“Visible minority” might be an antiquated term in Calgary’s future, according to the representative of a city immigrants’ organization.
According to a Statistics Canada report yesterday, Calgary will see one-third of its citizens being of foreign-born descent by 2031.
Fariba Mohammadi of the Centre for Newcomers said the increase of immigrant population testifies to Canada as a welcoming country for people who want to have a new beginning.
While she is happy about Canada’s growing diversity, Mohammadi questions the meaning of visible minority.
“I don’t think the current definition of ‘visible minority’ will be of much sense in 2031,” said Mohammadi.
Din Ladak, CEO of Immigrant Services Calgary, feels immigrants favour Calgary for the quality of life it offers to newcomers.
“We know that growth brings changes and challenges, and we are well positioned to meet these challenges,” said Ladak.
A majority (96 per cent) of people belonging to a visible minority group will continue to live in one of the 33 metropolitan areas, according to Statistics Canada.
Statistics Canada takes its definition of a visible minority from the federal Employment Equity Act, which is a person other than aboriginal who is non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.
