加拿大华人论坛 加拿大留学移民Skilled hands, empty stomachs

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我就经常贴一些灰色论调，哈哈，让大家有个完整的了解吧这是上周六Toronto Star上的文章NICHOLAS KEUNGIMMIGRATION/DIVERSITY REPORTERUntil they immigrated to Canada with their six-year-old son last August, Natalia and Sergei had been used to giving, not taking.The couple, both in their mid-30s, had been employed in their chosen professions ― Natalia as a pharmacist, Sergei a pathologist ― in Barnaul, Siberia since finishing university. Now, in Toronto, with both taking classes in a bid to return to those professions, and their $14,000 savings evaporating quickly, the family reluctantly walked into the Queensway Cathedral's food bank in Etobicoke in October for help."It was a difficult decision for us. We've worked all our lives and we didn't like to beg people for help," said Natalia, who asked her family name not be used. "But both my husband and I are studying full-time to get back to our professions and we have no additional money left after paying $885 for rent each month. We need to eat. Our son needs to eat."Natalia's story is part of a trend noted in the Daily Bread Food Bank's annual survey, to be released today. "Canada is doing a bad job in helping newcomers to adapt and integrate into a new country," says Michael Oliphant, Daily Bread's manager of research and education. "The fact that we have nurses and professionals going hungry while there's a labour shortage is unbelievable."The survey of 1,500 food bank users across Greater Toronto earlier this year found that half were immigrants ― of those, 24 per cent had been here less than a year, 18 per cent between one and four years, 13 per cent between five and nine years, and the rest more than a decade.Among those foreign-born food bank clients: 60 per cent have a university degree or trade certification. Only 9 per cent are currently employed in their fields. Among single households, 43 per cent have a monthly income under $599, while 49 per cent of two-person households and 36 per cent of three-person families earn from $900 to $1,199 a month. Most spend 75 per cent of their incomes on rent.Sue Cox, Daily Bread's executive director, said the findings indicate a failure on the part of Canada's immigration settlement policy."It is stunning that our immigrants were chosen because of their skills and education, but are having a tough time putting their skills and experience to use. Obviously Canada is not taking advantage of the potential our newcomers have to offer. When I look at these statistics, I am more angry than sad."Compared with the $3,800 Quebec receives for each new immigrant it takes in, Ontario gets $900 for its services and programs for the 130,000 new immigrants who settle in the province each year, she said.As Daily Bread's two-week Easter food drive entered its second week yesterday, more than 45,000 kilograms of food have been raised, still far from its 225,000-kilogram target. "I'm not 100 per cent sure if my husband and I are having a better life in Canada," Natalia said, while picking up groceries from the Queensway food bank. "But I know my son Roman will have a better future here."

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