From: The Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples/Iraqis/Muhammad A. Shuraydi
Most Iraqi migration following the Gulf War was driven by the situation in Iraq, worsened by the continuing internationally imposed economic embargo. In Canada, Iraqi immigrants seem to have three interrelated problems: failure to find jobs where they can apply their professional expertise; perceived discrimination, perhaps because some potential employers identify them with the regime that they fled; and lack of Canadian experience. Despite a high level of education and professional experience, 54 percent of 892 immigrants were unemployed, and, of the 407 with jobs, 40 percent had professional positions; 24 percent, lower white-collar; 30 percent, blue-collar; 3 percent, service; and 3 percent, not stated.
As one Iraqi immigrant says, “We came to Canada basically because of the violation of human rights in Iraq. We find ourselves victims of the pursuit of these same rights in our chosen homeland. Undoubtedly, it is a situation of double alienation.” Several interviewees in Toronto and Windsor, Ontario, narrated painful experiences or discriminatory treatment.
