Second-generation immigrants of Canada

Definition of second-generation immigrants

The term “second-generation immigrants” refers to individuals born in a particular country who have at least one foreign parent born in a different country (Wikipedia, 2017). The majority of immigrations occur due to a pursuit of better living conditions (financially and/or environmentally) or to evade complications at the home country. Second-generation immigrants of Canada, specifically, are Canadian-born and therefore hold Canadian citizenships, with the exception of forgoing their status later on in their lives. Because Canada is an extremely multicultural nation, second-generation Canadians are often considered the bridge between their home culture stemming from their foreign parent(s) and the Canadian culture formed by 150 years of growth and development.

Statistics of second-generation Canadians

The most recent National Household Survey (NHS) conducted by Statistics Canada in 2011 allows for a comprehensive analysis of the “generation status” of the entire population. Generation status gives indication to whether a person was born in Canada, or if his/her parents were. As of 2011, the second generation population encompasses a little over 5,702,500 people, which is 17.4% of the nation’s total population. For over half of them, both parents were not Canadian-born (Statistics Canada, 2016).

Out of all 13 provinces and territories in Canada, British Columbia has the highest ratio of both second-generation individuals (23.4%) as well as first- and second-generation combined (52.9%). More than half the population of the province of BC and Ontario consists of the first two generations. This is incredibly important to the way these two provinces have been shaped culturally and the impact they have to Canada as a whole (Sykes, 2008). In terms of municipalities, second-generation individuals have a strong preference for census metropolitan areas (CMAs), with Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal being home to almost half of the Canadian second generation population. This is most likely due to the first generation’s decisions to settle in major metropolitan areas to better assimilate into the culture. The second generation, having grown up in an urban setting, would naturally develop preference to stay. However, as each new generation goes on, Canadians will see more and more individuals branch out into other areas of the country (Statistics Canada, 2016).

Benefits of being a second-generation Canadian

Second-generation immigrants of Canada have an undeniably strong advantage from the very start—their parents have mostly immigrated to North America for their children (Yeung, 2016). The majority of these second-generation individuals will have had the educational and professional opportunities oftentimes unattainable in their home country. In addition, the median age second generation Canadians is 31.9 years, which is comparably younger than both the first and third generations. This young generation has been instilled in them the importance of education in order to have strong employment outcome. They tend to develop more keenly on providing a better living for themselves and their family, having grown up being exposed to the hardships their parents often had to go through. The first generation imparts in them an “immigrant work ethic”, which is a mixture of strong motivation and perseverance in order to become successful in a new country. Additionally, second-generation individuals tend to have a supportive familial structure, which contributes to their continuing success in each stage of their lives. Most first generation parents and family members are willing to give up many aspects of their own lives to provide for their children, which in turn motivates them to keep striving for better things. Second-generation Canadians of South Asian and Chinese descent do particularly well financially, with an average household income of $63,000 annually in comparison to a $50,000 for the mainstream Canadian population.

Challenges of being a second-generation Canadian

The biggest challenge second-generation Canadians face is the integration of culture (Patel, 2016). Having been brought up and heavily influenced by their parents, who for the most part heavily retain their own set of cultural practices and beliefs from their home country, the second generation also has to face assimilation into the Canadian culture. This is often viewed as a blessing, although they do need to work hard to have one foot in their cultural heritage and the other in the mainstream Canadian society, without feeling like they are doing the splits. Their home culture focuses more on traditional values such as academic achievements and professional success, which gives them a good foundation. However, they will also need to adopt Canadian practices and ways in order to eventually flourish in the community.

References

Immigrant generations. (2017, November 26). Retrieved November 26, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigrant_generations

Generation status: Canadian-born children of immigrants. (2016, September 15). Retrieved October 30, 2017, from http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/as-sa/99-010-x/99-010-x2011003_2-eng.cfm

Patel, A. (2016, September 12). It's Time To Start Talking About Second-Gen Canadians. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/arti-patel/second-generation-canadians_b_11972414.html

Sykes, S. (2008). A story of reefs and oceans: a framework for the analysis of the "new" second generation in Canada. Ottawa: Policy Research Initiative.

Yeung, L. (2016, September 12). Meet Canada's Second Generation. Retrieved November 10, 2017, from http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2016/09/12/canada-second-generation_n_11975416.html