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Day 1 - Tuesday, November 18

Detailed Daily Program

(Information subject to changes and will be updated as new details become available)

Tuesday, November 18

9am - 10am: Working Group Meetings
  • *Immigration & Settlement
    Location: Workshop Room 2
  • *Inland Protection
    Location: Workshop Room 1
  • *Overseas Protection and Resettlement
    Location: Workshop Room 3

*Please note that the Working Group Meetings are closed to representatives of the Government and the media.

10am - 10:30am: Coffee Break
Location: Coffee will be served in the last room to the left, adjacent to the Plenary Room, accessible from the Exhibitor’s Area. We encourage you to take this time to visit our partners and supporters at the exhibitor tables.
10:30am - 12:30pm: Plenary
  • 2025 Opening Plenary – We're Better Together: Growing Public Support for Immigrants and Refugees
    Location: Plenary Room
    Join us for the opening plenary to hear diverse voices discuss the urgency of this moment, where a rising tide of hate and anti-immigrant sentiment must be met by a collective effort to build back broad public support for a welcoming and just Canada. Panellists will share lessons from their experiences engaging with the public across the country to help us as we embark on our new shared campaign. How do we build our capacity across movements to marginalize right wing narratives? How do we connect with and engage new audiences to grow our power? How to call out those who are really causing the crises that are hurting all of our neighbours and grow demand for the solutions that build the communities we need? How do we stay hopeful?
     
    Land Acknowledgement and Welcome Blessing
    Carolyn Moar, Knowledge Keeper and Elder (Sagkeeng First Nation, MB)
     
    Keynote Speakers
    Gina McKay, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB)
    Carleen Pickard, Ben & Jerry’s (Toronto, ON)
    Kaylee Perez, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) (Kitchener, ON)
    Delphine Mas, Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI) (Montréal, QC)
     
    Moderators
    Louisa Taylor, Refugee 613 (Ottawa, ON)
    Eva Gracia-Turgeon, The Refugee Centre (Montréal, QC)
12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch
Location: Lunch will be served in the last room to the left, adjacent to the Plenary Room, accessible from the Exhibitor’s Area. We invite you to share your meal with the other participants in the Plenary Room.
1:30pm - 3pm: Workshops Bloc A
  • A1: Ripple Effects: How U.S. Political Changes Influence Canada’s Asylum and Resettlement Landscape
    Location: Plenary Room
    This workshop will explore the multiple impacts of rapid changes in US migration policies and programs under the Trump Administration both on the global refugee system and for our resettlement and settlement work in Canada. The workshop will also consider strategies for how we can address these issues collectively in the short and longer term.
     
    Speakers
    Abdikheir Ahmed, Resilia Community Wellness Centre (Winnipeg, MB)
    Kelly Ryan, Jesuit Refugee Service USA (Washington, DC, USA)
    Kathleen Hadekel, Canada-US Border Rights Clinic (Montréal, QC / Kitchener, ON)
     
    Moderators
    Hugo Ducharme, Jesuit Refugee Service Canada (Montréal, QC)
    Kari McCluskey, Resilia Community Wellness Centre (Winnipeg, MB)
     
  • A2: Technology and Surveillance in Migration: Risks and Opportunities
    Location: Workshop Room 1
    This workshop will help CCR members consider how to approach the use of digital technology in migration, exploring both the risks and opportunities that technology poses to migrants and service providers. We will discuss advances in surveillance technology and strategies to ensure digital safety for migrants and for those who support them. We will also look at how technology can be leveraged to advance access to justice for migrants.
     
    Speakers
    Sean Rehaag, Refugee Law Laboratory (Toronto, ON)
    Petra Molnar, Refugee Law Laboratory (Toronto, ON)
    Nazmun Siddiqua, Healthy Muslim Families (Winnipeg, MB)
     
    Moderators
    Jenn McIntyre, Canada-US Border Rights Clinic (Halifax, NS)
    Marisa Berry-Mendez, Amnistie internationale Canada francophone (Montréal, QC)
     
  • A3: Building Common Ground: Newcomers, Refugees, Settlers, and Indigenous Communities in Dialogue
    Location: Workshop Room 2
    This workshop invites participants to consider intersections between Indigenous experiences of racism and colonialism and the realities of people settling in Canada, while exploring how commonality can bring us together. Participants will be encouraged to embrace both comfort and discomfort, recognizing that where our feet are from shapes how we walk in solidarity. We will discuss the responsibility of those in settlement services to listen deeply to Indigenous stories and recognize that Reconciliation can only be addressed together. Real progress requires community-based action embedded in policies and practices. Drawing inspiration from Indigenous narratives and community-led approaches, the workshop will highlight examples of collaboration across the sector while encouraging reflection, dialogue, and a shared commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.
     
    Speakers
    Clayton Sandy, Knowledge Keeper, Cultural Advisor, and Community activist (Sioux Valley Dakota First Nation, MB)
    MariJo Vanidour, Indigenous staff and Knowledge Keeper at Catholic Social Services (CSS) Alberta (Mohawk of the 6 Nations of the Grand River, AB)
    Mbalu Lumor, Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) (Toronto, ON)
    Alix Reynolds, The Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Agreement Holders (SAH) Association (Toronto, ON)
     
    Moderators
    Lily Mariz, Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization of Manitoba (IRCOM) (Winnipeg, MB)
    Paola Carmagnani, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (CCTEHT) (Toronto, ON)
     
  • A4: Breaking Down Silos: Enhancing Collaboration Across Sectors
    Location: Workshop Room 3
    It is inspiring to see collaboration and coalitions building that responds to a need in new ways. We often struggle to build coalitions when situations arise that require cooperation, partly because we often don’t see beyond our own context and the specific roles we play in providing durable solutions for refugees. This workshop will look at examples of coalitions that came together to solve a problem, what challenges they faced, and how they overcame them.
     
    Speakers
    Lara Dyer, Talent Beyond Boundaries (Ottawa, ON)
    Emily Halldorson, Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO) (Winnipeg, MB)
    Daniela Ruiz, Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations (MANSO) (Winnipeg, MB)
    Mark Stewart, Salvation Army (Winnipeg, MB)
     
    Moderators
    Bryan Dyck, Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) (Winnipeg, MB)
    Nadine Louis, Action Réfugiés Montréal (Montréal, QC)
3pm - 3:30pm: Coffee Break
Location: Coffee will be served in the last room to the left, adjacent to the Plenary Room, accessible from the Exhibitor’s Area. We encourage you to take this time to visit our partners and supporters at the exhibitor tables.
3:30pm - 5pm: Workshops Bloc B
  • B1: Setting Up Sanctuary for Scholars Programs across Canada
    Location: Workshop Room 1
    The right to education is crucial to the well-being of individuals and our communities. Sanctuary Scholars programs, such as those at Toronto Metropolitan University and York University, offer post-secondary access to education for those with precarious status. No one should be left out, and thoughtful consideration goes into creating a space of ‘Sanctuary for Scholars’.
    This workshop will discuss the requirements and logistics to set up post-secondary access programs and the environment for meaningful participation. A knowledge sharing for expansion of such programs to meet the needs of individuals with precarious immigration status competent to provincial realities.
     
    Speakers
    Tanya Aberman, Sanctuary Scholars Programs at York University and Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, ON)
    Brantella Williams, S4 Collective (Toronto, ON)
    Christina Clark-Kazak, University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)
    Kinan Swaid, The Refugee Centre (Montréal, QC)
     
    Moderators
    Camille Fournel, The Refugee Centre (Montréal, QC)
    Stefan Enrique Joseph Kallikaden, FCJ Refugee Centre (Toronto, ON)
     
  • B2: ‘We’re Better Together’ Training: How to Use the Messaging and Campaign
    Location: Plenary Room
    Join us to learn more about our new campaign, “We’re Better Together” and how it can help you and your organization improve your messaging to build public support for immigrants and refugees. This training is open to people who took the campaign’s November 10th online launch training and want an opportunity to ask questions, and people who did not attend the online training.
     
    Speakers
    Kathryn LeBlanc, LeBlanc (& co.) Communications (Winnipeg, MB)
     
  • B3: Building Federal – Provincial Cooperation to ensure Asylum with Dignity for Refugee Claimants
    Location: Workshop Room 2
    Federal-provincial cooperation and coordination with civil society is key for ensuring respect for rights, fair process and long-term positive outcomes for refugee claimants seeking safety and a new life in Canada. In Manitoba, the provincial government and local organizations have been providing leadership in expanding interim housing as well as opening wrap around services to claimants under certain conditions. This work is supported in part by federal investments. The workshop will engage IRCC officials, the recently established Asylum Claimant Unit in the Manitoba Government and local NGOs to discuss opportunities and needs for federal – provincial collaboration, drawing on the experience in Manitoba and offer provinces to offer insights for future practice.
     
    Speakers
    Abdikheir Ahmed, Resilia Community Wellness Centre (Winnipeg, MB)
    Maria DeGuzman, Asylum and Claimant Unit of Manitoba Government (Winnipeg, MB)
    TBC, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) (Ottawa, ON)
     
    Moderators
    Steve Reynolds, Regional Connections Inc. (Winkler, MB)
    Gauri Sreenivasan, Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) (Montréal, QC)
     
  • B4: Challenging the Safe Third Country Agreement: Rethinking Advocacy and Mobilization
    Location: Workshop Room 3
    Rooted in a participatory approach, this workshop aims to reinvigorate mobilization against the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA). We will begin with an update on the ongoing legal challenges to the STCA, while examining the on-the-ground impacts of its current enforcement and its exceptions at the border. Next, we will explore a successful case of climate justice litigation that may inspire and inform our advocacy strategies against the STCA. We will close with a collective reflection on the lessons learned and gains achieved from this mobilization, and how they can fuel our own.
     
    Speakers
    Imtenan Abd-El-Razik, Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (WRCLS) (Kitchener, ON)
    Kristin Marshall, Canada-US Border Rights Clinic (Toronto / Kitchener , ON)
    Laura Cameron, Manitoba’s Climate Action Team (Winnipeg, MB)
     
    Moderators
    Camille Bonenfant, Migrant Justice Clinic (Montréal, QC)
    Marisa Berry-Mendez, Amnistie internationale Canada francophone (Montréal, QC)
5:15pm - 6:15pm: Caucuses
  • Caucus 1: Advocating for Equitable Processing in Africa
    Location: Workshop Room 1
    Resettlement processing out of Africa remains slow, inconsistent, and marked by poor communication, lacking transparency and accountability, creating serious hardship for both refugees and sponsors. CCR will release a report in October documenting these challenges, and this caucus will provide an opportunity to strategize on how to use the report to push for fairer and more accountable processing.
     
  • Caucus 2: Strengthening Collective Advocacy to Support Refugee Claimants
    Location: Workshop Room 2
    This caucus will build on the conversations from the morning Working Group session, taking a closer look at the priority issues and challenges identified by members. Together, we will explore what supports and actions from the CCR would be most helpful in addressing these concerns, and how members can stay connected and share strategies between meetings. This session will be an opportunity to identify common themes in the issues refugee claimants and frontline workers are facing, strengthen our collective advocacy, and consider practical next steps — including ways to connect with decision-makers and each other.
     
  • Caucus 3: Immigration Levels - Implications and Strategies for Response
    Location: Workshop Room 3
    In this caucus session, we will discuss the most recent immigration levels announced by the Government of Canada and the implications for processing times. We will ask participants to share the impacts they are seeing with clients of different immigration status (e.g. refugees, temporary foreign workers) and how our approaches with affected populations are evolving in each of our communities. The discussion will also focus on how our advocacy strategies can respond as well as on the emotional supports required by individuals and communities coping with these challenges.
     
7pm - 10pm: Social event
  • Social event
    Location: will be shared at a later date