October 18th 2010
A report released on October 15th 2010 by the Conference Board of Canada confirms what many who watch Canada’s diversity know: immigrants make significant contributions to innovation in Canada and thus help boost our international standing in this regard.
“Immigrants tend to be motivated individuals willing to take risks in search of greater opportunities, which should predispose them to be innovative,” said Diana MacKay, Director, Education and Health. “At every level we examined—individual, organizational, national and global—immigrants were associated with increased innovation in Canada.”
The report, Immigrants as Innovators: Boosting Canada’s Global Competitiveness, uses a number of measures to show that countries benefit from welcoming immigrants. For example, in Canada:
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- At least 35 per cent of Canada Research Chairs are foreign-born, even though immigrants are just one-fifth of the Canadian population;
- Immigrants to Canada win proportionally more prestigious literary and performing arts awards (immigrants comprise 23 per cent of Giller Prize finalists and 29 per cent of winners; 23 per cent of Governor Generals Performing Arts Award recipients are immigrants);
- Immigration rates affect trade levels between Canada and immigrants’ countries of origin. Based on the Conference Board’s model of known factors influencing trade, a one percentage point increase in the number of immigrants to Canada can increase the value of imports into Canada by 0.21 per cent, and raise the value of exports by 0.11 per cent;
- Immigrants are a source of diverse knowledge and experience that can increase innovation in Canadian businesses, based on a survey undertaken for this study and a literature review; and,
- Foreign direct investment into Canada is greater from countries that are well represented in Canada through immigration, based on data from the census and from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.
For the full Press Release visit the Conference Board’s website.
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