Danny Thomas used to tell a joke about a newcomer to New York. He couldn’t speak English but liked to eat out. One time a friend helped him order dessert. It was apple pie and coffee. For months he had the same thing because that’s all he could say. Then he ran into his friend again and said, “You know, sometimes I’d like to have steak.” Friend gave him the words and off he dashed to a restaurant. The waitress approached and asked for his order. He said, steak. “And how would you like that cooked?” “Apple pie and coffee.”
Other than adding bodies to help pay for this country of ours, immigration is good for business. Years ago, the Department of Immigration discovered native born Canadians only come in three family types—some givers, some not.
Educated, hardworking, and emotionally stable
Net contributors to the system. These people do hard jobs, volunteer for charities, and pay loads of taxes. Raised to give more than they take, they act as the strong within our communities and are essential for any society to thrive. Mixing talents with effort they bring yeast to the bread and though this tiering isn’t about money, they typically have it.
Middle people
Middle people also do hard jobs but not the hardest, they’re also educated but not in the most difficult disciplines, and they too are well-raised. Their ethic of hard work, pay your bills, and save for retirement makes them the backbone of society. Plus, they stay out of jail and off social assistance. Not causing problems for anyone.
The quality of middle people is crucial to any country because they form the largest part. So if they shift up or down, it matters to the whole. Fortunately for Canada, we have a good one.
Dumb, lazy, and unloved
This last group includes the poorly educated, slow movers, usually from dysfunctional families. Whether it’s subsidized housing, welfare, or the judicial system, these folks cost money. And having too many of us on social programs can bring down the whole system. That’s why we need immigrants.
Immigrants
Canadian immigrants come in various forms and loads of them have dough. But we’re not talking about doctors from South Africa, it’s the ones who work for low wages that we like. Sure, many lack the schooling we have but they score big on hard work and love. And they’re perfect in terms of economic units.
They may bring funny customs but these people generally do a good job, show up on time, never complain, and take whatever shift. Why? Because they’re happy to have a job. And no matter what you pay, it’s always put to good use. This group lives on the lean and it’s remarkable. They don’t drink booze, do cigarettes, or smoke crack. Don’t pay finance charges or need to go to Vegas. And always eat at home, don’t buy lottery tickets, and aren’t slaves to fashion. So not only do they work on the cheap, they can live on it—which is excellent for biz.
And not only are these people economic gold, they raise nice kids. Kids who will become tomorrow’s leaders. Why? Because they’ve been raised with love—real love (and good food, though some of it’s spicy), which makes them emotionally stable—a key to becoming first tier. This along with humility and a strong work ethic builds net contributors, which means this group will soon be coaching our sports teams, sitting on boards, and generally helping others. In the meantime, their families provide great examples for those of us born here.
Summary
Almost one-third of people we grow in Canada have problems, 80% of those we import are good. You do the math. These people are amazing and you couldn’t ask for more. Newcomers embody the essence of human potential and are good for three reasons:
- they’re good workers (show up on time, don’t complain)
- are excellent economic units (live within their means, save money, don’t waste)
- raise wonderful families (emotionally stable, focused on hard work and education)
Not only are immigrants clean living contributors, they’re raising tomorrow’s leaders. So from a government perspective, it’s just good business. Canada is committed to immigration — it’s a national strategy. And that’s why we’re raising the minimum wage. Any investment in these people is money put to good use.
Note: this is the fourth in a series of articles on minimum wage. The first talks about how we got one, the second talks about our huge middle class, and the third says minimum wage is a trade-off between inflation and ethics.