How Canada can foster deeper ties with African continent

Never have African Canadians and their descendants been so numerous in Canada. In 20 years, the African diaspora has more than tripled, from 300,000 people in 2000 to 1.3 million in 2021. If we add Afro-American and Afro-Caribbean descendants, the African-Canadian population numbers 1.5 million people, or approximately four per cent of the Canadian population. This percentage is set to grow substantially in the coming decades with the continent being one of the main sources of immigration to Canada. An entrepreneur for more than 25 years, Amina Gerba was appointed Senator for Quebec (Rigaud) in July 2021. She is affiliated with the Progressive Senate Group. Photograph courtesy of the Senate of Canada More educated and financially better off, African Canadians actively participate in the prosperity of this country. As we know, the African diaspora is one of the most educated racialized groups in Canada. In 2021, they were more likely to have a bachelor's degree or higher than non-visible minority and non-Indigenous Canadians. What most people do not know is that since 1980, businesses owned by immigrants, including the African diaspora, were responsible for 25 per cent of net jobs created in the Canadian private sector. To circumvent the barriers to its inclusion and economic integration, the African diaspora has turned to entrepreneurship. Between 2005-2018, the proportion of business owners who identify with the African-Canadian community increased significantly for both women and men, but at relatively different rates. It now represents a significant share of businesses incorporated by immigrants in Canada, and this share is growing steadily. A link between Africa and Canada The members of the African diaspora in Canada constitute one of the links between our country and the 54 countries of the African continent. They have the advantage of knowing both parties, of having ties there, of participating in personal and professional networks in their country of origin and their adopted home. Added to these formidable levers is their business experience, including in strategic areas, their knowledge of private and public institutions, and their familiarity with the markets of both worlds: the large North American continental market and the large African continental market. For the foreseeable future, the latter will be one of the largest markets in the world. I sincerely hope that the decision-makers and business people of our country will develop a healthy curiosity followed by actions towards this great African continental market. I also hope that partnerships and alliances will be created between these decision-makers and business people with the professional associations and chambers of commerce representing the African diaspora in Canada. Finally, Canada should attach great importance to former African students who have graduated from our universities and colleges. These students are a special part of our own diaspora—the Canadian diaspora—on the continent. They are our friends, our daily ambassadors. They help to indirectly strengthen the Canadian presence in Africa. I have no doubt that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada will urgently resolve the systemic discrimination that affects young Africans wishing to come and study in Canada. For a Canadian Council of the African Diaspora As announced in a speech delivered by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in 2021, titled The United States and Africa: Building a 21st Century Partnership, the African diaspora is central to the Biden-Harris administration's African vision. Our southern neighbours have established an African Diaspora Council to guide the American strategy in Africa. Without reproducing the American formula, I strongly hope that a Canadian Council of the African Diaspora will be created. There is no doubt that such a council could provide significant support to Canadian diplomacy on the continent. I make this proposal in the context of Africa Day on May 25. The conviction that this continent could occupy a leading role in this century, not in terms of power, but in terms of importance, is spreading around the world. Canada must take note. An entrepreneur for more than 25 years, Amina Gerba was appointed Senator for Quebec (Rigaud) in July 2021. She is affiliated with the Progressive Senate Group. The Hill Times

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How Canada can foster deeper ties with African continent

The conviction that Africa could occupy a leading role in this century, not in terms of power, but in terms of importance, is spreading around the world. Canada must take note.

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