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Immigration and Settlement

Anti-oppression analytical framework

Resolution number
3
Whereas
  1. CIC has developed and implemented a gender-based tool to identify differential impacts of policies, programs and services;
  2. IRB has developed and implemented guidelines on gender-related persecution;
  3. Gender is only one among many factors of oppression that have a differential impact on refugees and immigrants;
  4. CCR believes in and promotes a full, comprehensive and integrated anti-oppression framework of analysis that includes race, gender (including gender identity and expression), class, ability, sexuality (including sexual orientation), ethnicity, religion, age, nationality and immigration status;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Urge CIC and the IRB to work with CCR to:
    1. expand their existing gender-based tools and guidelines to a full, comprehensive and integrated anti-oppression framework of analysis and apply it to policies, programs and services;
    2. Conduct training for their staff;
  2. Urge CIC and IRB to report periodically on the use of the tool, guidelines and training programs.
Subject

Temporary Foreign Workers

Resolution number
4
Whereas
  1. The Temporary Foreign Worker program has greatly expanded;
  2. There have been numerous incidents of worker abuse and exploitation;
  3. When spouses and children accompany Temporary Foreign Workers, there are very limited options for them;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR request CIC:

  1. To stop restricting Temporary Foreign Workers to specific named employers, giving them the same rights to labour mobility as other Canadian workers;
  2. Issue work permits to accompanying spouses and children of Temporary Foreign Workers.
Subject

Children’s ID and Dates of Birth

Resolution number
3
Whereas
  1. Children’s entitlement to education, protective services, and other supports is determined by age;
  2. Dates of birth on CIC issued documentation are frequently erroneous;
  3. The process for changing such information is cumbersome, onerous, and lengthy, taking time that child do not have;
  4. There are few security implications for altering birth dates for minors;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR request CIC to review the process for changing data on ID documents, with a view to making the process much faster and less difficult for children.

Subject

Canadian Experience Class

Resolution number
2
Whereas
  1. CIC is considering implementing a new “Canadian Experience” Class;
  2. CIC has indicated that this proposed new class will be restricted to highly skilled workers;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Express to CIC that this class be open to all applicants regardless of skill level.
  2. Express to the Quebec government that it should to give temporary foreign workers access to permanent residence class without regard to skill levels.
  3. Formally adopt the position paper prepared for the consultation with CIC on the proposed class as its formal position on the class.
Subject

Best practices for service delivery to trafficked persons

Resolution number
1
Whereas
  1. Canada is a party to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons;
  1. The Protocol includes assistance to and protection of trafficked persons;
  1. The federal government has a responsibility for immigration and settlement;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR urge the government of Canada to initiate a national strategy for the coordination and implementation of best practices in services to persons trafficked into and within Canada, including all federally funded settlement services.

Resolution also approved by Inland Protection

Subject

The right to access to safe, secure and affordable housing

Resolution number
5
Whereas
  1. Safe, secure and affordable housing is a resource that plays a critical role in determining overall health and well-being and provides a base from which immigrants and refugees can seek employment, re-establish family relationships and make connections with the wider community;
  2. Immigrants and refugees are facing absolute and hidden homelessness problems in Canada;
  3. UNHCR Reception and Integration Handbook, ch. 2.8 (A Place to Call Home) outlines guidelines;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Write to all levels of government responsible for housing and immigration settlement to allocate more resources for affordable housing and to review the provision of adequate income and social assistance levels to facilitate access to safe, secure and affordable housing.
  2. Promote the best service guidelines in the area of housing developed by the UNHCR, ensuring that governments and service providers commit to the housing guidelines, and provide the support and resources needed to enable those guidelines to be maintained.
Subject

Temporary Foreign Workers and Welcoming Communities Initiative

Resolution number
3
Whereas
  1. The federal Temporary Foreign Workers Program frustrates the attempts of communities to attract and retain population permanently, and contradicts the goals of CIC’s Welcoming Communities Initiative and similar initiatives of other jurisdictions;
  2. The goals of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act promote immigration to build the future of Canada;
  3. The CCR supports access to permanent residency for temporary workers;
  4. Many concerns have been raised about lack of equitable access for temporary workers to permanent residency through the underutilized Canadian Experience Class;
Therefore be it resolved

That CCR advocate for the federal Temporary Foreign Workers Program to be brought into alignment with the Welcoming Communities Initiative’s and similar initiatives of other jurisdictions goals of cohesiveness, social inclusiveness and retention of population permanently.

Subject

Migration Curriculum

Resolution number
2
Whereas
  1. Provincial Ministries of Education have existing commitments to address stereotypes through anti-bullying and anti-racism principles of awareness, empathy, engagement, cultural sensitivity and empowerment;
  2. Extensive efforts have been made to develop curriculum modifications to address the needs of newcomer students;
  3. Schools are central to inculcating citizenship values among all Canadian youth;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR promote the expansion of core curriculum strategies and resources for the entire student population to address the lived experiences and continuing realities of immigrants and refugees in our modern multicultural Canadian society through collaborative engagement between provincial ministries of education, settlement agencies and other relevant partners and stakeholders.

Subject

Equitable Enforcement

Resolution number
4
Whereas
  1. Temporary Foreign Workers are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse with numerous documented cases;
  2. Their vulnerability is increased by contraventions of IRPA committed by employers and recruiters;
  3. There are limited or no resources for mandatory monitoring and enforcement;
  4. When there is no system of enforcement, Temporary Foreign Workers are the ones penalized, resulting in further victimization;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Advocate for provincial governments to protect Temporary Foreign Workers’ rights through workplace audits and enforcement of appropriate legislation, including criminal, against employers and recruiters.
  2. Advocate that the federal government:
  1. Prosecute recruiters and employers who contravene IRPA.
  2. Put in place a mechanism and systems to protect rather than penalize Temporary Foreign Workers who have contravened IRPA as a result of victimization by recruiters and employers;
  3. Enter into international agreements whereby Canada and the source countries of Temporary Foreign Workers agree to prohibit the charging to the workers of recruitment and placement fees.
Subject

Mandatory Monitoring System on Temporary Foreign Workers

Resolution number
3
Whereas
  1. The monitoring system implemented by CIC as part of recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program is voluntary and therefore ineffective;
  2. Abuses of Temporary Foreign Workers by employers are widespread and have been well documented;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR advocate that the federal government enforce a mandatory monitoring system for the employers of Temporary Foreign Workers.

Subject