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Who are we? For Canadians, national identity is an elusive concept at best. While other nationalities have a clear understanding of how the world views them, Canadians often find it difficult to define what makes us distinct.

Myer Siemiatycki of Ryerson’s Politics and Public Administration Department believes he has the answer: immigration. It’s the experience – past or present – that’s common to all Canadians.

“It’s hard to find an aspect of Canadian life that doesn’t reflect immigration,” says Dr. Siemiatycki. “It’s seen in our literature, our school systems and our government policies. Our political, cultural and social lives are significantly defined by immigration.”

Dr. Siemiatycki is the Director of Ryerson’s Immigration and Settlement Studies graduate program, the first of its kind in Canada devoted to the study of immigration policy, services and experiences. Launched in 2004, the program explores Canadian immigration trends, policies and programs from a multi-disciplinary perspective and reinforces the growing importance of immigration to this country.

Currently, Dr. Siemiatycki is coediting the first national study on immigrant involvement in Canada’s electoral process. The project examines the accessibility of Canadian institutions and the representation of minority groups at all three levels of government. Dr. Siemiatycki believes understanding immigration is central to the study of Canadian politics and our national identity. “Whether you, your parent, grandparent or earlier ancestors made the move to this country, everyone is connected through an immigration experience,” says Dr. Siemiatycki.

He is conducting most of his research in Toronto – one of the world’s largest immigrant destination cities – with funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Geomatics for Informed Decisions Networks of Centres of Excellence and the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement. “Toronto is a rich setting to study the full palette of issues related to immigration.”

Dr. Siemiatycki is particularly interested in the evolving relationship between immigrants and their new home, and what it means to be an immigrant today. “It does not mean closing ties to the homeland, but rather an interconnectedness between the new world and the old,” he says. “[Immigrants] are reshaping and redefining our country and our world.”

This influence dates back to the 1960s, when Canada “opened its doors to the world.” During that time, Canada saw a sharp increase in its Asian, African and Middle Eastern populations. “The transformative impact on Canada was extraordinary — it became a global population.”

Dr. Siemiatycki is not suggesting Canada is perfect. He does, however, believe that the country’s progressive immigration policy has made the nation more dynamic, and a role model for cultural integration.

Dr. Siemiatycki’s work has explored the struggles of minority religions to gain acceptance in the Canadian urban landscape, and the “contours of transnationalism” – the ties recent immigrants from Hong Kong have with their birthplace and Canada.

His current projects include coediting a book on minority representation among elected politicians in Canada’s largest cities, and a study with colleagues at Ryerson and York University on the location of immigrant services and where newcomers choose to live.

Through his research, Dr. Siemiatycki is exploring the making of a more inclusive Canada.

Melissa Whetstone is an alumna of Ryerson’s School of Journalism.