Immigration and Settlement

1. Family  reunification is a central objective of the immigration programs of Canada and Quebec;
2. Canada has signed and ratified international conventions which affirm the principle of family unity and that the family is entitled to protection by society and the state;
3. These positions are affirmed in CCR’s Family reunification Resolution of June 1997, Increased commitment to family reunification Resolution of November 2011 and several other CCR resolutions;
4. Proof of minimum income requirement is already exempted for certain family members such as spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or dependent child;

1. Canada as a nation has yet to fully respect the Indigenous nations and honour their inherent rights as acknowledged by the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and provided for by the many subsequent Treaties.
2. Injustices and harms have been – and continue to be – perpetrated upon Indigenous peoples as a result of the colonization of the First Peoples and the racist policies of the governments in Canada.
3. Despite Canada's economic prosperity, First Peoples continue to experience a disproportionate level of poverty and related disparities as compared to the rest of the population.
4. As Treaty peoples, we share a vision for Canada which promises fairness, respect, justice, equality and prosperity for everyone on these lands and territories.
5. We believe that the first critical step towards realizing that vision is the rebuilding and renewing of the relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples of Canada through a process of reconciliation that fully honours our respective roles as Treaty peoples.

The Government of Canada is proposing to reduce the maximum age of dependants in the Immigration and Refuge Protection Regulations from under 22 years of age to under 19 years of age;

1. The Department of Citizenship and Immigration has outlined forthcoming changes to Canada’s Refugee Resettlement Program that use both protection and immigration criteria and, among other changes, call for a limiting of the numbers of refugees resettled who have high needs for services and support to achieve integration; furthermore these changes will unfairly disadvantage women refugees, the elderly and other vulnerable groups;
2. The changes include criteria for selection based on Canada’s foreign or economic interests and ministerial interests;
3. Recent changes to Canada’s Immigration Program will ensure that more immigrants will arrive with skills and expertise that will reduce the needs for settlement and integration services and supports;

1. The CCR’s 2003 resolution calls on its members to sensitize themselves on the issues facing First Nations communities and explore ways of having meaningful dialogue with these communities;
2. The CCR needs to further this position by taking concrete action to strengthen relationships with indigenous communities;
3. The CCR also must incorporate awareness of the history and present realities of indigenous peoples in our activities and our work;

The federal government announced reductions to the Interim Federal Health Program in April 2012 and these changes are slated to come into effect on June 30th, 2012.

1. The live-in caregiver program currently requires workers to live in the employer’s home;
2. Living in the employer’s home creates a greater possibility for sexual and labour exploitation;
3. The program does not allow family members to accompany the worker until they fulfill their required hours, thereby leading to family separation for a minimum period of 2 years;

1. The government is introducing multiple entry visas of up to 10 years to allow parents and grandparents to visit family here as a way to address long family separations caused by processing delays;
2. The visitors are required to purchase medical insurance in order to qualify for the visa;
3. Canada imposes visa requirements only on some countries, mostly in the global south and those with a majority racialized population;
4. Racialized Canadians are over-represented among those who would be most affected;

1. Family  reunification is a central objective of Canada's immigration programs
2. The CCR has called on the government to eliminate barriers to family reunification;
3. Extended families including parents and grandparents are important to social and economic wellbeing of families, including those of refugees and immigrants;
4. The sponsorship of parents and grandparents have had a lower overall priority in family reunification applications for the last few years;
5. The moratorium on these applications will close the door to some of these family members;

1. Canadians, many private and public stakeholders and governments agree that Canada needs immigrants to sustain its current prosperity;
2. Canada has received immigrants in excess of 1% of the population in several previous years and has become stronger as a result;
3. Immigration has strengthened Canada's multicultural and multifaith fabric;
4. Canada is attempting to fill its demographic needs through temporary rather than permanent immigration;