Children of Caribbean and Latin American immigrants do not succeed much

According to a groundbreaking new study based on the 2001 census data, children of immigrants, including those without a university degree, are better educated than their Canadian-born counterparts.

The report found that second-generation Asian-Canadian women aged 25 to 37 years are more educated members of society. Only 25 percent of the same-aged Canadian women have university degrees, as compared to 58 percent of Asian-Canadians.

However, one group is not included in this success story and these are sons of immigrants from Haiti, St. Lucia, and other Caribbean and Latin American nations. These people are also reasonably educated with 22 percent of them having university degrees as compared to just 19 percent of men from non-immigrant backgrounds.

Miles Corak, the author of the study and a University of Ottawa professor, said that the study provides a more accurate picture as to where discontent and disengagement might arise in the Canadian society. He said that there are some hot spots and everyone needs to look inside these communities to understand what’s going on there.

The main factors for poor outcomes for men of Caribbean and Latin American origin are family dynamics, labour market obstacles, discrimination.

Milelle Mahtani, assistant professor of geography and journalism at the University of Toronto, said that people see black men as threatening and resemble them with criminals. He said that these perceptions cause young men to fell depressed and hopeless about their future.

Jamaican-Canadian Association’s Sonia Deacon said that it is tough to exactly recognize why the sons of Caribbean and Latin American immigrants are not progressing that well. She added that this may be due to unrealistic their expectations and expecting that they will be instantly rewarded believing that Canada is the land of milk and honey. She said that another reason might be discrimination and lack of positive role models.