" 'Baby touristing' on rise in Quebec: doctors "

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Thu, 2009-02-19 10:06

toddsschneider

" 'Baby touristing' on rise in Quebec: doctors "

'Baby touristing' on rise in Quebec: doctors

Strategy seen as a quick way to get Canadian citizenship for children

http://tinyurl.com/cj28jg

Quebec doctors say they're seeing an increasing number of pregnant women from other countries visiting Montreal on vacation just to deliver their babies, a strategy known as "baby touristing."

The practice is promoted on some international websites and blogs as a way to get automatic Canadian citizenship for children.

Now officials from the Quebec Federation of Medical Specialists and the Quebec Association of Gynecologists say they are seeing more and more female tourists from French-speaking countries arriving at Montreal hospitals to give birth to their babies ...

Thu, 2009-02-19 20:38

Machjo

How is this an issue? They pay for travel health insurance before coming to Canada, I assume, so it's not costing the Canadian taxpayer anything moneywise. And as for their children becoming Canadian citizens, the article mentions pregnant women from French-speaking countries, so it's reasonable that these new citizens will learn at least one of Canada's official languages, so when they come back to Canada, we won't need to pay for their language tuition either. And more workers means more taxpayers. Really, I see this as a plus for Canada as a whole.

Thu, 2009-02-19 20:39

Machjo

If this is costing Canada somehow in some way I've overlooked, please let me know.

Thu, 2009-02-19 20:41

Machjo

The only way I could see this as being a problem is if 20 years from now the new citizens suddenly all come to Canada in droves and decide to settle in Alberta not knowing English. Then of course we'd be stuck footing the bill for their Enlish instruction. But if they go to Quebec, then they could only contribute to the development of Quebec's economy and culture.

Fri, 2009-02-20 11:10

toddsschneider

The medical specialists' president claims that some of these women are not paying their bills, travel medical insurance coverage or not. The costs pulled out of a hat, er, cited, are in the range of hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to the Quebec medicare system.

On the face of it, do these look like good citizenship prospects?

Fri, 2009-02-20 11:39

Michelle

Wow, anti-immigrant scaremongering, here on babble. So not what this discussion forum is about. I wonder if the fact that they speak French has more to do with whether they are "good citizenship prospects"?

I'm closing this.

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