Learning English with CBC

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1 Learning English with CBC Listening Lessons for Intermediate Students Based on CBC Manitoba Radio Broadcasts March 11, 2011 Lesson 67: Self Study Edition Level: Topic: Language Skills and Functions: CLB 6 and up The Immigration Balancing Act Listening listening to a short interview for main ideas, details and inference Speaking refuting a statement; asking indirect questions; responding to indirect questions; expressing opinions Reading reading a text for the main ideas; scanning a chart for details Writing writing a letter Language Competencies: Vocabulary, Pronunciation, Listening and Speaking Strategies, Socio-cultural/sociolinguistic Competence Language Tasks: Answer questions about Canadian immigration policies Listen for main ideas, detail and inference in a radio interview on the economic impact of immigration Use context clues to match vocabulary words with their synonyms Scan and interpret a chart comparing immigrant birthplaces prior to 1961 and in recent years Read a newspaper article about family reunification policies and express opinions Ask/respond to indirect requests for information about the policy Write a letter to express opinions on the policy Refute myths or false statements about immigrants/newcomers Essential Skills: Reading text, oral communication, document use, writing Appendices: Transcript of the podcast On-line CBC news story: Visa cuts hit parents of immigrants hardest

2 Manitoba Memo Canadian immigration began as a population policy. Settlers from Europe were invited to come settle in a vast, new land. In the 19 th century, there were very few limits on who could immigrate and settle in Canada. However, as the First World War loomed, immigration policies became more selective. Race, culture and ideological beliefs became factors which determined who could immigrate to the country. Many of Canada s war-time immigration policies were based on misinformation and fear. In fact, the Canadian government has apologized for past immigration restrictions and war-time measures. In 2008, an official apology was offered to Chinese Canadians, who had to pay a head tax to enter Canada between 1885 and the 1940 s. Indo-Canadians, Canadians of Jewish descent, Ukrainian Canadians and Japanese Canadians have also received apologies for how they/their ancestors were treated. Canada s immigration policy evolved considerably after the war-time period. Limits were still imposed, but racial discrimination was not permitted. In 1967, the point system was introduced to help governments determine who should be invited to come to live in Canada. In the 1970 s, under a Liberal government, the foundation of today s immigration system was established. The goals included promoting Canada s democratic, economic, social and cultural/multicultural goals; family reunification; non-discrimination; fulfilling international obligations for refugee settlement and fostering cooperation among governments, non-profit agencies and business to help newcomers adapt to their new life. In implementing these goals, Canada became one of the world s most generous nations in its acceptance of immigrants and refugees. Currently, the immigration system is grappling with a number of challenges. Groups who want to significantly cut immigration numbers point to the recession, government budget deficits, and the fact that some immigrants are not thriving economically, to support their position. However, others see the current economic challenges as short term problems. Provinces like Manitoba, employers and economists are among those who believe the country needs to continue to expand its labour force through immigration. They believe that immigration is an important contributor to the country s workforce and to economic prosperity. Their view is that while we may need to improve the system in some ways, it does not need to change drastically. The reality is there is no shortage of people who would like to immigrate to Canada or seek refugee status in this country. Immigrants and refugees who have made Canada their home would like not only to bring their spouses and children here, but also their parents and grandparents. The myriad of issues related to immigration require governments to balance economic, social, cultural, humanitarian and political considerations. Setting immigration policies which meet such a broad cross section of opinions and expectations can be quite a balancing act. Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 2 of 18

3 Background 1. How would you answer the following questions? Studies show that as a group, recent immigrants to Canada are not thriving economically in the same way previous generations thrived. Do you think this is a good reason for Canada to consider cutting back on the number of immigrants it invites to the country? Why or why not? Some people believe that Canada should only invite skilled immigrants who already have very strong English or French language skills and who are a good cultural fit for the country. What do you think of this position on immigration? What do you think is meant by a good cultural fit? There are three basic classes of immigrants who come to Canada economic class (skilled workers/business persons), family class and refugees. Determining the total number of immigrants the country should accept each year and the number to accept from each class is a challenge for governments. What kinds of factors do you think the Canadian government should take into account when it sets annual immigration quotas? There are many skilled workers and professionals around the world who would like to come to live and work in Canada. However, their country of origin (especially in the case of less developed countries) is concerned that the recruitment of skilled professionals away from their country leaves them without the workforce and skills they need to develop and move forward. Is their argument valid? Why or why not? 2. Vocabulary definitions Here are some words you need to know to understand the CBC interview. to issue an immigration visa to not sit well with the Chief Economist If you issue someone a document like a passport, a visa or a licence, you are officially giving it to them for their use. An immigration visa gives someone official permission to immigrate to a country. This idiom or expression is used when someone isn t comfortable or pleased with a decision. For example: The head tax on Chinese immigrants did not sit well with the Chinese community. They were not comfortable with it. The lead economist in an organization may be called the Chief Economist. An economist is an expert in the field of economics. Economists study how goods and services are produced and used in business and trade. Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 3 of 18

4 the Conference Board of Canada an economic forecast friction the labour force to be a critical driver of the boomers to function on all cylinders to throw out a number a pretty thin calculation to scale back to thrive symptoms to bear the brunt of An independent, not-for-profit organization which specializes in analyzing economic trends. A forecast is a prediction based on current trends and available information. An economic forecast predicts how a country s economy is likely to perform in coming months and years. When there is friction between two things or substances, it means they are rubbing against each other and there is tension or disagreement. For example: There is friction between the short term and long term labour force needs of the Canadian economy. The needs are not the same and may even conflict. The labour force is the number of people who are employed or seeking employment. A critical driver is a key factor which makes something work. For example: Economists believe that a growing labour force is a critical driver of economic growth. It is essential. A short form for baby boomers. People who were born in the post-war boom between 1945 and 1955 are often referred to as baby boomers. When something is functioning on all cylinders, this means all of its parts are working well. People will often mention or throw out a number or statistic to support an argument they are making. A pretty thin calculation is a calculation that does not take all the relevant information or facts into account. If you scale something back, you reduce the size or amount of it. To thrive means to be strong, healthy or successful. Signs or indications that a problem exists are called symptoms. For example: The Canadian economy is showing many symptoms or indications of a downturn. If you bear the brunt of something, it means you experience the worst part of it. For example: Young workers bore the brunt of the recent recession. They were among the first to lose their jobs. Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 4 of 18

5 an integrated system to be a good fit An integrated system is a system that combines many different parts, ideas or groups so that they work together effectively. When two things are a good fit, they are similar to each other or suitable to one another. For example: Australia s immigration system prioritizes people who are a good fit with the country s language and culture. They adapt easily to life in Australia. 3. Predict what the podcast is about Previously on Information Radio, Marcy Markusa interviewed Martin Collacott of the Centre for Immigration Policy Reform about his view that Canadian immigration levels should be significantly cut back. In this interview, Marcy interviews Glen Hodgson, an economist with the Conference Board of Canada, to get his organization s view on what immigration means to the Canadian economy. Can you predict what Marcy will ask Glen Hodgson before you listen? Here are a few examples: 4. Get ready to listen I think she ll ask him if he thinks immigration levels should be cut back She ll likely ask him...how immigration affects the Canadian economy. She ll probably ask him for evidence to support his position. She may ask him...what he thinks of Martin Collacott s position. I wonder if she ll ask him to refute points that Martin Collacott made. I have no idea what she ll ask him. In this interview, you will hear two speakers: Marcy Markusa host and interviewer Glen Hodgson Chief Economist, Conference Board of Canada Play the podcast for the first time. After you Listen a) Review your pre-listening predictions Were you able to predict some of the things Marcy asked Glen Hodgson? Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 5 of 18

6 b) Pronouncing Compound Nouns When we combine two nouns we form words known as compound nouns. An example in this podcast is workforce. In compound nouns, the first noun is more heavily stressed than the second. It is also pronounced at a higher pitch. In the case of workforce, work is more heavily stressed and pronounced at a higher pitch than force. Can you find two examples of compound nouns in the transcript (see Appendix 1)? They may be two words joined together as one word, two words joined by a hyphen or two separate words. Play the audio again so you can hear how these words are pronounced. (Examples are workforce, labour force, workplace) c) Vocabulary development: Find the word with a different meaning In this activity, you will identify which word has a different meaning than the vocabulary word. The sentences show the meaning of the vocabulary word in context. Decide which words are synonyms for the vocabulary word and which word has a different meaning. Cross out the word with a different meaning. The first one is completed for you as an example. 1. What impact does immigration have on the economy? a) effect b) influence c) reason 2. Glen Hodgins looks at immigration numbers to come up with economic forecasts. a) predictions b) scores c) future trends 3. Canada will need a lot more immigrants if our economy is going to keep functioning on all cylinders. a) operating b) running c) behaving 4. When he says immigration costs Canada ten billion dollars annually, that s a pretty thin calculation. It doesn t take into account the overall impact immigration has on our economy. a) opinion b) estimate c) number 5. It s time that Canada scaled back immigration. a) reduced b) measured c) lowered 6. Recent Canadian immigrants are not thriving the way that past generations did. a) flourishing b) succeeding c) negotiating 7. You can look at the symptoms and draw different conclusions about the economy. a) causes b) signs c) indicators Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 6 of 18

7 d) Listen for main ideas, detail and inference Sometimes when we listen, we are listening for main ideas, detail and inference. After you have listened to the interview, read the statements below. For each question decide which of the three statements best reflect the information you heard in the interview. You can listen to the podcast again, or as many times as needed, to find the correct answer. The first one is completed for you as an example. 1. a) The federal government cannot predict future immigration numbers. b) The federal government will issue fewer immigration visas this year. c) The federal government issued fewer immigration visas last year. 2. a) Canada has never met its economic goals on immigration. b) Canada is confusing its short term and long term goals on immigration. c) Canada isn t meeting its short term economic goals on immigration. 3. a) Canada s current labour force is large enough to meet all of the country s needs. b) Canada s population is aging quickly and that s why the country will need to continue to grow its labour force through immigration. c) If Canada does not grow its labour force through immigration, the country s economy will collapse. 4. a) Glen Hodgins says the immigration system costs Canadians $10 billion a year. b) Glen Hodgins doesn t believe the $10 billion figure mentioned by Marcy s previous guest takes into account the benefits immigrants bring to the Canadian economy c) Glen Hodgins believes the annual cost of immigration to Canada is much more than $10 billion. 5. a) Glen Hodgins would like to see the number of immigrants significantly cut back in future years. b) Glen Hodgins would like to see the number of immigrants significantly increased in future years. c) Glen Hodgins would like to see a more integrated immigration system 6. a) If Glen Hodgins and Martin Collacott were to debate immigration, it s very likely they would agree on most points. b) If Glen Hodgins and Martin Collacott were to debate immigration, it s very likely they would disagree on some points. c) If Glen Hodgins and Martin Collacott were to debate immigration, it s very likely they would interpret statistics and trends in the same way. Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 7 of 18

8 e) Scan a chart for detail We often need to find and compare information found on charts. Charts are a common way to present information, especially in the workplace. Scan the following chart by first reading the headings. Can you understand how the information on the chart is organized? Then see if you can find the information you need to answer questions 1 to 3. Place of Birth of Immigrants to Canada Before 1961 and from Birthplace Before United States 3.9% 3.5% Europe 90.5% 16.1% Asia 3.2% 58.3% Africa 0.5% 10.6% Caribbean, Central 1.4% 10.8% and South America Oceania 2 and other countries 0.4% 0.7% 1. Where did the majority of immigrants to Canada come from prior to 1961? 2. Where did the majority of immigrants to Canada come from between 2001 and 2006? 3. What country saw its percentage of immigrants change very little when these two time periods are compared? We are also often asked to interpret information we find on charts and graphs. We might be asked for our opinion what do the numbers mean? We might be asked how the information could affect us or affect others. Think about the information on this chart. How would you answer questions 4 and 5? 4. Are you surprised by the differences in the birthplaces of Canadian immigrants before 1961 and in more recent years? Why or why not? 5. How do you think the changes in the birthplaces of immigrants over the past 50 or more years has affected Canadian society as a whole? 1 From the report Canadians in Context Immigration at: 2 A region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 8 of 18

9 f) Express opinions on family reunification policy Read the news article in Appendix 2. It provides background information on a story which has been in the news recently. After you have read the text, think about how you would answer the following questions. 1. Do you think a lot of newcomers to Canada are hoping their parents or grandparents will be able to join them in Canada? 2. Do you think economic class/skilled immigrants will hesitate to immigrate to Canada if they think it will be difficult to bring their parents or grandparents to the country? Why or why not? 3. Is it reasonable for immigrants to expect to bring their parents or grandparents to live in Canada? Is a ten to fifteen-year wait acceptable? Why or why not? 4. Some people say that Canada can t afford to support the parents and grandparents of immigrants, especially if they will not be part of the Canadian workforce and pay taxes. What do you think of this argument? 5. Do you agree or disagree with Minister Kenney when he says that spouses and children must be priority applicants and their applications need to be reviewed and approved more quickly than those of parents/grandparents? Why or why not? How would you prioritize applicants? Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 9 of 18

10 g) Ask and respond to indirect questions Indirect questions or requests are a polite way to ask for more information about a topic. Here are some examples: Can you please tell me? Could you tell me? I d like to know I d like to find out Would you mind telling me? Can you complete the dialogue below? You can choose question endings and response endings from the box on the next page. Write down the endings to complete the dialogue. You can also refer back to Appendix 2 if you need help selecting the correct response. The first one is completed as an example. 1. You want to know how many family reunification visas will be issued in Q: Can you please tell me how many family reunification visas will be issued in 2011? (c) R: The number of family reunification visas that will be issued is about 11,000. (j) 2. You want to know who will be the hardest hit by this policy. Q: Could you tell me R: The groups that will be hardest hit are 3. You want to know whether this policy will affect the number of economic immigrants who decide to come to Canada. Q: I d like to know R: No-one knows for sure, but according to Felix Zhang, 4. You want to know if this policy might affect parents and grandparents who want to come to visit their families in Canada. Q: I d like to find out R: It could affect them. MP Olivia Chow is concerned that Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 10 of 18

11 5. You want to know the government s rationale for this change. Q: Would you mind telling me R: The government says that 6. You want to know if there s any possibility the government s position might change. Q: Can you please tell me R: It s possible. Minister Kenney has promised Possible Question Endings a) if this policy will affect parents and grandparents who want to visit their families in Canada. b) the government s rationale for this change? c) how many family reunification visas will be issued in 2011? d) if there s any possibility the government s position might change? e) whether this policy will affect the number of economic immigrants who come to Canada. Possible Response Endings g) some immigrants may not choose to come to Canada if it will take 10 to 15 years to bring their parents here. h) parents and grandparents. i) the Embassy s in their home country won t allow parents and grandparents to travel. j) about 11,000. k) to monitor the number of visas granted to parents and grandparents. f) who will be hardest hit by this policy? l) the change is being made so that priority applicants like spouses and children can be processed first. Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 11 of 18

12 h) Write a letter to the Minister Responsible for Immigration The Honourable Jason Kenney, the Minister Responsible for Immigration, has said that he is interested in hearing input from Canadians about family reunification policy and about immigration issues in general. Use the following framework to help you write a letter to the Minister to express your views on immigration policy. Name, title and address of the person you are sending the letter to Today s date Honourable Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Dear : Start with why you are writing I am a recent immigrant to Canada. I am writing to you because I am concerned about What action do you want the government to take? I think that the government should This is important to me because Close the letter Thank you for your time. I look forward to your reply. Yours, (sincerely or truly) Sign your name Culture Note: Did you know you can write a letter to a Canadian Member of Parliament (MP) for free? As long as the letters MP appear on the mailing address, Canada Post says it can be sent for free. No stamp required! Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 12 of 18

13 i) How to refute a myth or false statement Sometimes we hear someone say something that we believe is a myth or simply false. What do we say if we want to refute something we hear? Here are examples of language we can use to refute something someone else says: That s not true. It s not true that There s no way that I totally disagree with what you are saying. In fact, the opposite is true. When we express our opposing viewpoint or position, the evidence we use may take different forms. Our view may be based on: our own experience, the experiences of people we know, or what we have heard or read; common sense, or what we believe everyone knows; expert opinion, facts or expertise in an area; statistics, research and analysis. Read the following statements about newcomers and immigrants. How would you refute the statement? Use the sentence starters above to begin your response. You can base your response on experience, common sense, expertise or statistics. If you need ideas, the idea box at the end may help you. The first one is completed for you as an example. 1 Statement: Most newcomers live in poverty. Your response: That s not true. Most newcomers are successful but it may take them a little while to get started. 2 Statement: Canada doesn t need any more immigrants. Your response: 3 Statement: Newcomers commit more crimes. Your response: 4 Statement: Newcomers take jobs away from Canadians. Your response: 5 Statement: Newcomers to Canada aren t very well educated. Your response: 6 Statement: Newcomers don t work very hard. Your response: 7 Statement: There is no discrimination in Canada. Your response: Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 13 of 18

14 Idea Box on average, newcomers are better educated than the Canadian-born population newcomers consume goods and services such as housing, food, clothing and other items and that creates jobs Canada has always relied on immigrants for labour force growth most newcomers are successful eventually newcomers have a lower crime rate than the Canadian-born population newcomers often take whatever job is available, even if it is not in their field discrimination has been a reality in Canada since the first settlers arrived Want to know more For general background on Canadian immigration policy, go to: For an excellent timeline of Canadian immigration policy, go to: Information on government apologies for past immigration policies can be found at: html For additional background on the federal government s plans for immigration in 2011, go to: The Manitoba government has information about immigration on its website: The Citizenship and Immigration Canada website is: The Conference Board of Canada website is: The Centre for Immigration Policy Reform website is: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external websites Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 14 of 18

15 Appendix 1: Transcript Broadcast Date: February 16, Speaker Podcast Line Marcy Hi I'm Marcy Markusa and you're listening to Learning English with CBC. As many of you now know, the federal government has announced it will be issuing fewer immigration visas this year. That was welcome news for Martin Collacott, a guest we had on the program recently, but it doesn t sit well with everyone. So just what impact does immigration have on our economy? It s one of the questions I asked Glen Hodgson, Chief Economist of the Conference Board of Canada. He looks at immigration numbers to come up with economic forecasts for the country Marcy Good morning. Glen Good morning. Marcy So is Canada meeting the economic goals that it has set out for immigration? Glen Um, as of right now it appears that we re not. Ah I think we re kinda confusing the short term ah friction that our economy s going through with the long term needs of our economy. Clearly, labour force growth is a is a critical driver for economic growth for Canada and the fact of the matter is our population born in Canada is aging quickly, the boomers are getting ready to retire, we re gonna need a lot more immigrants if our economy s gonna keep functioning on on all cylinders You can find the full interview with Glen Hodgson and the interview with Martin Collacott in Past Podcasts for Information Radio. Go to: Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 15 of 18

16 Marcy Glen Marcy Glen Now, ah as to the number that was thrown out yesterday by Mr. Collacott, is immigration really costing us $10 billion a year? Well that might be the direct cost of settlement but ah he didn t add in all the benefits that we re getting in terms of firms being able to find skilled employees to keep their workplace operating, so I think that s pretty thin ah calculation frankly. I think you really have to look at the overall impact on our economy and immigrants have been the foundation of Canada s economic growth for only about 150 years now. Now our guest yesterday said it s time that Canada scaled immigration back in a major way because studies show that recent Canadian immigrants are not thriving the way that the past generations did. So should we be cutting back when you look at that? No, I think ah I think you can look at the symptoms and draw very different conclusions. It s absolutely right that immigrants bore the brunt of ah a lot of the recession of the last two years. Ah immigrants and young people were the ones who lost their jobs most quickly, they re the ones who had the highest levels of unemployment through the whole recession, ah but that, to me that really points to the need to have a much more integrated system, where we think about skills, about languages, about cultural fit, as we invite people to come and live in Canada and be part of our our workforce Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 16 of 18

17 Appendix 2: Visa cuts hit parents of immigrants hardest Last Updated: Monday, February 14, :18 PM ET By Louise Elliott Canadians trying to bring their parents and grandparents to Canada from other countries are unhappy with the federal government's decision to cut back on family reunification visas. Numbers obtained from the Citizenship and Immigration Department indicate the government will issue about 11,000 family reunification visas for parents and grandparents overseas next year. That's down from the more than 16,000 issued last year. The hardest-hit category will be parents and grandparents seeking to join their children in Canada. Felix Zhang, head of the Toronto group Sponsor our Parents, represents more than a thousand Canadians who are trying to bring parents or grandparents to Canada. He wonders whether economic migrants, who are sought after because they bring needed workforce skills, will continue to choose Canada if they can't bring their parents here. "Once you are telling us it will take more than 10 to 15 years, we have to think about that," Zhang told CBC News. NDP MP Olivia Chow, called the government's position cruel. In the five, eight, 10 years these Canadians are waiting, most likely, these parents cannot travel to Canada," she said. Embassy officials in their originating countries often fear they might not return if allowed to visit Canada, she added. Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney says it's necessary to reduce family reunification visas so "priority" applicants and their spouses and children can be processed first. "There have to be choices made," he said. "I know that the most popular thing politically would be to say that this year, we're going to go from 14,000 to 100,000 parents and grandparents. But it wouldn't be responsible because that means fewer economic immigrants coming and paying taxes, or fewer refugees to save from refugee camps." But Kenney added he will continue to monitor how many visas are granted to parents and grandparents this year, adding the targets aren't written in stone. Adapted from : Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 17 of 18

18 Answers to Worksheets Find the Word with a Different Meaning 1. c 2. b 3. c 4. a 5. b 6. c 7. a Listen for Detail 1. b 2. c 3. b 4. b 5. c 6. b Scan a Chart 1. Europe 2. Asia 3. United States Ask/Respond to Indirect Questions/Requests 1. Q c R j 2. Q f R h 3. Q e R g 4. Q a R i 5. Q b R l 6. Q d R k Self Study: The Immigration Balancing Act Learning English with CBC Page 18 of 18