Beyond the romanticized image of newcomers arriving as a “huddled mass” at Halifax’s Pier 21, understanding the reality and complexity of immigration today requires an expert guide. In the hands of scholar Augie Fleras, this intricate and ever-changing subject gets the attention it deserves with analysis of all aspects, including admission policies, the refugee processing system, the temporary foreign worker program, and the emergence of transnational identities. Given the unprecedented number of federal policy reforms of the past decade, such a roadmap is essential.

Immigration Canada describes, analyzes, and reassesses immigration in a Canada that is rapidly changing, increasingly diverse, more uncertain, and globally connected. Drawing on the best Canadian and international scholarship, Fleras investigates related topics such as integration, identity, and multiculturalism, to consider immigration in a wider context. By thoroughly capturing the politics, patterns, and paradoxes of contemporary migration, this book rethinks the thorny issues and reframes the key debates.

Augie Fleras obtained his Ph.D. in Maori Studies and Social Anthropology from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. An adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Waterloo, he is an eclectic social scientist whose publications span the disciplines of anthropology and sociology. His areas of expertise include multiculturalism, race and ethnic relations, indigenous peoples’ politics, and mass media communication.

Augie Fleras' profile page

With careful attention to the disparate and often contradictory arguments about the usefulness of immigration – and by extension immigrants – to the nation, Immigration Canada rethinks and reframes notions of citizenship and settlement in an increasingly transnational age.

British Journal of Canadian Studies