Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
In this lucid account, the intersecting play of economics, politics and
education lead to a sequence of geographical decisions: emigration,
return by the principal wage-earner, full return by both parents with the
option of future re-migration, while leaving unresolved the location of
the children following university graduation.
With a more specific question about the choice of Vancouver, given the
decision to move to Canada, quality of life remained as the most common
response, followed by the presence of a pre-existing network of friends and
relatives, and even the Vancouver climate, more temperate than the rest of
Canada (Table 3.1).
These interviews were consistent with results from the federal government's
Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) conducted at the same
time (2001-02). The relevant LSIC sample comprised economic migrants
from all countries, including business immigrants and also the much larger
class of skilled workers. Among the most important reasons for selecting their
place of residence in Canada, the presence of family or friends was an abiding
first choice, confirming the important role of social networks (and social cap-
ital) in steering immigrant site selection (Statistics Canada 2003b). In Toronto
(and most other places) job prospects were in second rank, but in Vancouver
the second attraction was climate and the third was lifestyle. Educational
opportunities followed, while job prospects in Vancouver were mentioned by
only six percent of this sample of economic migrants, whom we would have
expected to be highly attentive to the regional labour market.
Returning to Table 3.1 we see the same demotion of economic factors in
the motives to move to Canada among the 90 Vancouver area entrepre-
neurs.
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On the surface, this is an extraordinary outcome. Economic migrants
in general, and the business class in particular, are selected to generate eco-
nomic development. This has been the transparent objective of the BIP and
the Asia Pacific offensive by Canadian politicians over the past thirty years.
The competition among different nations to attract the business class was a
contest to entice the energetic and well-resourced skills of
homo economicus
.
But some of the entrepreneurs have different objectives. Paul, introduced
above, explained why his family had selected Canada over Australia or New
Zealand as their destination:
Our objectives aren't fixated on which country or which market would allow
us to make a lot of money. Rather, we were looking for a country where we
could lead a relatively stable life. After we settle down, then we can start think-
ing about making money and make more concrete plans for the future.
Paul has a more relaxed view of accumulation than the market obsession of
the heroic homunculus of neo-liberal theory. But then, arriving in Canada
