Are Immigrants More Appreciative Citizens?

A recent Canadian poll revealed that new immigrants that come to Canada make not only good citizens, but at times, are far more appreciative of their citizenship than Canadians that are born here. Canada has long had a reputation of not only encouraging immigration to help supplement our low birthrate, and we  celebrate multiculturalism. As Canadians, we see the value in having dual citizenship, and those of us who were born here with parents born elsewhere, will often seek out a second passport so we have the ability to travel between two countries with ease. Our views on what it means to be a good Canadian citizen are somewhat varied, but the particular poll revealed that the top five responses were: obeying laws, actively participating in the community, helping other people, being tolerant of others and sharing or adopting Canadian values.

Not only do new-comers to Canada embrace these values, they often take them far more seriously than natural born citizens. Immigrants are less likely to break the law, more likely to pay their taxes, and participate in the political process. Because we're born into a free and democratic process here in North America, we often take for granted our ability vote fair elections. We also take for granted that we are born into a society that promotes tolerance and equality, something many countries do not enjoy. Individuals that are held hostage by the politics of their country, greatly appreciate that Canadians value freedom.

Many immigrants come from countries that suffer from a number of infrastructure issues, a corrupt government, and in some cases, abject poverty. They have made the difficult decision to leave what they have known their whole life, in an effort to pursue better opportunities in a new country. Immigrants have to work twice as hard to make a life for themselves and take it upon themselves to obtain the skills they need to succeed. For example, individuals who have business careers in their home country, often have to enroll themselves in educational programs to ensure that their skills will comply with Canadian laws and regulations. The percentages of immigrants that pursue post-secondary education is quite high in Canada, and provides a positive revenue stream for Canadian colleges and universities.