First, Do No Harm: The Role and Responsibility of Canada as a Destination Country in South-North Migration

Caribbean Paper No. 5

April 25, 2008

Analyses of South-North migration usually focus on the consequences of migration for the sending countries and recommend measures to improve development outcomes.This paper instead examines the role and responsibility of migrant-receiving states, and constructs a framework of intervention areas for Canada from work conducted in other developed countries. One major concern is that wealthy, migrant-receiving countries are impeding their own overseas development assistance efforts through migration related policies that are contradictory or incoherent across such policy areas as migration, labour, trade, development aid and international affairs. The paper concludes with a discussion of the reasons Canada should reverse this trend and embark on a new development partnership in its future relations with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member states. Nearly 400,000 permanent residents of Canada were born in one of the CARICOM states and a further 9,000 CARICOM nationals come to Canada each year under temporary worker programs.

Part of Series

The Caribbean Papers

CIGI's Caribbean Papers present and discuss policy issues pertaining to trade, investment, human capital, the fiscal outlook and public sector management practices, among other issues, relevant to the Caribbean region's economic future.

About the Author

Laura Dawson is Senior Associate – Training and Research at the Centre for Trade Policy and Law (CTPL), Carleton University/University of Ottawa, where she designs and directs technical assistance and research projects in the Americas as well as in China and eastern Europe.