Newcomers Research Paper
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 1
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada
Submitted by:
Tejpal S. Gill
University of Regina-Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 2
ABSTRACT
This paper intends to give an insight into the various economic issues that are faced by recent immigrants into Canada. Among the issues involved are employment conditions and income status. The LINC programs contains a microcosm of the multitudes of humanity that have decided to migrate …show more content…
into Canada in search of better opportunities. Canadian society has often seen itself has having fiduciary responsibility to help those who cannot mend for themselves. One of the social groups included in those described as such are the newcomers or those who have migrated into Canada fairly recently. Having left their homelands in search of greener pastures; this paper intends to examine the multiple facets they have to deal with in order to survive in Canada’s highly competitive society. One of the students in the LINC program of Saskatchewan Polytechnic is cited as an example of a person coping with these social justice issues. Academic acumen is achieved through improved fluency in English in order to help them become productive members of the workforce or to enable them to gain access to university education.
Keywords: microcosm, fiduciary, facets, acumen, fluency
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 3
Definition of Social Justice Terms Buettner-Schmidt; et al (2012) defines social justice as fair partaking in society with all the benefits and obligations. This gives people a situation seen as equitable standards in life. Qualities seen include fair treatment, equality in distribution of resources, just social structures, equal chance of human development, and sufficient health care opportunity. Employment would be a condition wherein a person has a source of livelihood of a legitimate nature. Income status would be a condition defined as having a considerable amount of money going into a person’s resource base needed to sustain life.
Review of Literature
Koh et al. (2010) have determined that, “Specifically, eliminating health disparities will require heightened emphasis on translating and disseminating proven interventions in a way that will reach all people, irrespective of social class or racial and ethnic background. It will also require transcending the confines of academia to reach and influence broader real-world settings (paragraph 4).” This article from the American Journal of Public Medicine views social justice as a method by which health inequities should be corrected by using proven and time-tested techniques. It also encourages dissemination of resources regardless of social, racial, or cultural background. This article also envisions social justice advocacy beyond the academe and into society as a whole.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 4
Gostin, L et al. (2006) describes social justice such that: “A core insight of social justice is that there are multiple causal pathways to numerous dimensions of disadvantage. These include poverty, substandard housing, poor education, unhygienic and polluted environments, and social disintegration. These and many other causal agents lead to systematic disadvantage not only in health, but also in nearly every aspect of social, economic, and political life (paragraph 6).” This tells us that lack of social justice can be seen within the context of an inequitable chance of having good healthcare. This problem is connected to other issues of deprivation such as lack of education, poverty, living in dilapidated housing in inner city areas, and thriving in unhygienic surroundings. In essence how can a person avail of proper health care if he or she is uneducated, lives in a ghetto or slum area, or if he or she is living in abject deprivation with no sustainable source of income?
Nevertheless there are those that view social justice in health care using different parameters. According to Scambler, G (2011); “Both material and psychosocial factors contribute to these differences and their effects extend to most diseases and causes of death. Disadvantage has many forms and may be absolute or relative. It can include having few family assets, having a poorer education during adolescence, having insecure employment, becoming stuck in a hazardous or dead-end job, living in poor housing, trying to bring up a family in difficult circumstances and living on an inadequate retirement pension (paragraph 16).” This article views lack of social justice resulting in a life with a poor standard of health as a mere effect of previous injustices committed on a person who lives in dire poverty. If a person comes from several generations of a poor family, inadequate education leading to having a minimum wage job, or if a person lives in a community that has no social support then most likely that person cannot participate in an equitable health care system.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 5
Discussion Nursing student volunteers are facing a challenge when thinking of social justice principles when doing volunteer work in the LINC program. Issues such as employment, working conditions, income, and social status may be seen as emotionally charged and can cause an uncomfortable feeling. The nursing student volunteer must learn to broaden his or her horizon when dealing with health determinants such as employment situation or income disparity. Even in developed nations such as Canada a new immigrant may feel marginalized if a person is not given the chance to have access to proper social services. While volunteering in the LINC program of Saskatchewan Polytechnic; one would determine that student volunteers need an opportunity to work with social justice tools with guidance of members of the academe. The LINC student that is cited as an example relative to this study is AM, male, 37 years old, and he was from the Philippines. His experience as a recent immigrant into Canada is an interesting case. He works as a machine operator in a manufacturing plant in North Saskatoon during the daytime for 10 hours per day. He makes about $18 per hour. This translates to a monthly income of $3,600 which given the cost of living in Saskatchewan is just enough to cover monthly expenses such as rent, food, utilities, and transportation fare. He lives alone somewhere in the vicinity of 22nd Street on the West side of Saskatoon which is a part of the city with a high crime rate.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 6
Rent there is cheaper compared to other parts of the city but he still barely makes ends meet due to lack of savings. Most of what he earns is spent on daily consumption.
Gostin, L et al. (2006) further states: “Fair distribution of burdens and benefits, as discussed, is a core attribute of social justice. Allocations based on the market or political influence favor the rich, powerful, and socially connected. Even neutral or random allocations can be unjust because they do not benefit those with greatest need. For example, health officials who direct a population to evacuate or shelter in place should foresee that the poor will not have private transportation or the means to stock up on food or supplies. For that reason, justice requires public health officials to devise plans and programs with particular attention to the disadvantaged” (paragraph 21). Even if we say that Canada has a government-controlled public health care system we can infer that the drawback of such a system which uses random allocation of resources is that those at the bottom levels of society are always at a disadvantage. If we are to view this issue in the context of social status citing our example we can start with the premise that Canada is an egalitarian society. As such health care is guaranteed for all citizens and permanent residents. However not everyone has an equitable share of participation in the health care system. Citing our example; the aforementioned LINC student; those who barely make ends meet may not avail themselves of the best quality of health care possible.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 7
Conclusions/Recommendations: From the various premises and social principles discussed in this paper we can infer that in order to come up with a health care system that complies with the principles of social justice we have to examine the other socio-economic conditions that affect society.
Issues such as lack of proper education, dead-end minimum wage jobs, unsanitary living conditions, and unfair labor practices can have a detrimental impact on the health condition of individuals in a community. Newcomers or recent immigrants in Canada do not always get the job that they desire and many end up doing odd jobs barely able to meet basic needs. In that case proper health and wellness would become the least of their priorities. As society and as a nation we must strive to correct all the inequities such as job opportunities, access to affordable high-quality education, and overall activities and programs that help integrate immigrants into mainstream Canadian society.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 8
References
1. Koh, Howard et al (2010). Translating Research Evidence into Practice to Reduce Health Disparities: A Social Determinants Approach; American Journal of Public Health; Suppl 1:S72-80 doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.167353.
2. Scambler, Graham (2012). Health Inequalities; Sociology of Health & Illness: Volume 34, Issue 1, pages 130–146 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01387.x
3. Gostin, Lawrence; Powers, Madison (2006). What Does Social Justice Require For The Public’s Health? Public Health Ethics And Policy Imperatives: Health Affairs: Vol. 25 No.4
1053-1060 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.25.4.1053
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada
Submitted by:
Tejpal S. Gill
University of Regina-Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Saskatchewan Collaborative Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 2
ABSTRACT
This paper intends to give an insight into the various economic issues that are faced by recent immigrants into Canada. Among the issues involved are employment conditions and income status. The LINC programs contains a microcosm of the multitudes of humanity that have decided to migrate …show more content…
into Canada in search of better opportunities. Canadian society has often seen itself has having fiduciary responsibility to help those who cannot mend for themselves. One of the social groups included in those described as such are the newcomers or those who have migrated into Canada fairly recently. Having left their homelands in search of greener pastures; this paper intends to examine the multiple facets they have to deal with in order to survive in Canada’s highly competitive society. One of the students in the LINC program of Saskatchewan Polytechnic is cited as an example of a person coping with these social justice issues. Academic acumen is achieved through improved fluency in English in order to help them become productive members of the workforce or to enable them to gain access to university education.
Keywords: microcosm, fiduciary, facets, acumen, fluency
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 3
Definition of Social Justice Terms Buettner-Schmidt; et al (2012) defines social justice as fair partaking in society with all the benefits and obligations. This gives people a situation seen as equitable standards in life. Qualities seen include fair treatment, equality in distribution of resources, just social structures, equal chance of human development, and sufficient health care opportunity. Employment would be a condition wherein a person has a source of livelihood of a legitimate nature. Income status would be a condition defined as having a considerable amount of money going into a person’s resource base needed to sustain life.
Review of Literature
Koh et al. (2010) have determined that, “Specifically, eliminating health disparities will require heightened emphasis on translating and disseminating proven interventions in a way that will reach all people, irrespective of social class or racial and ethnic background. It will also require transcending the confines of academia to reach and influence broader real-world settings (paragraph 4).” This article from the American Journal of Public Medicine views social justice as a method by which health inequities should be corrected by using proven and time-tested techniques. It also encourages dissemination of resources regardless of social, racial, or cultural background. This article also envisions social justice advocacy beyond the academe and into society as a whole.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 4
Gostin, L et al. (2006) describes social justice such that: “A core insight of social justice is that there are multiple causal pathways to numerous dimensions of disadvantage. These include poverty, substandard housing, poor education, unhygienic and polluted environments, and social disintegration. These and many other causal agents lead to systematic disadvantage not only in health, but also in nearly every aspect of social, economic, and political life (paragraph 6).” This tells us that lack of social justice can be seen within the context of an inequitable chance of having good healthcare. This problem is connected to other issues of deprivation such as lack of education, poverty, living in dilapidated housing in inner city areas, and thriving in unhygienic surroundings. In essence how can a person avail of proper health care if he or she is uneducated, lives in a ghetto or slum area, or if he or she is living in abject deprivation with no sustainable source of income?
Nevertheless there are those that view social justice in health care using different parameters. According to Scambler, G (2011); “Both material and psychosocial factors contribute to these differences and their effects extend to most diseases and causes of death. Disadvantage has many forms and may be absolute or relative. It can include having few family assets, having a poorer education during adolescence, having insecure employment, becoming stuck in a hazardous or dead-end job, living in poor housing, trying to bring up a family in difficult circumstances and living on an inadequate retirement pension (paragraph 16).” This article views lack of social justice resulting in a life with a poor standard of health as a mere effect of previous injustices committed on a person who lives in dire poverty. If a person comes from several generations of a poor family, inadequate education leading to having a minimum wage job, or if a person lives in a community that has no social support then most likely that person cannot participate in an equitable health care system.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 5
Discussion Nursing student volunteers are facing a challenge when thinking of social justice principles when doing volunteer work in the LINC program. Issues such as employment, working conditions, income, and social status may be seen as emotionally charged and can cause an uncomfortable feeling. The nursing student volunteer must learn to broaden his or her horizon when dealing with health determinants such as employment situation or income disparity. Even in developed nations such as Canada a new immigrant may feel marginalized if a person is not given the chance to have access to proper social services. While volunteering in the LINC program of Saskatchewan Polytechnic; one would determine that student volunteers need an opportunity to work with social justice tools with guidance of members of the academe. The LINC student that is cited as an example relative to this study is AM, male, 37 years old, and he was from the Philippines. His experience as a recent immigrant into Canada is an interesting case. He works as a machine operator in a manufacturing plant in North Saskatoon during the daytime for 10 hours per day. He makes about $18 per hour. This translates to a monthly income of $3,600 which given the cost of living in Saskatchewan is just enough to cover monthly expenses such as rent, food, utilities, and transportation fare. He lives alone somewhere in the vicinity of 22nd Street on the West side of Saskatoon which is a part of the city with a high crime rate.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 6
Rent there is cheaper compared to other parts of the city but he still barely makes ends meet due to lack of savings. Most of what he earns is spent on daily consumption.
Gostin, L et al. (2006) further states: “Fair distribution of burdens and benefits, as discussed, is a core attribute of social justice. Allocations based on the market or political influence favor the rich, powerful, and socially connected. Even neutral or random allocations can be unjust because they do not benefit those with greatest need. For example, health officials who direct a population to evacuate or shelter in place should foresee that the poor will not have private transportation or the means to stock up on food or supplies. For that reason, justice requires public health officials to devise plans and programs with particular attention to the disadvantaged” (paragraph 21). Even if we say that Canada has a government-controlled public health care system we can infer that the drawback of such a system which uses random allocation of resources is that those at the bottom levels of society are always at a disadvantage. If we are to view this issue in the context of social status citing our example we can start with the premise that Canada is an egalitarian society. As such health care is guaranteed for all citizens and permanent residents. However not everyone has an equitable share of participation in the health care system. Citing our example; the aforementioned LINC student; those who barely make ends meet may not avail themselves of the best quality of health care possible.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 7
Conclusions/Recommendations: From the various premises and social principles discussed in this paper we can infer that in order to come up with a health care system that complies with the principles of social justice we have to examine the other socio-economic conditions that affect society.
Issues such as lack of proper education, dead-end minimum wage jobs, unsanitary living conditions, and unfair labor practices can have a detrimental impact on the health condition of individuals in a community. Newcomers or recent immigrants in Canada do not always get the job that they desire and many end up doing odd jobs barely able to meet basic needs. In that case proper health and wellness would become the least of their priorities. As society and as a nation we must strive to correct all the inequities such as job opportunities, access to affordable high-quality education, and overall activities and programs that help integrate immigrants into mainstream Canadian society.
Using Social Justice Tools to Assess Economic Conditions of Newcomers in to Canada 8
References
1. Koh, Howard et al (2010). Translating Research Evidence into Practice to Reduce Health Disparities: A Social Determinants Approach; American Journal of Public Health; Suppl 1:S72-80 doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.167353.
2. Scambler, Graham (2012). Health Inequalities; Sociology of Health & Illness: Volume 34, Issue 1, pages 130–146 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9566.2011.01387.x
3. Gostin, Lawrence; Powers, Madison (2006). What Does Social Justice Require For The Public’s Health? Public Health Ethics And Policy Imperatives: Health Affairs: Vol. 25 No.4
1053-1060 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.25.4.1053