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Rethinking the Canadian Diaspora by Kenny Zhang* Executive Summary

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Rethinking the Canadian Diaspora by Kenny Zhang* Executive Summary September 2007 www.asiapacifi c.ca Number 46 “Mission Invisible” – Rethinking the Canadian Diaspora By Kenny Zhang* Executive Summary The evacuation of tens of thousands of Canadians Th e size of the Canadian diaspora is remarkable from Lebanon in 2006, a pending review of dual relative to the resident national population, even when citizenship and a formal diplomatic protest to compared with other countries that are well-known China over the jailing of a Canadian citizen for for their widely dispersed overseas communities. Th e alleged terrorist activities are examples of the new survey shows that the Canadian diaspora does complex and extensive range of policy issues raised not exist as scattered individuals, but as an interactive by the growing number of Canadian citizens living community with various organizations associated abroad. It has also shown the need for Canada to with Canada. Th e study also suggests that living think strategically about the issue of the Canadian abroad does not make the Canadian diaspora less diaspora, rather than deal with the problems raised “Canadian,” although it is a heterogeneous group. Th e on a case-by-case basis. majority of overseas Canadians still call Canada home and have a desire to return to Canada. Many keep An earlier report (Commentary No. 41) by the close ties with the country by working for a Canadian Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) entity and visiting families, friends, business clients or discussed the concept of the Canadian diaspora partners, and various other counterparts in Canada. and estimated the size of this community at 2.7 million. This current report goes a step further A SWOT analysis -- covering strengths, weaknesses, by providing some demographic and economic opportunities and threats -- presents a more nuanced profiles of this group based on a new survey picture of the Canadian diaspora compared to (Global Canadians -- A Survey of the Views of conventional cost-benefi t calculations. Th is, and the Canadians Abroad) by APF Canada of Canadians survey results, add further evidence that it is time for abroad. It also offers an alternative approach, Canadians to review their mind-set on out-migration beyond cost-benefit arguments, for reaching a and overseas residence and for Canada to think better understanding of the implications of the seriously about developing its own diaspora strategy. Canadian diaspora for this country. * Kenny Zhang is a Senior Research Analyst at the Asia Pacifi c Foundation of Canada specializing in China’s economic development. Mr. Zhang received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in economics from Fudan University, China and the Institute of Social Studies, The Netherlands, respectively. His research focus is on Canada- China trade and investment relations, labour migration and employment of immigrants. He previously worked as associate research professor at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, and senior researcher at the Centre of Excellence on Immigration Studies at Simon Fraser University. ISSN 1481-0433 September 2007 Introduction In March 2006, APF Canada published in this was expanded into a debate on dual citizenship and Commentary series a paper – Recognizing the passports which immediately attracted political Canadian Diaspora (Commentary No. 41) – which attention. Th e then-Citizenship and Immigration addresses the phenomenon of Canadian expatriates; Minister, Monte Solberg, ordered his department discusses a concept of the Canadian diaspora; to review current rules of dual citizenship that have estimates the number of Canadians living abroad; been in place since February 15, 1977.3 and calls for Canada to develop a national strategy to address diaspora issues.1 Developments since In December 2006, when Stéphane Dion was elected then have added further evidence of the need for a Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and became comprehensive policy approach. Leader of the Opposition, his dual Canadian and French citizenship immediately became a hot In early July 2006, most people in Canada were political issue. Th e same issue of dual citizenship surprised to learn that up to 50,000 Canadians were initially hounded Michaëlle Jean, who gave up her in Lebanon when fi ghting broke out between Israel French citizenship before becoming the Governor- and Hezbollah. Th e subsequent exodus of almost General of Canada. 15,000 Canadian passport holders from Lebanon during this Middle East crisis turned out to be, by Internationally, the case of Chinese-born Huseyincan far, the largest evacuation of its citizens in Canadian Celil, jailed for life in China this year for terrorism, history.2 However, when Canadian taxpayers were has led Canada to issue a formal diplomatic protest billed approximately $85 million for this operation, the to Beijing.4 Mr. Celil is a Canadian citizen. In a public began asking questions about the benefi ts and statement, the then-Foreign Minister, Peter MacKay, obligations of Canadians who hold dual citizenship announced that Canada would conduct a review and do not live in this country. Quickly, the issue of the 1999 Canada-China consular agreement to determine whether it is, in fact, an eff ective means of safeguarding Chinese-Canadian dual citizens traveling on Canadian passports. Th e Lebanon evacuation, dual citizenship review and diplomatic protest all refl ect a complex and extensive range of issues, at home and abroad, raised by the contemporary generation of mobile Canadians. Th ey also show the importance for Canada to develop a strategic policy on its diaspora, rather than deal with issues involving Canadians abroad on a case-by-case basis. Th is paper attempts to assess a few key areas based primarily on a new survey by APF Canada on Canadians abroad that sheds some light on the motives and attitudes of Canadian expatriates. Canadian expatriates around the world present a complex and Hopefully, the paper will facilitate further discussion extensive range of issues for policymakers. and thinking on policy-making about the 2.7 million Canadians who live abroad. APF Canada - Canada Asia Commentary No. 46 2 September 2007 Too many or too few APF Canada estimates the total Canadian population outside Canada -- 8.3% compared with 3.0% -- is residing outside Canada at about 2.7 million.5 Does considerably higher than the global average share of Canada have a disproportionate component of its population living outside of their country of origin. population living abroad? However, the percentage of national populations living Th is can fi rst be considered in light of global outside their home countries, or people who at least hold trends in economic development and patterns of an affi nity to a country of origin or of their ancestors’ movement of people. International migration is an origin, varies widely. Some countries are well-known important component of globalization and economic for the size of their diaspora. Th ere are reputed to be development, in both developing and developed some 80 million people around the world who think of countries. According to United Nations’ calculations, themselves as “Irish” compared with the population of there were some 191 million migrants, or people the combined regions of Ireland of just over fi ve million. living outside of their country of origin, worldwide In a similar way, Italy claims some 60 million overseas in 2005, up from 176 million in 2000. Th ese migrants Italians -- more than its 58 million population at home. comprise 3.0% of the global population.6 Canada had Th ere are some 34 million overseas Chinese, a group a total population of 32.6 million in 2006, according that is more than the total Canadian population, yet to census fi gures. Th e estimated 2.7 million overseas less than 2.6% of the domestic population. India (20 Canadians are equivalent to 8.3% of the Canadian million expatriates), Mexico (18 million) and the US (7 population. So the percentage of Canadians living million) all have considerable overseas communities. Figure 1: National Diasporas in Relation to Resident National Populations Italy (60 M) 105.3% Greece (6.7 M) 65.0% Finland (1.3 M) 24.8% New Zealand (0.85 M) 21.9% Mexico (18 M) 18.0% UK (5.5 M) 9.9% South Korea (6 M) 9.8% Canada (2.7 M) 8.3% Australia (0.9 M) 4.3% France (2 M) 3.3% China (34.1 M) 2.6% US (7 M) 2.5% India (20 M) 1.8% 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% 120.0% Source: APF Canada, 2006; Alison Loat, 2004 7 APF Canada - Canada Asia Commentary No. 46 3 September 2007 So the proportion of diaspora population to total Beyond these totals, other levels of data are also resident national population varies from close to 2% of worth noting in measuring the size of diaspora pop- some countries to over 100% of others. ulations. Th ese include family data, collective data, transnational fl ows, qualitative and longitudinal Compared with other countries’ overseas popula- data, and gender-diff erentiated data.8 In the Cana- tions, the estimated number of Canadians overseas dian context, the collective picture from the data is is 1.5 times greater than the total of Australians and particularly relevant. Canadians residing overseas New Zealanders combined; less than half the number do not just exist as individuals. Th ere are various of overseas Koreans; one-third the number of overseas types and signifi cant numbers of Canadian commu- Americans; one-seventh the number of overseas Indi- nities outside of, but associated, with Canada. Th ese ans; one-twelft h the number of overseas Chinese; and communities include business associations, social one-twentieth the overseas Italians. However, as Fig- and cultural clubs or organizations, and family or in- ure 1 shows, the Canadian diaspora’s size relative to the dividual networks.
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