Canada drops to No. 6 in UN development ranking

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by Calgaryborn

Part of the reason Canada has lost a couple of spots on that list is increased immigration. Many immigrants come with little education, etc.

WHAT?!?!?!!?! That's pretty much the stupidest thing I've read today. The immigrants coming to Canada have to meet strict screening criteria, including having an education. You get extra points for each degree that you have. We have doctors stocking shelves in pharmacies, we have engineers driving cabs, we have computer programmers washing dishes. They are promised a bright future in Canada, they come here and they are told that their degrees are not worth the paper they are written on and that their skills are not required here.

The reason Canada lost spots is because of gender inequality. In Norway, their top government body is 50% male and 50% female. In Canada, it's quite embarassing. Of the 308 ridings in Canada, the Conservatives ran 38 women. We ranked 6th overall, but FORTY-FIFTH in gender equality.

[TheCommodoreAfro]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I quite agree. And their methodology does make some sense if comparing Canada to Sierra Leone. Let's take a random number and say there are 200,000 17 year olds in Canada and there are 200,000 Canadians in the top class before university. That's a zero percent drop-out rate by their calculations. Comparably, there would be a 97% drop-out rate in Sierra Leone. So their crude methodology works in demonstrating the differences between a well off country and an impoverished one. But when comparing Canada and Norway, to get any REAL comparison you would want to know how many 17 year olds are no longer attending school. Much harder to track, so they don't bother since their rough estimates provide the detail that they need for these rankings. But I put no stock in Canada falling from 1st to 6th. I mean really, how great can Norway really be? They don't even like hockey much.

I don't really think their methodolgy is flawed - maybe in specific instances such as you're mentioning but that splices hairs - when it comes to development goals there isn't a whole lot for the UN to worry about when it comes to Canadian schooling. North America and Western Europe isn't even a question when it comes to measuring key global development goals that are to be met by 2015:
http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resource...sChart2006.pdf

Basically, their methodology catches a whole bunch of statistics (economic, social, environmental) and agencies and committees simply take a relevant cut of the data from the look of it!

[Calgaryborn]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

WHAT?!?!?!!?! That's pretty much the stupidest thing I've read today. The immigrants coming to Canada have to meet strict screening criteria, including having an education.

Unless you go the refugee route or are sponsored by a relative.

[TheCommodoreAfro]

Originally Posted by Calgaryborn

Unless you go the refugee route or are sponsored by a relative.

And, per capita, Norway accepts the third highest per capita number of refugees in the world (33/100000). Canada and Australia are #1 and 2 (respectively). All of them enjoy high standards of living, and the socially progressive ability to take on refugees from other countries also reflects this. Those who have never had to deal with Canada immigration think it's very, very easy - but it's far from it. Professionals and those with high levels of wealth are accepted first and foremost (especially those in industries where Canada needs help), and those who are married to Canadians (as it would be harmful to the social fabric to not allow married couples to exist with the same rights within Canada). The process is strict, long and costs money ($2500 plus you can't work in Canada while waiting for close to a year) and based on contribution to society. The fact that we have a fair, compassionate immigration system is to be lauded, not criticized.

[FlamesAddiction]

If the regulations are that strict, then howcome cities like Vancouver are full of coke dealers from Honduras and heroin dealers from Vietnam? Obviously the immigration system has some flaws.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

WHAT?!?!?!!?! That's pretty much the stupidest thing I've read today. The immigrants coming to Canada have to meet strict screening criteria, including having an education. You get extra points for each degree that you have. We have doctors stocking shelves in pharmacies, we have engineers driving cabs, we have computer programmers washing dishes. They are promised a bright future in Canada, they come here and they are told that their degrees are not worth the paper they are written on and that their skills are not required here.

The reason Canada lost spots is because of gender inequality. In Norway, their top government body is 50% male and 50% female. In Canada, it's quite embarassing. Of the 308 ridings in Canada, the Conservatives ran 38 women. We ranked 6th overall, but FORTY-FIFTH in gender equality.

Only if they are applying as skilled workers. If they are being sponsored by a relative....they need NOTHING....they don't even have to speak ANY english....they don't even have to be able to read or write their own language. Family reunification makes up a huge portion of Canada's Immigration.

[jolinar of malkshor]

Originally Posted by TheCommodoreAfro

And, per capita, Norway accepts the third highest per capita number of refugees in the world (33/100000). Canada and Australia are #1 and 2 (respectively). All of them enjoy high standards of living, and the socially progressive ability to take on refugees from other countries also reflects this. Those who have never had to deal with Canada immigration think it's very, very easy - but it's far from it. Professionals and those with high levels of wealth are accepted first and foremost (especially those in industries where Canada needs help), and those who are married to Canadians (as it would be harmful to the social fabric to not allow married couples to exist with the same rights within Canada). The process is strict, long and costs money ($2500 plus you can't work in Canada while waiting for close to a year) and based on contribution to society. The fact that we have a fair, compassionate immigration system is to be lauded, not criticized.

Where do you get your information??? It costs $150 for a work permit. A canadian company just has to get permission from HRSDC...once a LMO is issued they can obtain their work permit. Right now the wait time is 6 weeks only because so many comapnies are trying to bring in foriegn workers.