The Government of Canada has launched an international campaign to recognize and celebrate the positive impacts of migration to Canada.
The global campaign, titled “It Takes a Community”, highlights the numerous ways in which migrants can contribute to local communities and aims to counter the spread of misinformation and anti-immigrant sentiment around the world.
Launched on March 29, the campaign has been endorsed by the Canadian government as well as other national and local governments, businesses, civil society actors and youth networks.
Over the next year, It Takes a Community will educate people on how migration can enrich lives and work to combat the rise of discrimination, xenophobia and hate speech towards migrants.
Speaking on the campaign, Canadian Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino highlighted the importance of recognizing the ways in which migrants contribute positively to their communities, especially in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr. Mendicino also said that organizations, cities and countries are made stronger by the inclusion of migrants and that the campaign will help push back against all kinds of discrimination towards migrants to create more welcoming, inclusive and resilient communities for everyone.
It Takes a Community is facilitated by the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) and led jointly by the Government of Canada, Government of Ecuador, IOM and the GFMD Mayors Mechanism.
Participants are encouraged to share their positive stories and experiences on social media by using the hashtag #ItTakesaCommunity to promote taking positive steps towards strengthening inclusion and diversity.
Canada selects immigrants based on their economic contribution to the country, family reunification and humanitarian needs.
Canada will admit 401,000 immigrants in 2021 as part of an Immigration Levels Plan in which the country outlined its ambition to welcome more than 1.2 million migrants to Canada over the next three years.
