By Stewart Lewis
(February 4 – 17:15 ET) – Since the inception of NAFTA, there has been a large increase in the number of Canadians going to the U.S., says Mahmood Iqbal of the Conference Board of Canada.
Most of the increase includes requests to the U.S department of Immigration and Naturalization for “non-permanent” visas. Such requests now make up 90% of the total work visa requests, he says.
He concedes that the data does not show where the same person has been counted more than once. But he asserts that even “short absences can have a negative effect on the Canadian economy.” And although the total number can be questioned, there is no denying the trend.
Andrew Jackson disputes the Conference Board’s findngs. Jackson is an economist with the Canadian Labour Congress. The Conference Board’s list was made up of health care workers and scientists – many of whom are academics. Jackson says their move to the U.S. is due to government cutbacks, not taxation policies.
Iqbal and Jackson made their comments at the Canadian Tax Foundation conference in Ottawa. Conference particpants are examining the impact of tax reform on Canadian competitiveness.