Canadian Cities and their Immigrants: New Realities

Following new federal regulations and procedures introduced in the 1960s, the nature of immigrant flows to Canada has changed radically. Over the last two decades, the immigrant population has increasingly become nonwhite and now comes mostly from macroregions other than Europe (including Britain) and the United States—notably, Asia. Thus the new immigrants exhibit greater cultural and racialized diversity than ever before. Most immigrants settle in Canada's cities, principally the leading metropolitan centers. Certain metropolitan areas—especially Toronto—attract large numbers; others participate relatively little in the settlement process. This, together with new social geographies at the municipal and neighborhood scales, has important implications for public debates over immigration and intergovernmental policymaking. The new immigrants have brought about important changes in urban social life, including education, health care, policing, business development, and labor markets. New urban realities challenge Canadian society at a critical period in its statehood.