Social Exclusion of Immigrants in Canada Writing Assignment

Social Exclusion of Immigrants in Canada
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Social Exclusion of Immigrants in Canada
The issue of immigrants has drawn wedges between citizens of different countries all over the world. In Germany, for example, the country was divided into two with a section supporting the initiative to welcome immigrants and another section being against this initiative. In the U.S., the issue of immigrants has proven to be as polarizing as the issue of guns with people being split into two distinct groups. Debates have raged on over the treatment of immigrants as well as whether they should in time be considered or be allowed to assume citizenship of the host nation. In Canada, the issue of immigrants has also led to a lot of discussions, and there still exists controversy over the treatment of immigrants. Some Canadians are said to support social exclusion of immigrants while others see social inclusion as advantageous in the long-run. Fuller-Thomson, Noack, and George (2011) report on there being more than six million immigrants in Canada by 2006 which represented about 20% of Canada’s population. Research indicates that immigrants often appear to be in great health when entering Canada but show deterioration in health after a little stay. Upon close examination, social exclusion appears to be the main reason for this change. While seeking to expound further on the issue of social exclusion in Canada, this paper will define social exclusion, discuss the types of social exclusion and how each type affects or causes suffering to Canadian immigrants, and also show why there is conflict among Canadians regarding the same.
What is Social Exclusion?
Various definitions have been offered to help explain what social exclusion is. However, each definition appears to point towards similar themes. The Department for International Development (2005) defines social exclusion as “a process by which certain groups are systematically disadvantaged because they are discriminated against on the basis of their ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, caste, descent, gender, age, disability, HIV status, migrant status or where they live.” Immigrants in Canada have been subject to social exclusion as they are denied certain services including education and health services. The society a person lives in influences their environment as well as their health. Social factors of health encompass the conditions that a person is born in, grows, stays, works, and becomes old, and that give direction to their health status (Chapman, 2010). As a testament to the above, when a person is raised in an unhealthy environment, their wellbeing is significantly affected. Another definition that helps to showcase the extent to which social exclusion can influence people and how they grow to become is offered by Newbold (2010). He defines it as a lack of belongingness, acceptance, and recognition in society. So, when socially excluded, one lacks the comfort of belonging to a particular group and is not accepted in the society they grow up in. So, vulnerabilities for a person who is socially secluded are commonplace. The socially excluded immigrants in Canada are thus more socially, economically, and psycho...