A Canadian Citizenship Ceremony at the Bill Reid Gallery in Vancouver on June 21, 2016.John Lehmann/John Lehmann/Globe and Mail
Ajay Virmani is the founder and executive chair of Cargojet. This article is drawn from the “Fascinating Canadian” lecture he recently delivered at an event for the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.
When I came to Canada in November, 1975, my first job was washing windows in Toronto.
I earned three dollars an hour. I started on the 54th floor of the Toronto-Dominion Bank tower. It was bitterly cold, I had no warm clothes, no training, the flimsiest of harnesses and vertigo.
In every window I washed, I saw a reflection of my Canadian dream.
At the end of my first day, I made $42. For someone who arrived in this country from India with $8 in his pocket, this was a king’s ransom. It was more than twice what my parents – an army officer and a teacher – made together in one month in India.
That day, I knew the Canadian dream was something worth striving for.
I took a winding road to realizing my dream. I sold vacuum cleaners and life insurance, door-to-door. I assembled speakers for rock bands and mufflers for Midas. Then I found my calling in the logistics company. I started in a junior job, collecting money from creditors, while getting an MBA to better my prospects.
In 2001, I invested in Canada’s second-largest airline, Canada 3000, when it filed for creditor protection after 9/11, rebranding it as Cargojet. It was a leap of faith. At least 14 domestic cargo airlines had failed. But I also understood a country this vast needed dependable air transport.
We started with one aircraft. Today, Cargojet is Canada’s largest freight service. Every night, we fly to over 16 Canadian cities and multiple international destinations. We have around 2,000 team members and a fleet of 44 Boeing aircraft.
Is a Canadian dream like mine still possible?
On the surface, the journey is easier. Many of the barriers to immigration that existed in the 1970s – including low-level racism – have faded. Today, the face of Canada is one of diversity.
Sadly, however, economic conditions are much harsher for today’s immigrants than they were in 1975. And the underlying social framework – our education and medical systems – is not what it used to be.
We need to recognize this country was built on immigrants. Canada still needs immigrants – people with skills, people who can invest – to ensure continued prosperity and growth.
Our powerful passport should make this country the top draw for top-tier immigrants. But many who come here in search of the Canadian dream are leaving, disappointed, depressed and disillusioned because of the lack of opportunities.
The Institute for Canadian Citizenship recently published a report titled The Leaky Bucket. It found that “onward migration” – a fancy way of saying immigrants are leaving – is up 31 per cent from historical levels.
We need to create a competitive edge, as we’re competing for skilled immigrants globally. For example, we need to expedite a path forward for more than 7,000 qualified doctors who are currently driving cabs and trucks, so they can help address our shortage of medical professionals.
We need to revive the dream of owning a home for young Canadians. We need to address rising prices and the cost of food. Did you know that a quarter of food bank users in Canada are new immigrants?
We need to restore our education and health care standards. We need to ease regulatory hurdles. And we need to embrace economic incentives that reward success.
Currently, there are over two million temporary migrants in this country. They are blamed for straining our resources. Support for immigration – once the bedrock of multicultural Canada – is eroding. Today, 41 per cent of Canadians believe that there are too many immigrants coming to this country.
To reverse this unfavourable view and restore faith in immigration, it is critically important we highlight evidence-based contributions of immigration through effective communications.
Each of us has to play a role in fostering a welcoming and inclusive society. If you’re wondering what you can do personally, I have a humble suggestion.
Be helpful to a new immigrant. Go out of your way to extend a hand; to help pull them up. Adapting to a new country and a new culture is not easy. Help them expedite their credentials. Show them how warm Canada is, in spite of our harsh cold winters.
Because the truth is that every single person who helped me along the way is directly responsible for more than 2,000 jobs and families that my company now supports. All because this one immigrant from New Delhi got to live out his Canadian dream.