Interview with the Honourable Ahmed D. Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Canada
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12365 |
| Date | 01 August 2017 |
| Published date | 01 August 2017 |
Interview with the Honourable Ahmed
D. Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees
and Citizenship, Canada
Ahmed Hussen is the Member of Parliament for the riding of York South-Weston. A lawyer and
social activist, he has a proven track record of leadership and community empowerment.
Born and raised in Somalia, Ahmed immigrated to Canada in 1993 where he settled in Regent
Park and quickly gravitated towards public service. In 2002, he co-founded the Regent Park Com-
munity Council and was able to secure a $500 million revitalization project for Regent Park, all
while ensuring the interests of the area’s nearly 15,000 residents were protected. Ahmed also
served as the National President of the Canadian Somali Congress –a Somali community organiza-
tion that works with national and regional authorities to advocate on issues of importance to Cana-
dians of Somali heritage and strengthen civic engagement and integration. His results-driven
reputation led to an invitation to join the task force for modernizing income security for adults in
the Toronto City Summit Alliance.
Ahmed is fluent in English, Somali, and Swahili, and earned his Bachelor of Arts (History) from
York University and his Law Degree from the University of Ottawa.
International Migration
Why does Canada want to attract immigrants when so many other developed countries don’t and
when many, in fact, try to avoid migrants from entering their countries? Is it demographics, eco-
nomics, nation-building, or some other factor that drives Canada’s immigration ambitions?
Minister Ahmed Hussen
Canadians broadly support Canadian immigration policy because they understand that our immi-
gration is well-planned, planned ahead of time, and is executed in an orderly manner. We do have
asylum seekers whose numbers fluctuate and this we cannot predict; but, overall, Canadians under-
stand that their governments have traditionally been consultative regarding levels of immigration
that Canadians are willing to accept. Canadians also understand the contributions that immigrants
make to our economy, to our social and cultural fabric, to our demographic challenges, our labour
market needs, and skills shortages. Governments also understand this.
Geographically we are very lucky. We have the luxury of three coasts and a friendly border with
the United States to our South. We have the ability to plan, to choose who enters our country. If you
look at the numbers, we have a much smaller experience of undocumented arrivals than our
American neighbours. By contrast, Germany had 950,000 migrants walk into their country in 2015.
We don’t have that situation. Canada has, partly because of its geography, the ability to have a more
planned and more orderly immigration system. Canadians support this because they have an under-
standing and appreciation of what immigration does for us economically. If you look at our immigra-
tion levels, the majority of those who come are skilled immigrants. Yes, we have our international
protection obligations to fulfill through the refugee resettlement program and our system for those
seeking asylum, but for the most part our immigrants are welcomed as economic contributors.
IM
Some criticize Canada for cherry-picking its immigrants at the expense of countries of origin
who lose much-needed human capital from their economies and governance infrastructures. What
is the truth here?
The opinions expressed in this interview are those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor-
in-Chief, Editorial Board, International Organization for Migration nor John Wiley & Sons.
doi: 10.1111/imig.12365
©2017 The Author
International Migration ©2017 IOM
International Migration Vol. 55 (4) 2018
ISSN 0020-7985Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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