Introduction/Presentation Par Les Editeurs‪.‬

Citizenship and Immigration Canada is currently considering the opportunities and barriers for diversifying poles of attraction for newcomers to Canada, while some provinces (Saskatchewan, Alberta, New Brunswick) are reflecting on their immigrant reception and attraction policies, and Quebec, in particular, is analysing and evaluating the effects of its immigration regionalization policy. Researchers, public servants, decision makers, and community stakeholders brought together by Metropolis in 2003 agreed that, while interesting research existed on regionalization strategies at a macro-economic level, there was not enough data at local levels to support a comprehensive and sustained regionalization strategy. In research to date, researchers and decision makers have been interested in potential immigration areas--provinces that currently attract few immigrants and certain outlying areas or areas distant from the large cosmopolitan cities--and in the reception and retention capacities of rural areas. They want to know about the status of the populations who go to, or who could be directed to, these areas; the interest that these people may have in settling there; their specific needs; the adaptation processes they prompt; and the services required by refugees, students, seasonal immigrants, professionals, investors, young people, and families. These researchers and decision makers are looking at why immigrants chose these areas: the opportunity to become socio-economically established; the social, health, educational, and cultural services; and the presence of a critical mass of immigrants who have similar origins and paths and who are already settled there. Researchers are also studying cultural distances in terms of the ethnic backgrounds and the religions of these populations, and the capacity for social cohesion in communities based on the new ethnic, cultural, and religious diversity. A great deal of research focuses on economics, that is, immigrants' economic paths and potential socioeconomic openings in the possible areas.