Is the Canadian Dream Broken?

New Research investigates trends in equality of opportunity for racialized second generation

The pillar of the Canadian dream for newcomers is the hope that their children and future generations will have more opportunity for a better life than they, themselves, have had. New research on the education and employment experiences of successive birth cohorts from the 1960s to the 1990s, reveals how well the next generation of immigrant Canadians fare.

This study, co-authored by Rupa Banerjee, Jeffrey G. Reitz, Feng Hou and Wendell Nii Laryea Adjetey delves into the socio-economic experiences of second-generation immigrants to understand social mobility in Canada. Key findings were released at an event sponsored by the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration (CERC Migration), at Toronto Metropolitan University on February 21, 2024.

A panel discussion followed, with participants: Debbie Douglas, Executive Director, Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants; Gervan Fearon, Chair of External Reference Group–Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative, President of George Brown College; Nicholas Keung, Immigration Reporter, Toronto Star; Naheed Nenshi, Former Mayor of the City of Calgary. A video of the event is posted here.

Based on census data, the study examines the progress of individuals from five racialized groups — South Asian, Chinese, Black, Filipino, and Latin American — compared with those who are third-and-higher generation White Canadians (the mainstream).

The study reveals that mobility among young adults, in terms of advancing in education and employment earnings, is not equal across gender or racialized groups, and for the most recent cohorts has in some groups begun to diverge significantly below the mainstream average. A summary was published by a TorontoMet Today.

This comprehensive examination of education and economic well-being brings into question longer-term processes of integration among different ethno-racial minorities in Canada is of interest not only to members of the minority groups themselves, but also to policymakers, academics, civil society leaders, and all who are interested in the degree to which Canada is an inclusive society.

Media coverage of the research and panel discussion at TMU included articles in the Toronto Star, “Is the Canadian dream broken?’ Earning gaps are emerging for second-generation Canadians,” by Nicholas Keung; and a report by CBC News, “Canadian dream elusive for some racialized 2nd-generation Canadians, study finds,” by Muriel Draaisma.

An op-ed article in the Globe and Mail by Banerjee, Adjetey and Reitz, and entitled, “Black Canadians’ economic disadvantage is worsening – here’s how to fix it,” appeared on April 11, 2024.