May 14, 2006: Many Canadian-Born Graduates Shut Out Of Jobs (Toronto Star: Letter to the Editor) (Re: Tories Scrap Liberals' Goal Of 300,000 Immigrants)
Many Canadian-Born Graduates Shut Out Of Jobs (Toronto Star: Letter To The Editor)(Re Tories Scrap Liberals' Goal Of 300,000 Immigrants)
May 14
I bristle at the comment that the reason Canada needs more immigrants is to replace retiring baby boomers. Does anyone have any idea how difficult it is for the average Canadian university graduate to get a career in the same field in which he or she graduated?
If you have no inside contacts or you are not a member of a visible minority, it is next to impossible to gain employment in the area in which you have invested tens of thousands of dollars and years of time.
I know several people, all honours (and in some cases Masters) graduates, all top-grade students, all born in Canada, who tried for months to get meaningful work and income in their fields, ended up working in a position that they could have managed while still in high school to make ends meet, and eventually went to work in other countries where their skills and intellect were valued.
While I have no doubt people from other countries have skill and experience enough to replace those who retire in our workforce, it's a question of priority; how about we worry about qualified Canadians without jobs before we worry about everyone else?
Catherine Bermingham, Toronto
