加拿大政府日前宣布，2010年加拿大接收的合法移民人數創下50多年來的最高紀錄，其中以移民為永久居民的就超過28萬，另外還有近40萬臨時工作人員、留學生以及避難人員在去年進入加拿大。加拿大的移民政策向來比較寬松，而現任政府也一直致力于促進合法移民數量。加拿大移民部長表示，在經濟衰退時期，其它西方國家都先后削減移民數量，而加拿大卻保持在一貫的移民水平，加拿大需要大量經濟移民來保持本國經濟的發展水平。

Canada welcomed its highest number of legal immigrants in more than 50 years in 2010, the government has said.

Canada welcomed its highest number of legal immigrants in more than 50 years in 2010, the government has said.

Preliminary data show 280,636 permanent residents entered Canada last year.

The number is 60% higher than the average annual number of immigrants admitted in the 1990s.

"While other Western countries cut back on immigration during the recession, our government kept legal immigration levels high," said immigration minister Jason Kenney on Sunday.

Canada's immigration policy has historically been viewed as liberal, and the current government has been keen to boost the levels of legal entrants.

"Canada's post-recession economy demands a high level of economic immigration to keep our economy strong," Mr Kenney added.

About two-thirds of those admitted to the country last year were permanent residents, who under this status are granted the same privileges as citizens except for a passport and voting rights.

The majority of these were economic migrants and their dependents, Mr Kenney said.

In addition to permanent residents, 182,322 temporary workers entered Canada in the past year, as well as 96,147 foreign students and 12,098 refugees.

But while welcoming immigrants, the country has also sought to crack down on the number of illegal immigrants reaching its shores.

Last year, a number of ships carrying Tamil migrants from Sri Lanka arrived in the country.

At the time, Prime Minister Stephen Harper described the arrival of hundreds of illegal immigrants on the vessels as "unacceptable", and pledged to "deter this kind of behaviour".

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(Agencies)

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）