Skip to main content

Day 2 - Wednesday, November 19

Detailed Daily Program

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

Wednesday, November 19

9am - 10:30am: Workshops Bloc C
  • C1: How to Support People who Lose Status
    Location: Workshop Room 1
    Thousands of refugee claimants, temporary workers, international students, and undocumented migrants face losing legal status—with no system in place to protect them.
     
    This workshop aims to deepen understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by individuals who lose their status in Canada. The goal is to explore practical solutions, including advocacy strategies, that enhance the safety and well-being of this population, even amidst the complexities and uncertainties of their situations.
     
    Join us to learn, share, and take action. No one should face this crisis alone.
     
    Speakers
    Destiny Klessen, Regional Connections Inc. (Winkler, MB)
    Levelt Michaud, Action Réfugiés Montréal (Montréal, QC)
    Whitney Haynes, Alberta Workers Association for Research and Education (AWARE) (Edmonton, AB)
     
    Moderators
    Susan Falodun, Roman Catholic Diocese of London (Windsor, ON)
    IsaBelle Couillard, Comité d’action contre la traite humaine interne et international (CATHII) (Montréal, QC)
     
  • C2: Beyond the Broken System: Reimagining Protection Pathways in Canada
    Location: Workshop Room 2
    Details to come
     
    Speakers
     
    Moderators
     
  • C3: Nafeer: Root Causes of Displacement in Sudan
    Location: Workshop Room 3
    This workshop will provide an overview of the conflict currently happening in Sudan. Speakers will talk about the main causes of displacement and the biggest challenges to creating lasting peace in the region, including Canadian complicity, as well as options for solidarity and support to Sudanese people in Canada.
     
    Speakers
    Dr. Nisrin Elamin, University of Toronto and Sudan Solidarity Collective (Toronto, ON)
    Dr. Ahmed El Bashir, Court reporter, Translator and Academic
    Huda Bukhari, Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) (Toronto, ON)
     
    Moderators
    Ibtihal Mustafa, Sudanese Canadian Community Association (SCCA) (London, ON)
    Melissa Claisse, Welcome Collective (Montréal, QC)
     
  • C4: Resisting Erasure: LGBTQIA+ Rights, Border Bills, and the Fight for Free Movement
    Location: Plenary Room
    This workshop critically examines Bill C-2 and the broader rhetoric of border security and militarization in Canada and globally. It highlights the specific barriers and dangers these create for LGBTQIA+ populations, especially migrants and refugees. The session will explore how such agendas criminalize mobility and erase the rights of those seeking safety. Through collective discussion, participants will unpack the legal, political, and social dimensions of these threats. The workshop will also focus on community-based, legal and policy strategies to fight back against the systemic erasure of LGBTQIA+ rights and challenge the criminalization of queer and trans migration.
     
    Speakers
    Tatenda Mandenga, Action Réfugiés Montréal (Montréal, QC)
    Aleks Dughman-Manzur, From Borders to Belonging (Vancouver, BC)
    Deepa Mattoo, Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic (Toronto, ON)
     
    Moderators
    Basel Abou Hamrah, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN)(Edmonton, AB)
    tbc
     
10:30am - 11am: 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.
11:00am - 12:30pm: Workshops Bloc D
  • D1: Collective Repair: Exercise for Sustainable Hope
    Location: Workshop Room 1
    Take a moment for yourself, right here, right now. This session is a chance to pause, reconnect, and realign in the middle of the heaviness of our work.
     
    Join colleagues as we step out of the storm for a while and join a participatory session that supports those working on the front lines of (re)settlement and community services. Together, we will take time to notice what we carry, tend to the weight of emotional and spiritual fatigue, and find small ways to come back to center.
     
    Together, we will explore simple somatic exercises that will tap into our senses and calm our nervous system. Rooted in the spirit of interconnectedness, this session also weaves in Indigenous perspectives on balance and relationship, offering a shared space for care and learning.
     
    Speakers
    Kari McCluskey, Resilia Community Wellness Centre (Winnipeg, MB)
    Indigenous rep TBC
     
    Moderators
    Mariana Martinez Vieyra, Vancouver Association for Survivors of Torture (VAST) (Vancouver, BC)
    Jacques Bertrand, Réseau d'intervention auprès des personnes ayant subi la violence organisée (RIVO-résilience) (Montréal, QC)
     
  • D2: Beyond the Bill: Youth Allyship Against Anti-Migrant Laws
    Location: Workshop Room 2
    Bill C-2 is more than just a law — it represents a development of the anti-immigration sentiment in Canada, the Bill changes who gets to feel safe, heard, and protected in Canada. From stricter immigration rules to expanded surveillance powers, this bill could reshape the future for refugees, migrants, asylum seekers, and racialized communities. Youth are directly impacted — as migrants navigating uncertain status, as asylum seekers, and as digital citizens whose privacy and mobility are at risk.
     
    This workshop will discuss what Bill C-2 and the new government approach mean for young migrants, who it impacts the most, and how we can respond through advocacy and allyship.
     
    Speakers
    Louis-Philippe Jannard, Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI) (Montréal, QC)
    Alina Murad, The Refugee Centre (Montréal, QC)
     
    Moderators
    Tanya Aberman, Sanctuary Scholars Programs at York University and Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, ON)
    Jannath Naveed, Health Data Research Network Canada (St. John's, NL)
     
  • D3: Post-Refusal Pathways: Exploring Post-Claim Recourses and Humanitarian Pathways to Permanent Residency
    Location: Workshop Room 3
    What happens when an asylum claim is refused — and how can we effectively support migrants in vulnerable situations?
     
    This workshop will explore the legal and procedural options available to individuals whose claims have been denied, including Pre-Removal Risk Assessments (PRRA), appeals, and requests for deferrals or stays of removal. We will also examine the challenges and potential of applying for permanent residency on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds. Through this session, participants will gain practical insights into post-refusal strategies and the tools needed to navigate this complex stage of the immigration process.
     
    Speakers
    Gwendolyn Muir, Migrant Justice Clinic (Montréal, QC)
    Jennifer Dagsvik, Newcomer Legal Clinic (Thunder Bay, ON)
    Humaira Jaleel, Healthy Muslim Families (Winnipeg, MB)
     
    Moderators
    Harrold Babon, Migrant Justice Clinic (Montréal, QC)
    Joshua Eisen, FCJ Refugee Centre (Toronto, ON)
     
  • D4: No Refuge from Racism: Exposing Anti-Palestinian Racism in Canada’s Communities, Policies and Refugee System
    Location: Plenary Room
    This workshop will unpack anti-Palestinian racism - a distinct form of anti-Arab racism that silences, erases, and dehumanizes Palestinians and their narratives. Speakers will examine how it manifests in Canada’s refugee system, institutions, and the communities meant to welcome newcomers. Participants will gain tools to recognize, challenge, and dismantle anti-Palestinian racism within institutional and community settings.
     
    Speakers
    Dania Majid, Arab Canadian Lawyers Association (ACLA) (Toronto, ON)
    Imtenan Abd-El-Razik, Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (WRCLS) (Kitchener, ON)
    Corey Balsam, Independent Jewish Voices Canada (Toronto, ON)
     
    Moderators
    Lena Awwad, Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA) (Edmonton, AB)
    Lauren Lallemand, Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) (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 - 3:30pm: 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.

3:30pm - 4pm: 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.
4pm - 5:30pm: Mid-Plenary
  • Keynote with The Honourable Wab Kinew, Premier of Manitoba (with Hon. Malaya Marcelino, Minister of Labour and Immigration)
    Location: Plenary Room
    Stay tuned for details on a high-level Keynote speaker who will share the vision and experience of working towards "One Manitoba," an approach to enable First Peoples, refugees and settlers to work together to build a better future for all.
     
    Keynote Speakers
    TBC
     
    Moderators
    TBC