[Raine]

NOS2Go4Me,Oct 18 2005, 10:05 AM Wrote:It's Canada, welcome to Canada, you should be treated the same as the rest of the Canadians.
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Then the question raised should be what makes a Canadian? Having a citizenship card or a passport from the great white north seems enough. Heck a social insurance number and a landed immigrancy card does the trick. Canadian corporations are beginning to rewrite the book the Americans started. We have scaled the wall out outsourcing as high as it can be scaled, now we go insofar as to tell our own home grown qualified people that they can't get a job because Mr Jeyasivalingam from Sri Lanka has the same degree and we need him.

Why?

2 reasons. Firstly, Mr. Jeyasivalingam comes from a country where the GDP is 1/4 of what it is in Canada. He lives in meagre conditions year round and even if he himself is one of the upper class citizens, 15 mins down the road there is poverty. Mr. Jeyasivalingam is here not because he likes the Canadian climate but because there is no work at home. He will come here and work for 1/2 the cost of an equally trained Canadian citizen, work double the hours, and then put in shifts at a second job to make a buck. He costs less for more work

Secondly, Mr. Jeyasivalingam likely speaks Tamil or Singalese. In a city like Toronto, that's a major benefit, not just for himself, but for the company that hires him, because it enables him to speak to what's quickly becoming the second most populous race in our city. He adds a level of personal touch for those clients who are also from Sri Lanka (again, just an example) and allows people who are fresh off the boat conduct business and spend money comfortably right away, instead of having to first learn English or find a competent translator.

Fact of the matter is, the Feds think in numbers predeeced by dollar signs. Why pay a white middle class Canadian $50/hr when a new immigrant with supposed equal qualifications will do the same job for $30/hr? And if he doesn't do it perfectly that's okay, that's what salaried management is for, to help them along.

And while we're at it, let's cut tax benefits to large corportations and small businesses alike! They're making plenty of money now that they can employ immigrants for less and make the same - if not better - sales, they can well afford to pay full taxes.

Do you see where it goes?

Were I in the situation whereby I knew someone wasn't cut out for the job but got it because of their ethnicity when a fully competent and well settled white or black Canadian had been outsted in favour of the immigrant, would I rat on them? Would you? I don't think so. Why? Because that sets you up for exactly what the company wants - a perfect excuse to terminate you. You're a racist. Doesn't matter if you are or you aren't, your claims of lack of productivity and professionalism will fall on near deaf ears. All they will hear is the sound of the extra coins rattling around in their pockets, and you saying you have a problem working with immigrants.

All in all I feel for people just coming out of university (like myself in 6 months) who have no plan to have their own business, or have no contacts by which to get around the normal job ap process. Vanessa's been out of school for 2 months, still looking for a job, as are all the white, west indian, and black kids in her program. Almost each and every chinese person who graduated the same time as she did - even with lesser marks - is now employed. More than 60% of them CANNOT SPEAK ENGLISH PROPERLY... but they speak mandarin and/or cantonese... what more do you need in Markham/East Toronto?