As leaders from around the world gather in Toronto and area under extremely high security for the G-8 and G-20 conferences, the eyes of the world will literally be on Canada. For some media, particularly the U.S. media, they will be more interested in the event rather than in the host - but in many ways, the host country should be of high interest.Canada is one of the most sought-after nations in the world for new immigrants, and has long been noted by the United Nations as one of the best places in the world to live.This is partly due to our standard of living, but also to the beauty of our land, and to the system of government, the freedoms and the opportunities, that Canada affords to both her current residents and to new Canadians.In the last couple of years, Canada has proven to be a welcoming place for those seeking better job opportunities in almost every field; as the economy has been growing, at a much healthier rate than many nations of the world, a labour shortage has come up as companies seek to grow and expand.One of the answers has been to bring in immigrants, particularly ones skilled in the areas that employers need them, such as industrial skills, or the health care field (doctors, nurses, medical technicians). Even the service industry has been able to find vacancies filled by bringing in workers from Mexico, and the Philippines, to name just two countries of origin.And what do our new Canadians find? They discover not only the natural beauty of our land and its vast resources, but they discover that Canadians by and large are warm, friendly and hospitable, and are welcoming of those who have come to make our land their new home.Should we be surprised that so many love coming here? After all, Canada was largely founded and populated by immigrants all through her history.We are a welcoming nation, and on this Canada Day, we need to stand proud of who we are, and celebrate what we have.
