HUMA Committee Report

Immigration has been a longstanding contributor to Canada’s labour supply. Many witnesses recognized the important role immigration has played and will continue to play helping Canada meet its skills needs. The Committee was told that immigration is expected to account for all net labour force growth in Canada within the next 10 years. Some witnesses suggested that Canada should rely less on foreign sources of skilled labour and become more self-sufficient by ensuring that workers in Canada have the necessary education and training opportunities to acquire the skills that are in demand. In our view, Canada needs both immigration and increased human capital investments in our domestic workforce if we hope to ensure that an adequate supply of skills is available to meet employers’ needs in the years to come.

Today, one of the key policy objectives of Canada’s immigration program is to select immigrants on the basis of their skills. Skilled workers represent the lion’s share of Canada’s immigration intake under the “economic class,” a category that includes skilled workers, business immigrants, provincial nominees and live-in caregivers.[324] In recent years, the economic class has accounted for between 55% and 60% of new permanent residents admitted each year. However, this immigration category’s share of total landings is somewhat overstated, since the spouses and children of principal applicants are included in the economic class as well. Canada also permits the temporary entry of foreign workers to help employers meet their skills needs when they are unable to recruit enough resident workers. Temporary foreign workers are becoming an increasingly important source of skills, especially for certain sectors of the economy and regions of the country.

SELECTING SKILLED WORKERS

In 2006, the latest year for which annual data are available, Canada admitted 105,949 individuals as skilled workers, of which 44,163 (42%) were principal applicants.[325] Skilled worker principal applicants accounted for 17.5% of our total immigration intake in that year. As shown in Chart 4.1, this immigration category (excluding spouses and children) has accounted for a declining share of total immigration since 2002.

The current approach to selecting skilled workers came into effect in 2002 with the implementation of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) (and Regulations). Citizenship and Immigration Canada maintains that in regard to skilled workers the IRPA seeks to select immigrants with the capacity to work in a dynamic labour market: “the focus is now on selecting immigrants with the flexible and transferable skills needed to succeed in a rapidly changing, knowledge-based economy, rather than on qualifications for specific occupations.”[326] Despite this policy intention, it would appear that many skilled workers admitted under these selection criteria are unable to work in their intended occupation because their foreign education, skills and job experience are not fully recognized or accepted in the Canadian labour market. The Committee was told that the non-recognition of immigrants’ skills in the Canadian labour market is undermining our ability to attract skilled workers to Canada.

Under our current skilled worker point system, we're attracting people who to some extent are already established in their own country. They have certain expectations when they come here. They want to settle down. They want to be part of Canada. Then, when they come here, their credentials are not being recognized. They can't find jobs. To them, it's like Canada has opened its arms and invited them to a dance party, but when they come, not only can they not find a partner, there's not even music being put on. So they decide to go home. When they go home, they tell their friends.[327]

Mr. Tung Chan
United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society

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Furthermore, it is estimated that a sizeable proportion of migration to Canada is temporary. According to Statistics Canada, between 1980 and 2000 approximately 35% of working-age male immigrants left Canada within 20 years of their arrival. Out-migration rates were highest among those admitted as skilled workers or under the business class. Not surprisingly, exit rates were highest when the economy was weakest.[328]

Individuals applying for permanent residence as skilled workers are selected according to the “points” system.[329] This system assigns points according to six assessment factors — education (up to 25 points), official language (up to 24 points), work experience (up to 21 points), age (up to 10 points), arranged employment (up to 10 points) and adaptability (up to 10 points).[330] Combined, these points equal a maximum of 100 and, as of September 2003, applicants must obtain at least 67 points to be considered admissible. In addition to obtaining the “pass mark,” principal applicants must show that in the past 10 years they have at least one continuous year of experience in full-time paid employment (or part-time equivalent) in an occupation requiring skill level O, A or B,[331] and demonstrate that they have sufficient financial resources to settle in Canada. Only principal applicants are subjected to this selection system.

Several witnesses suggested that the points system needs to be reformed to better reflect the needs of the Canadian labour market.[332] In some cases, the suggested reforms would shift the focus away from formal educational attainment to arranged employment and work experience. In view of the adjustment problems many immigrants face in making the transition into the Canadian labour market, consideration should be given to placing more importance on arranged employment, especially if the occupation in question requires a high level of formal education or skills training and is experiencing excess demand. Members of the Committee believe that the points system needs to be adjusted in a way that better reflects the specific occupational requirements of regional labour markets and that provides a more realistic valuation of skilled workers’ human capital (e.g., formal education, skills training, work experience) vis-à-vis the Canadian labour market. For example, if a skilled worker applying for admission can demonstrate that his or her education, skills training or occupational credentials are recognized in Canada, this should be assessed and points awarded accordingly.

Change language and arranged employment requirements to remove the barriers to immigration of skilled tradespeople required by the residential construction industry. There are a number of ways to rebalance the points awarded for language, education, work experience, adaptability, and arranged employment that could be considered to overcome this problem.[333]

Canadian Home Builders’ Association

The Committee recognizes that education is an important determinant of labour market success in the long term. It seems counterintuitive that our current selection system affords points for education levels below those usually required in today’s labour market: “[a]dvanced studies are fast becoming a prerequisite for employment, with up to 70% of new and replacement jobs now demanding post-secondary education — far exceeding the number of PSE graduates available in the labour market.”[334] Given the upward trend in the skill intensity of occupational demand, it is unclear why points are awarded for education below the post-secondary level.

While the Committee was told that the points system does not afford enough recognition to skilled trades, we note that 22 points are awarded for a trade certificate or apprenticeship (with at least 15 years of full-time study), the same number of points awarded to applicants with two or more bachelor’s degrees at the university level (see Appendix B).

Although the quality of education varies significantly around the world, Canada’s points system does not reflect this; points are assigned for years of study and educational qualifications irrespective of the country of origin. If points for education are not assigned according to a Canadian standard, immigrants may find themselves looking for work in a labour market where their schooling is valued less than it was in their country of origin. Australia avoids this situation by requiring potential skilled migrants to have their post-secondary qualifications assessed by the relevant assessing authority before they migrate.[335] At the very least, consideration should be given to affording a higher assessment to credentials that are recognized in the Canadian labour market compared with those that are not.

Labour market success also requires strong language skills in one or both of Canada’s official languages. According to the initial results (i.e., Wave 1) of Statistics Canada Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada,[336] inadequate official language skills was identified as one of three key factors hampering immigrants’ integration into the Canadian workplace (the other two were limited Canadian work experience and the non-recognition of credentials). Of the estimated 116,700 newcomers who arrived in Canada between October 2000 and September 2001 and who looked for work within the first six months of landing, 22% identified a lack of skills in either official language as the biggest hurdle to employment.[337] Yet not all applicants assessed under the points system are required to take a language test to determine how many points should be awarded for language. In proving language proficiency, applicants may submit, with their application for immigration, a written explanation and supporting documentation (e.g., an explanation of training in English or French, an explanation of how frequently the applicant uses English or French, and official documentation of education in English or French) as proof of the language proficiency indicated in the application. An immigration officer then assigns points on the basis of this information.[338] Given the importance of language in terms of securing a job, one wonders whether language testing should be mandatory for those applying to enter Canada as skilled workers.

Recommendation 4.1

The Committee recommends that the federal government review the assessment criteria used to select individuals who apply to immigrate to Canada as skilled workers with a view to: restricting points awarded for education to post-secondary education and training; providing more points (perhaps bonus points) for education and trades training recognized in Canada; providing more points for arranged employment; providing points for high-skills occupations experiencing chronic shortages; providing points for Canadian work experience; and awarding points for official languages based on approved official language tests.

Recommendation 4.2

The Committee recommends that the federal government consider restructuring the points system to reward potential immigrants who can demonstrate that they have had their credentials assessed by an approved assessment agency. Although the results of these assessments may alter the decision to immigrate, at the very least they will serve to refine applicants’ expectations and provide them with important, but necessary, information on any further education, training and licensing required to work in their designated occupation in Canada.

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As shown in Chart 4.1, skilled worker principal applicants as a percentage of our total immigration intake fluctuated between 17.5% and 23.5% during the period 1996 to 2006. Given the prospect of growing labour market imbalances in the next decade and beyond, members of the Committee support continued efforts to maintain the intake of skilled worker principal applicants to no less than one-fifth of our annual immigration. This policy should be reflected each year in Canada’s Immigration Plan.

Recommendation 4.3

The Committee recommends that the federal government adopt a multi-year Immigration Plan and, to the greatest extent possible, make a commitment to ensuring that skilled worker principal applicants account for at least 20% of our total annual immigration intake. In addition, Citizenship and Immigration Canada should give high priority to reducing the inventory of skilled worker applications for immigration to Canada. For greater clarity, it is not the Committee’s intent that this recommendation adversely affect the intake of immigrants in other immigration categories.

TEMPORARY FOREIGN WORKERS

In addition to admitting skilled workers as permanent residents, Canada also admits foreign workers on a temporary basis. In 2006, Canada admitted 112,658 temporary foreign workers to meet the skills needs of the Canadian labour market. As evidenced by the data depicted in Chart 4.2, not all foreign workers who enter Canada on a temporary basis are highly skilled. In fact, these data show that the proportion of highly skilled[339] foreign workers has declined since 2000. In 2006, skilled foreign workers accounted for roughly 36% of total foreign workers, down from almost 54% in 1996. Although Central Canada remains the destination of most temporary foreign workers, Western Canada’s share of foreign workers has been rising rapidly in recent years, due to the overall tightening of the labour market in British Columbia and Alberta. In 2006, roughly 36% of all temporary foreign workers went to British Columbia and Alberta, up from one quarter at the beginning of the decade.[340]

The Committee was told that greater use should be made of temporary workers — both skilled and unskilled — to help ensure that Canada has enough workers to meet the needs of employers, some of whom are becoming increasingly reliant on temporary foreign workers to maintain or increase production. However, this view was not shared by all, as some witnesses questioned the rationale for admitting foreign workers into this country, especially low-skilled workers, given the number of unemployed workers in Canada.

Before a temporary foreign worker is admitted to Canada, an employer’s job offer must be assessed by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC).[341] In this context, HRSDC personnel are supposed to confirm that: “the wages and working conditions associated with the job offer are standard for that type of employment; the job cannot easily be filled by a qualified and available Canadian; and allowing a foreign national to fill the position is unlikely to have a negative effect on the Canadian economy and labour force.”[342] Some witnesses questioned HRSDC’s labour market assessments regarding the difficulty employers have in filling particular positions. We recognize the concurrent existence of shortages and surpluses of similarly skilled workers in Canada. We also recognize that low wages (along with other factors discussed in Chapter 2 of our report) can impede geographical mobility for many unemployed workers, especially if the job offer entails moving halfway across the country.

HRSDC requires a labour market opinion to be provided when a temporary work permit is approved. They have to consider several factors. I want to highlight two of them. One factor is whether hiring a temporary worker addresses a labour shortage. Labour shortages in industries such as agriculture, child care, or elder care are in large part a result of poor working conditions and low wages in these sectors, as opposed to a shortage of low-skilled workers in Canada [...] Another factor that the HRSDC labour opinion requires before approving a temporary worker is — and this is important for us — whether the wages and working conditions offered are sufficient to attract Canadian citizens or permanent residents to, and retain them in, that work. We believe that this factor is too often overlooked. In essence, the Canadian government has adopted a policy of bringing in cheap foreign labour to perform the work that Canadians do not want to do, rather than addressing poor and unsafe working conditions in certain sectors.[343]

Ms. Veena Verma
Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives — KAIROS

We have some members in Alberta, and I bring their example because they're the ones who have been bringing the majority of concerns to us. They don't have any employees right now. Some of their garden centres, some of their landscape companies, and some of their nurseries actually aren't operating in some cases. Some of them have gone out of their way to pay over $5,000 to bring in a foreign worker for twelve months, and sometimes eight months, just to do the job. We have a lot of people in Canada who can do this work, and obviously we want Canada first. We have areas of high unemployment, so why not bring those people to other areas? Why not facilitate it?[344]

Mr. Victor Santacruz
Canadian Nursery Landscape Association

[T]he CLC questions the employer's promoted myth of a widespread skills shortage in Canada. There is growing evidence that employers are using the claim of skills shortage to employ foreign workers in a range of skills categories thereby avoiding the obligation to provide workers with acceptable working conditions and wage levels.[345]

Mr. Hassan Yussuff
Canadian Labour Congress

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The Committee was told that some temporary workers, especially seasonal agricultural workers, are subjected to substandard living accommodations and working conditions. The Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) permits agricultural producers to hire agricultural workers from a number of countries for a specific period of time (no longer than eight months). Like employers who hire temporary workers in general, agricultural employers are also required to try to hire unemployed Canadians to meet their labour needs. If employers are unable to hire enough Canadian workers to meet their labour needs, they may apply to hire foreign workers under SAWP provided that the wages to be paid are the same as those paid to Canadian workers (applications involving rates of pay below those paid to Canadian workers are not approved). Moreover, an employer must sign a contract with seasonal agricultural workers outlining the wages, job duties and conditions related to the transportation, accommodation, and health and occupational safety of contracted employees.[346] HRSDC expects working conditions to conform to provincial labour standards and that accommodations (which are provided by the employer as part of the contract) be approved by the appropriate provincial or municipal authority.[347]

Some witnesses suggested that employers who do not respect their contracts with seasonal agricultural workers or do not meet minimum provincial labour standards should be penalized. Although federal authority is very limited in these areas, the federal government is certainly in a position to deny subsequent applications from employers who do not comply with the rules of the program.

Many of these workers work 12 to 15 hours a day without overtime pay or any type of holiday pay. They use dangerous chemicals and pesticides with no safety equipment or protection and training. They live in substandard housing, which I have pictures of, with leaking sewage and inadequate washrooms. They have an inability to access most employment insurance benefits despite their contributions. They face various barriers to accessing adequate housing services. And they're prohibited from forming collective bargaining and joining unions. For actually taking a stand for anything they believe in, they could be sent home. As such, many workers are reluctant to stand up for their rights, since employers find it easier to send workers home at their own expense instead of dealing with their serious concerns. The lack of an appeal mechanism in the seasonal agricultural worker program forces many workers to remain silent out of fear of being expelled from the program.[348]

Mr. Chris Ramsaroop
Justice for Migrant Workers — Ontario

I know there's an underlying statement that in particular some of the unions make when referring to temporary workers, which is that this is just a way for construction industry employers to bring in cheap foreign labour. I want to say that is absolutely not the case. In fact it doesn't make sense. It's very expensive for a company to go out and find temporary foreign workers. There are relocation, travel, recruitment, and retraining costs, none of which you have with the Canadian worker. In short, should we be accepting any of these sorts of unfair treatment? Absolutely not. It is an absolute responsibility of the federal government to ensure that this not happening. However, those potential problems should not be dissuading us from ensuring that temporary foreign workers are a source of future labour supply.[349]

Mr. Jeff Morrison
Canadian Construction Association

Several witnesses expressed the view that temporary foreign workers should be given an opportunity to apply for permanent residence while in Canada, a feature that already exists in the Live-in Caregiver Program.[350] Some proponents of this idea also suggested that a similar approach be taken to “regularize” undocumented individuals who have a significant attachment to the Canadian labour market, but reside illegally in this country.

Our employment and immigration policies were developed in an era when unemployment was a national challenge. The new challenge is finding workers, and we will be in a vicious international competition for immigrants with developed countries, such as the U.S., Europe, and Australia, which are experiencing the same demographic trends and labour shortage challenges […] We need to modernize our immigration system, and in particular the point system, so that it recognizes the diverse needs of Canada's labour market. We need to put more emphasis on Canadian work experience and school credentials, and less emphasis on foreign education and experience. We need to make the temporary foreign worker programs into bridging programs to permanent residency.[351]

Ms. Joyce Reynolds
Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association

As announced in Budget 2007, the federal government intends to introduce a new process for allowing, under certain conditions, the landing of foreign students with Canadian credentials and skilled work experience, and skilled temporary foreign workers who are already working in Canada. It is estimated that some 25,000 Canadian-educated foreign students and skilled foreign workers will be able to apply for permanent residence each year ($33.6 million will be allocated over the next two years for this purpose).[352] Depending on the success of this initiative, future consideration could be given to expanding this initiative to other temporary foreign workers who have significant Canadian working experience.

Some witnesses told the Committee that hiring temporary foreign workers entails an administrative burden that needs to be reduced. Hiring foreign workers is costly and, in some cases, long processing times can have a direct impact on an employer’s operations. The Committee is aware of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s service modernization initiative and applauds the steps that have been taken recently to enhance administrative efficiency. In this context, we note the recent establishment of temporary worker units in Vancouver and Calgary, on a trial basis, to help facilitate the entry of temporary workers in sectors where they are needed most. More recently, the federal government extended, where appropriate, HRSDC’s Labour Market Opinion from 12 to 24 months, thus paving the way for longer periods of employment among foreign workers employed under the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training (National Occupation Classification skill levels C and D). Effective February 23,  2007, concurrent processing for Labour Market Opinions and foreign national work permits is expected to reduce the overall processing time required to approve applications for temporary foreign workers.[353] The Committee supports the recent allocation of $50.5 million over the next two years to support improvements to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (e.g., expanding the on-line application system and maintaining lists of occupations where workers are known to be in short supply) and encourages Citizenship and Immigration Canada to continue to seek ways to reduce the administrative burden facing employers who need quicker access to temporary foreign workers.

Citizenship and Immigration needs to be more in tune with the process, more involved not only in creating approvals, but in assisting to enforce the rules of the program set out by HRSDC. There have been improvements, but there can still be more consistency among Service Canada HRSDC offices across the country in terms of the application of the rules of the program and especially in processing times […] In Alberta, for example, it is upwards of 12 weeks for an employer to get an approval and that can often go longer. Then when an employee applies overseas, they're looking, depending on the embassy, at anywhere from six weeks to four months […] That means lost productivity as that time goes on […] The other major other issue employers would like to see is limiting HRSDC to the job description, working hours and the wages, leaving out matters such as air fare and some other requirements that are in the program that make it more of a burden on the employer than it needs to be.[354]

Mr. Gregg Badger
Canadian Meat Council

Recommendation 4.4

The Committee recommends that Citizenship and Immigration Canada examine and report on ways to facilitate the transition of foreign workers from temporary to permanent status and conduct a thorough assessment of the means and implications of recognizing, as temporary foreign workers, illegal workers who can demonstrate their successful integration into the Canadian labour market.

Recommendation 4.5

The Committee recommends that the federal government, in cooperation with provincial and territorial governments and stakeholders, take immediate action to end abuse and exploitation, and ensure labour rights and appropriate working and living conditions of participants under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program.

Recommendation 4.6

The Committee recommends that Human Resources and Social Development Canada, in formulating its Labour Market Opinion pertaining to an employer’s application to hire foreign workers, also assess the applicant’s efforts to attract and train workers in Canada.

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INTEGRATING IMMIGRANTS INTO THE LABOUR MARKET

Given immigration’s important role as a contributor to both the quantity and quality of labour in Canada, it is important to help immigrants make a quick and successful transition into the Canadian labour market. More often than not, when immigrants first enter the labour market there is usually a period of adjustment during which work experience is acquired, language skills are improved, and education and occupational credentials are assessed. Throughout this period, immigrants usually experience lower earnings and higher rates of unemployment compared with Canadian-born workers with similar attributes.

A growing body of evidence suggests that recent immigrants are experiencing greater difficulties integrating into the Canadian labour market compared with earlier cohorts. For example, immigrants who entered Canada within five years of the 1981 Census had an unemployment rate of 7.1%, compared with 7.9% among Canadian-born individuals. According to the 2001 Census, the unemployment rate among new arrivals was 12.7%, compared with 7.4% among Canadian-born individuals. In other words, the relative unemployment rate among new arrivals almost doubled during this 20-year period.[355] In 2001, the relative unemployment rate among new arrivals with the highest levels of education was 3.5 times higher than among Canadian-born individuals with graduate degrees.[356]  More recent data published by Statistics Canada indicates that these observations are also applicable to recent immigrants aged 25 to 54.[357]

According to Statistics Canada, immigrants residing in Canada for less than five years had low-income rates of 24.6% in 1980, 31.3% in 1990 and 35.8% in 2000.[358] In 2000, recent male immigrants aged 25 to 54 employed full time earned an estimated 19% less than their Canadian-born counterparts, while female immigrants earned about 20% less than Canadian-born women.[359]

NOIVMWC has testimonies from newcomer women to show that this cohort of immigrant women and men are better qualified than ever before, yet they are worse off economically than any previous less-educated cohorts. Employability for us immigrants has come to mean being consigned to “McJobs” — dead end, low waged, and unskilled work — or short-term contract work with little or no benefits in a flexible labour market. Underemployment is the immigrant's curse, and we are the victims of skill erosion and what Professor Jeffrey Reitz refers to as brain waste.[360]

Anurahda Bose
National Organization of Immigrant and Visible Minority Women of Canada

According to Wave 2 data collected through the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada, which focuses on prime working-age immigrants (i.e., 25 to 44 year olds) especially principal applicants in the skilled worker category, 80% of these immigrants worked in at least one job during their first two years in Canada (the breakdown for skilled workers, immigrants in the family category and refugees was 90%, 78% and 62% respectively).[361] Although the employment rate of prime working-age immigrants moved toward the national average over the 104-week period after landing, it was still 18 percentage points lower than the national rate for similarly aged Canadian workers by the end of this period. Roughly one-half of employed prime working-age immigrants held more than one job during their first two years in Canada. Of those who looked for employment 6 to 24 months after landing, 26% cited the lack of Canadian work experience as the most difficult problem in getting a job. This problem was followed by a lack of acceptance or recognition of foreign work experience or credentials (21%), language barriers (15%) and a lack of jobs (14%).[362] “Despite these challenges, the share of newcomers who said they were satisfied with their job increased from 74% six months after landing to 84% two years after landing. Job satisfaction was higher for those who were able to use their training, who worked in their intended occupation or who worked full-time.”[363]

Many witnesses who appeared before the Committee identified similar problems experienced by immigrants trying to make a transition into the Canadian labour market. These witnesses made several recommendations to help newly arrived immigrants make the necessary adjustments to the Canadian labour market. For example, we were told that Canada should provide better labour market information to potential immigrants before their arrival in Canada. Immigrants need to receive accurate information about available jobs, potential difficulties obtaining Canadian work experience in their intended occupation, and what needs to be done to have their education and other credentials assessed and fully recognized.

I applied for immigration through proper channels […] I did the interview, but they did not give me the right information. They said to me, you have a lot of opportunities in Canada. Right now you can enter […] When I came, I found the scenario was totally different. I worked here at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as a volunteer for three years and seven months. On my own discipline, I have done 10,000 samples to them, but I left that one on the 31st of January of this year because there is no hope to get a job. How can I survive? I have two kids and my wife. My wife also did one year of voluntary work at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Both of us did higher studies in U.K.[364]

Mr. Abdul Malek
Canadian Centre for Global Professionals

Members of the Committee believe that it is extremely important to provide potential immigrants with accurate and timely information about the way the Canadian labour market operates and what is required to find employment in their intended occupation. In doing so, immigrants may decide to take steps (e.g., have their credentials assessed) before immigrating to facilitate a smooth transition into the Canadian labour market. At the very least, with this information immigrants should arrive in Canada with more realistic labour market expectations. In this context, we support the initiative to create a Foreign Credential Referral Office within Citizenship and Immigration Canada to inform potential immigrants and newcomers already in Canada about the Canadian labour market, credential assessment and recognition requirements, and pathways to assessment services in Canada.[365]

We recommend providing potential immigrants with clear and accurate information about working in Canada prior to their immigration […] increasing the funding for language programs that offer occupation-specific language training, employment preparation, and paid work placement […] providing child care support and more flexible hours for ESL students to improve accessibility […] offering incentives to employers who will provide work placements or internships to immigrants to help them gain Canadian work experience.[366]

Ms. Lori Willocks
Calgary Immigrant Aid Society, Vibrant Communities Calgary

Many witnesses suggested that adjustment support for newcomers to Canada should focus on providing: opportunities to acquire Canadian work experience; bridge support for those who need upgrading to raise their qualifications to Canadian standards; and greater access to job-related language training. All of these measures were characterized by witnesses as important initiatives to help newcomers gain access to their intended occupations or find jobs that fully utilize their skills and knowledge.

We urge the Government of Canada to work with provincial governments, professional organizations, and licensing bodies to ensure loans and other resources are available for qualifying exams and upgrading, to develop academic assessment tools and testing, and to ensure retesting is accessible and affordable. We need to increase the opportunity for foreign-trained professionals to acquire more Canadian experience under supervision, and accelerate the accreditation or retraining process through English and French language training, including long-term and/or immersion language training where needed.[367]

Ms. Karen Dempsey
National Council of Women of Canada

[O]ne of the areas where the federal government could really make a big difference is funding ESL for skilled immigrants. What happens now is that there's much more of generic ESL provided and not ESL for professionals. At their initiative, certain colleges have tried to do that, but they have really struggled for lack of funding. That's a big support that could happen, and the coordination of the foreign credentials […] the number one issue I had hoped to make was that the federal government would actually fund Canadian workplace training. A StatsCan survey has shown that the number one issue is not so much language, as we would have thought, as it is the lack of Canadian workplace practice experience. You get engineers, doctors, architects, and construction workers who have all the skills and a lot of experience, but what they miss is that little link that doesn't give them the Canadian registration because they haven't had Canadian  workplace practice. I think my colleague was absolutely right in saying that much of what they need is that lexicon, that currency of practice, the way people talk in a workplace in Canada. You only get that from being in a Canadian workplace.[368]

Ms. Shyla Dutt
Pacific Foundation for Diversity

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The federal government provides financial support to facilitate labour market adjustment among immigrants through several initiatives (e.g., Workplace Skills and Enhanced Language Training initiative) delivered primarily by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and HRSDC. The Enhanced Language Training initiative is a relatively recent measure that provides immigrants with job-specific language training and other services that help them secure employment (e.g., internships, temporary placement, help obtaining licensure, job search assistance). In 2007-2008, Citizenship and Immigration Canada expects to spend roughly $41.5 million on this initiative. Given the magnitude and persistence of adjustment problems faced by newly arrived immigrants, many members of the Committee believe that more funding should be provided to help immigrants, especially those who are highly skilled, to acquire Canadian work experience and skills upgrading to attain a Canadian standard. Support for the latter could combine both repayable and non-repayable assistance, both of which could be determined according to financial and labour market needs.

Recommendation 4.7

The Committee recommends that the federal government examine the need for a special program to provide financial assistance in the form of loans and grants to newly arrived immigrants who require education or training to upgrade their credentials in order to attain Canadian accreditation.

Recommendation 4.8

The Committee recommends that Citizenship and Immigration Canada monitor closely the demand for job-related language training and seek additional funding as required to meet the needs of highly skilled immigrants who are unable to find employment in their intended occupation because they lack adequate official language skills.

Recommendation 4.9

The Committee recommends that one of the objectives associated with the recently proposed $500 million investment in new labour market programming could be the successful integration of newly arrived immigrants into the Canadian labour market. In pursuit of this objective, a subsidy could be paid to employers who provide work opportunities to immigrants who are unable to find employment in their intended occupation because they lack Canadian work experience.