BY SIMONE J. SMITH

Canada! A land of dreams, they say. A place where anyone can make it, no matter where they come from. For my immigrant readers: do you remember the day you first heard about Canada? The hope, the excitement. You were willing to risk it all. To leave behind everything you know, to chase a dream. Canada, here I come!

“These are tradespeople who build our homes, nurses who care for our loved ones, truckers who facilitate commerce, and entrepreneurs who spur innovation,” said ICC CEO Daniel Bernhard. “They are increasingly headed out the door.”

A new report from the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), conducted by the Conference Board of Canada shows that immigrants are leaving Canada in record numbers, particularly the high-skilled immigrants Canada urgently needs.

Bernhard notes that the concerning findings of the report, entitled, “The Leaky Bucket 2024: A closer look at immigrant onward migration in Canada,” coincide with 30-year lows in public support for immigration.

“Canadians are bombarded with commentary telling them that high immigration levels are to blame for homegrown challenges including housing supply, inaccessible healthcare, crime, and even traffic,” said Bernhard. “Be careful what you wish for. This is globally coveted talent with global options. We need programs that entice them to stay, become active citizens and help fuel our economy.”

ICC’s first “Leaky Bucket” report was released in 2023, produced by the Conference Board of Canada. That original study revealed the alarming trend of immigrants leaving Canada in growing numbers to seek opportunity elsewhere. The 2024 report provides updated figures and digs deeper into the characteristics of those immigrants who are leaving in greater and greater numbers. Highlights of the findings include:

• Francophone immigrants to Quebec and Ontario are much more likely than Anglophone immigrants to leave Canada to seek opportunity elsewhere.
• The most populous cities in Canada—Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver— see high turnover rates of immigrants. They function as hubs for immigrant communities to access resources and support for their settlement journey.
• In contrast, fast-growing, mid-sized cities in other provinces (Calgary, Alberta, Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick) see the opposite trend, but have potentially greater challenges retaining immigrants in communities outside of their larger cities.
• The Atlantic provinces see the highest rates of onward migration in Canada in the shorter term (three to seven years after arrival), but the lowest rates longer term (25 years and more after arrival).
• The highest two origin nations of immigrants leaving Canada are a combination of countries allowing dual citizenship (Lebanon) and those restricting citizenship only to that country (South Korea).

The report includes recommendations to help stem the outward flow of newcomers, such as:

• Support provinces and municipalities to understand onward migration trends and address unique challenges in their cities and regions.
• Develop short-term and long-term strategies to address retention challenges at different points in immigrants’ settlement journeys.
• Engage educational institutions and settlement service organizations in the retention conversation.

Hmmm! It is clear that the picture of this exodus out of Canada is complex. From rising costs of living and housing to a sense of economic stagnation and political dissatisfaction, there are numerous factors at play.

Now, I want to ask the question. Why do you think people are choosing to leave Canada? What do you believe we, as a nation, are missing? Share your thoughts and insights in the comments below. Let’s spark a conversation and work together to find solutions that will keep Canada a vibrant and prosperous home for all.

BY SIDNEY WALCOTT

Canada is now set to be represented at the 16th Annual Mister International Pageant after recently crowning its 2024 winner.

On November 23^rd, 2024, the Canadian leg of the Mister International competition concluded at the Monte Carlo Inn in Mississauga. The 11 finalists took to the runway in the Canadian finale of the competition to show they have what it takes to be crowned Mister International Canada.

Before the start and throughout the show in between segments, Victor Sax welcomed: relatives, friends, and partners of the contestants into the room by playing a medley of well-known hits on the saxophone. Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley, You Should Love Yourself by Justin Bieber, Heal The World by Michael Jackson, Señorita by Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello, Sensational by Chris Brown, and Water by Tyla, were just some of the handful of hits Sax serenaded the audience with.

Along with being entertained by saxophone covers of beloved hits, the audience also saw both male and female models, along with the pageant participants working the runway in pieces designed by local designers.

The final 11 contestants strutting down the runway in swimwear marked the start of the pageant. The second part featured the finalists wearing androgynous wear, and the last category involved the contestants partaking in a brief interview. In the last segment, each judge pulled a question out of a bowl regarding how they would use their platform as Mister International Canada to help contribute to make positive changes around the world. The judges gave each contestant one minute to answer the selected question.

This segment proved to be the most intriguing part of the show, as the contestants gave informative answers on how they would address a variety of issues. Many of the subjects touched on include: the gender pay gap issue, bringing a global issue they would like to advocate for to the United Nations, job security, the responsibilities wealthy nations hold in addressing the climate change issue in developing countries, social media’s role in being a powerful tool for global politics, how one can use fashion and style to reflect their identity, and how men can support the change in traditional gender roles.

The show ended with Pourang Ataei being announced as Mister International Canada 2024. Ataei will move onto the final and big leg of the competition, Mister International, in Bangkok, Thailand. There, he will compete against over 40 national winners from other countries across the globe. Viewers can look forward to watching the show as a live broadcast on The Mister International YouTube channel on December 14^th, 2024.

The contestants will arrive in Bangkok almost two weeks prior to the competition on December 5th, and head back home the day after the competition wraps up on December 15^th, 2024. Before the competition, the contestants will connect with the people and the culture of Thailand through activities organized by local sponsors in extensively documented photo and video content.

The Mister International Competition started in 2006 and is one of the world’s most esteemed male pageants recognized for celebrating leadership and diversity.

BY STEVEN KASZAB

Oh, America how you have changed. Once you welcomed everyone to your shores, allowing them the privilege to make a new life for themselves. America grew into a wondrous place, where man and machine conquered the landscape and your efforts fed the world and the nation as a whole, where poverty, or wealth did not make the man, but hard honest work and a lot of good luck did as planned. Americans travelled from the East Coast to Western ranges, establishing a national dream that most everyone could claim was theirs as well. That was the myth, the story be told to your children, that they too can be a President one day, both to rule, inspire and protect others as claimed.

The pathway to success was paved with the hard work, dreams and efforts put forth by people who were known someplace else as peasants, different and unwanted, only to become Americans. Many were blessed with success, while others fell to their knee’s unsuccessfully trying to better themselves but were able to rise again because of the assistance of others, their neighbors, community and yes because of their dreams to become something better, something American.

The election is past (2024) after a vicious year of politicking you have elected someone to be your leader, inspiration and initiator of change. A leader, an inspiration of sorts, a tool of change perhaps. We all need to wait for the boot to drop and the policies to be enacted at last to know whether this man was truly what America needed in this time and place.

Look to the past in order to recognize the future to come. Your President Elect has told you his plans, plans that would make America Great Again.

Kick out all illegal migrants no matter how long they have lived in America, no matter what they have achieved for: themselves, their families and community, no matter what they have given to America.

A Cabinet of “Yes men and women” whose sole purpose is to protect the President from his past, present and future deeds and make money for themselves in any way possible. A Cabinet of change perhaps, if you believe: corruption, extortion, land grabs, uncontrolled harvesting of America’s natural resources is positive national change? A cabinet full of people just like their leader, the President.

America will become the world’s largest and most powerful mercenary force. No longer will America have allies, but customers. American troops will be sent to global stations to protect others property, or fight their wars, and America will be paid for it. The military will grow, more American servicemen will die on foreign soil, and the military complex will have undue influence upon your leadership.

National services, policies will relent to State Decision making. A simpler National Government will rise leaving all issues both social, political and financial in the States hands. Issues of social concern will no longer influence those in Washington D.C. but be the purview of local governments.

A.I. will rule the online and media waves, artificially transposing government policy into the lives of every American. Why? To control, manipulate and financially profit off the American Public’s trust in high tech. The American Constitution will be stretched beyond its meaning, as a central government carries on business beholding to big corporations and their naughty goals. If America is not careful, big business will become big government, and we all know just how socially aware corporations are to the needs of our: families, communities and nation as a whole (not at all).

The future presents to you four more years of political and social entertainment in your capital, state legislatures and in most of your public spaces. Lobbyists will rule the back rooms of the capital. The pigs at the trough are your elected officials my friend, and America elected them. America can be great again if it returned its attention to what the Founding fathers hoped and wished for America.

“Freedom for All” is not a selective thing friends, but specifically all inclusive. That means those born in America, who migrated to America and are attempting to become Americans through thick, or thin efforts are one and the same. If you cannot see those friends, you’re already lost to the: lies, promises and propaganda of your present-day President Elect and his clan of opportunists.