i don't want to seperate from canada,, do your research and you'll find out that there is alot of french everywhere in canada, there is close to 700,000 in ontario alone if not more !!!!!!! but yes i agree,, they want to enter canada,, they should understand , speak and read one of the official language !!!!

Great of Renee and KT to bring aboriginals into this conversation on immigrants.
We need a whole new discussion on which of the two are a bigger drain on our Social System without any payback at all. Probably a toss up ????
For me; I'm sick of even 10 cents of my tax dollars going to either group.
There is a word that neither group believes in ..... " WORK ".

Canada is a great country. One that has as many of more freedoms than any other and it got that way through the efforts and dedication of wave after wave of immigrants who arrived on our shores looking for a better life, just like today. Most or all of the immigrants I know are very hard working and often work at jobs below their skill levels just to give their children a better life. I feell we should have an open door for new Canadians that can contribute to our counrty's well being. As with anything in life one has responsibilities as well as rights and each of us will be judged on our own merits.

Absolutely yes!.......it doesn't mean that foreigners who cannot speak English or French cannot visit Canada but it will help to reduce the obvious abuse by some people who are just looking for a free handout and it will reduce discrimination. Two official languages in Canada is enough, thank you.

When I personally became upset with immigants was when the RCMP uniform was changed to accomodate a Turban instead of the traditional Mounty hat. Then came the objection to the Christmas tree. I was glad when the courts upheld the law as it concerned a helmet when riding a motorcycle. Some of the immigants come here, bringing their old bagagge with them expecting this country to change to accomdate them instead of embracing the traditions of our country. I also feel that prayer should be reintroduced back into the school system. This should include the prayers of each religion as it applies. This instills in the youth a reminder every day of moral goodness. Also the singing of O'Canada at the beginning of each school day as a reminder of where you are now calling home. There attitudes begin with our youth and have been lost in our politically correct country. No more changes to our traditions should be allowed. It is also sad when our country can invest so heavily if making sure that immigrants have a good start when they come to Canada. I would like to see Canada invest just as heavily in worthy Canadians so they can get a good start as well. Wake up Canada and do the right thing.

I had to meet stringent criteria before I became a landed immigrant in1976, This included language technical qualifications and experience. Also all my family had to pass a medical exam. I never spent one day on welfare and worked as a tradesman just about all my working life. I believe that Canada is a wonderful country and that others who wish to contribute to our way of life should also meet the same criteria as myself back in1976. Mr Kenney is correct in his assessment we don't need longer welfare lines but more qualified and able people who can do their job without supervision in whatever their country of choice. The world is a big market place for the right people, and Canada is a good choice. No doubt employment situations today require good qualifications, but many people also seek other avenues of work through out their careers, this isn't achieved by sitting on your thumbs or using the exponential ffffffks brigade, we all know who they are.

As far as English/French- All immigants should be proficient in speaking/readying English or French if they choose to live in Quebec. There are too many accidents in the highway because we allow immigants to obtain a drivers license with an interpretor. Then they get on the highways and cause accident because they can not read the road signs or are not fully trained in road behavior. I have heard horror stories of immigants driving down the road with one licence between 2 or more drivers. They are also not fully trained or neglectful in the proper inspection and maintenance of their vehicles. So YES they need to speak/read and hopefully write English/French.

The government needs to bring in more people that fit in quickly and contribute
The phillipino people as an example have been well accepted In Canada
Why?
All of them are great workers and seem greatful to be here
Other nationalities and we know who they are
Seem defiant of conforming
They want their culture to dominate in Canada
And they won't let go of the problems that they have created in their country

I don't mind people from other countries coming here to live as long as they bring a work ethic and not rely on the welfare system. If they bring a business to set up here and/or help create jobs. And yes I believe that they should know more English or French BEFORE they come here. You can bet that if I wanted to go to a country that doesn't have English/French as a first language that the people there would tell me that I should of known better.
For those that bring up ancestry and who came over back in the day has to remember that they didn't get hand outs, there wasn't a welfare system, they broke their backs for a little plot of land that the government taxed the hell out of. They came here with trades and a knowledge that they couldn't sit on their collective butts and get a free ride til something comes along. Our ancestors were some of the hardest working people ever to arrive and live in Canada. Comparing people from back then to people from nowadays is seriously very wrong.
And on a meaner note, I REFUSE to change my ways just because you come from a different culture and are offended by the way I am in my culture. I say 'Merry Christmas', I decorate for Halloween, I remember the fallen on Remembrance Day and I WON'T change just because you want to live here and it's not your way.

Yes. This is Canada; you should be able to speak English or French fluently.

Coming to Canada is not a right, it's a privilege. If you are privileged enough to come to Canada you should also have to accept the Canadian ways of doing things, Canadians should not be expected to adjust to your ways.

What I see reflecting loud and clear in the posted comments is that we have ENOUGH immigrants who dont contribute but sure do want to have everything handed to them. I am sick of my taxes going to E.S.L., free medical, access to pensions. If you cant adapt to MY countries customs dont bother coming. I dont want to hear your language, see your culture and have you protest against mine. I want you to come here as a temporary immigrant who has to pay into our medical system for five years, who may NOT be self employed for ten years, whose pension will be paid out according to how much / long you have paid into the pot, and you must be proficient in speaking, reading, and writing english. You may not qualify for E.I. but can receive training through Manpower. If you meet this criteria..then ...welcome.

As I read the comments all the way down, I get the feeling that we have forgotten the issue itself. It is not about Immigrants taking up our jobs, and collecting welfare or trying to scam more money from the system. It is about the immigrant's ability to learn English or French properly, and be able to function as a worker and/or citizen (Hopefully in the future) providing with more economic stability to our nation.
However, people are too quick to put a fault on the immigrant. Only a couple of people on this forum have actually got their facts straight, and that is even more pathetic than seeing how our system keeps handing/wasting money on ridiculous programs such Mother's allowance, Welfare, etc etc. Oh yes, did most of you forget that Mother's allowance is one the the highest, money consuming programs we have? My next guess would be, that some of you think that it is also the immigrants that are at fault for this. Let's wake up people! We are not a perfect society however, we are putting our individual effort to make this nation a better one. But, by adopting ignorant ideas or false notions about every single immigrant that happens to land in Canada, we are not going forward, sad to say.
We seem to have forgoten, in a small percentage (I keep hoping) that this nation was created on Immigrant's sweat, resiliance and know how. Yes, the immigration system could do much better in their selection/qualification process however, we, Canada, are still far better off, even with our less than perfect immigration system, then our neighbour to the south. So, let's be more realistic and try to come up with feasible solutions as to how we can properly teach/instruct...educate the immigrant in our language issue (because that is the issue at hand) to make him/her a better person, landed immigrant or hopeful citizen, as opposed to 'Bashing them' via these means.

There are people who i work with who immigrated to Canada around thirty five years ago and still you cannot understand what they say because their english skill is that bad - to all the people who think that it is likely just a strong accent the answer is no - arguments often arise as i do not understand this one guy in particular so he gets very annoyed when i ask him to repeat - he does not like to talk at all even when you try to show him something important so he starts yelling - until recently his usual yelling response makes it even more difficult to understand - people live here a long time and never learn - they actually use words from another language thinking i might understand them - it is ridiculous - it is obvious certain people do not listen at all because those certain people still do not understand that if you live in Toronto the majority of the people speak english so it is important to try to learn it - i work in printing.

I came here from Hungary with my wife and kid in 1983, not a word in English, We had to go through the point system , health exams etc. I have learned English in a year on my own while working with Canadians. Never collected a penny free, didn't get anything from the government. I had a business
for 20 years, paid taxes, put my kids through university. All we had to do is work hard. No complaints, love Canada, proud to be Canadian, even though I wasn't born here.The majority of this country came here without speaking any English (ex. Ukrainian, Polish, German, Italian etc, just to name a few). Not speaking English doesn't mean you cause accidents. That is silly. How would people travel through European countries? Should they learn all the European languages first? Traffic signs are international, for everybody to 'read' them without speaking a word of English or any other language.I for one ,would hate to learn Mandarin to rent a car in China!!Canada should allow immigrants even without knowing any English, immigrants Canada needs and not immigrants who needs Canada!! Filter immigration, sure,how else would you know who is real and who is just a user of our system.Canada is the best country in the world, lets not loose it.We owe this to everyone who made Canada what it is today. I want my kids and grand kids to live in a Canada we learned to love and are proud to call home.Nobody called anybody here,and nobody holds anybody back from leaving.Don't like it here go somewhere else.My family and I will stay!!

What I see as an is the fact that many established immigrants who have come to canada and started some kind of business actually take advantage and predate upon their own countrymen. I refer to the many immigration counselling agencies - many of them little hole in the wall offices who charge insane amounts of money to their fellow korean, chinese, etc peoples to find them a job under sponsership until they can get permanent residency. It is actually illegal to do this in my province. Many of the businesses are in turn operated by wealthy immigrants who then force these people to work 7 days a week, 12 hrs a day for less than minimum wage..... Its like legal slavery.
Another thing that bothers me is the failure of the CBSA to stem the flow of illegal immigrants. Those who overstay their visas and get "lost" in the system. They work illegally for cash, don't pay taxes, and when you complain to CBSA about an active working violation, they tell you they have other priorities or budget cutbacks. SHeesh!