Social support in the lives of sudanese refugee and Russian immigrant fathers in Canada

Abstract

Since its inception as a country in 1867, Canada has been perceived as an immigrant nation. Factors such as the national and racial origins of prospective immigrants; the need for workers to fulfil specific labour markets; the availability of relatives in Canada; internal economic growth; recession or depression; international conditions affecting the number of people worldwide seeking to escape poverty, war, or political unrest and the number of countries willing to accept them; and the impact on both French and English communities in the nation have shaped and influenced Canadian immigration policy (Christensen, 2001 ). Immigration to Canada continues to be the major mechanism to ensure an annual increase in the population and a sufficient number of workers to meet labour market needs.