‘To me, it was a prison’: Children held in Doukhobor camp in 1950s set to receive apology from B.C. government

2024/02/07 Leave a comment

Of note:

The B.C. government has offered a $10-million compensation package to people taken from their homes as children 70 years ago due to their parents’ religious beliefs.

The offer was made along with an apology from Attorney General Niki Sharma at a private event in Castlegar today, where she met with members and relatives of the Sons of Freedom Doukhobors who were forcibly removed from their parents in the 1950s.

Many were placed in a former tuberculosis sanatorium in New Denver, B.C., about 150 kilometres east of Kelowna, between 1953 and 1959, where they have testified they received physical and psychological abuse

The Sons of Freedom were a small group within the Doukhobor community, an exiled Russian Christian group that was once known for naked protests and periodically burning down their own homes as a rejection of materialism.

The provincial government will be making a formal apology later this year for its treatment of children from the Doukhobor community in the Kootenays. But the apology is not seen as an entirely positive development.

There may be up to 100 survivors from the Sons of Freedom group, who are now in their 70s and 80s.

Sharma acknowledged the children were “mistreated both physically and psychologically” and that the government’s actions caused anxiety for the broader Doukhobor community.

Lorraine Walton, the daughter of two survivors of the Doukhobor internment and an advocate for the Lost Voices of New Denver group, said her parents’ souls are finally at peace following the apology.

She acknowledged, however, that the compensation being offered by the government was coming far too late for her parents and uncle, who were interned at New Denver for multiple years.

Source: ‘To me, it was a prison’: Children held in Doukhobor camp in 1950s set to receive apology from B.C. government

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Globe editorial: Canada is an immigration nation

2024/02/06 Leave a comment

Latest Globe immigration editorial advocating for an increased share of economic immigration, partly to replace needed reductions of international students and temporary workers, in the context of overall levels of one percent of the population, or about 400,000, a reduction of about 20 percent from 2025 target:

But the fact remains that Canada needs immigrants, badly. Statistics Canada reported last week that the total fertility rate has declined to 1.33 children per woman, far below 2.1 replacement rate that ensures a stable population. Without robust immigration, Canada would lack the workers needed to fill labour shortages, and to pay the taxes that sustain social services and pensions.

Other developed countries that do not embrace immigration, from Japan to Poland, are experiencing weak economic growth and relentless population decline. To prevent that, Canada needs to maintain an intake target of about 1 per cent of the existing population annually.

…

Lastly, economic migration should be the focus of any expansion of overall immigration targets. Ottawa is already moving in that direction, with the economic migration category edging up to a planned 60 per cent of the total in 2026 from 58 per cent in 2022. That proportion should continue to rise, with other categories increasing at a slower pace.

Canada’s history of welcoming newcomers is not just one of this country’s finest characteristics – it is one of our biggest competitive advantages. Measured action now can restore confidence to the immigration system that has served Canada so well for so many years.

Source: Canada is an immigration nation

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Madhany: Immigration is our future

2024/02/06 Leave a comment

Not convinced that centralizing immigration in PCO/PMO will make much difference given the overall degree of centralization of this government. Whether more consultations with the provinces and stakeholders (interest groups) would be more effective, arguably existing consultations have resulted in today’s mess:

….At the same time, last year, 1.2 million immigrants arrived in this country, the highest level ever recorded in this country’s history. Canada also broke the 40-million mark in terms of population. This population influx has heightened strains and fractures in longstanding, complex issues around housing affordability, health care, economic mobility, and more. 

Complex issues require cohesive solutions. So, as we enter a new parliamentary session, we ask for the government to bring a holistic approach to this critical issue. That includes centralizing the issue at the federal level in the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council Office. That includes incentivizing collaboration and ensuring accountability at the provincial level. And that includes ensuring that immigrant leaders and immigrant-serving organizations have a seat at the table when these issues are being discussed, along with employers, regulators and others invested in the success of this country and its newest residents. 

Immigrants are and must be part of the solution to complex issues facing Canada and our global community. From the health-care industry to the construction industry, and from Ontario to the Northwest Territories, we can bring our skills and our abilities to bear across the nation to help move this country forward. We are ready to work together with all levels of government and stakeholders who serve newcomers to create the long-term immigration strategy Canada desperately needs. We believe immigration is our future, and we are ready to dig in together to make it happen.

Shamira Madhany is the managing director for Canada and deputy executive director at World Education Services.

Source: Immigration is our future

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Ottawa must restore balance between its temporary and permanent resident programs

2024/02/06 Leave a comment

Arguably, IRCC could include temporary workers and international students in the annual levels plan in advance of an amendment to IRPA given that no such amendment is likely during the current parliamentary session;

….

A legislative amendment should also require the minister to include such details and future planning in reports to Parliament. And in the short term, aside from readjusting the overall immigration balance, Ottawa could shift proportions within the temporary streams to prioritize helping critical industries such as health care, construction, educational services and agriculture.

There may be pushback from businesses that have grown dependent on this source of cheap labour, but this can be mitigated if their concerns are taken seriously when they tell the government that Canadians are unwilling to do certain jobs. We cannot dismiss the reality that part of the service sector can only survive with low-wage, low-skill foreign workers. This issue is not unique to Canada, though, and it will not disappear tomorrow.

To maintain Canada’s pro-immigration consensus, welcoming newcomers should generally be tied to a pro-economic-growth vision. Allowing many businesses to depend on low-skill temporary workers disincentivizes investments that increase productivity, so Mr. Miller should reduce the proportion of temporary resident visas in relation to permanent ones. The challenge will be in doing this humanely, while recognizing the contribution of low-skill migrants.

Source: Ottawa must restore balance between its temporary and permanent resident programs

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Israel and the International Community

2024/02/06 Leave a comment

A reminder to those who casually label Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide of what the court actually ruled:

A critical takeaway from all of this should be that the international community, no matter how much Israelis find it vexing, can serve as an important shield and corroborator for Israel. Leftist protestors were not slowed down one bit by Israel dismissing their overreaching claims of genocide, but those claims are now harder to sustain—even if they will continue apace anyway—in the wake of international law’s highest body declining to order Israel’s operations in Gaza to stop. It was easy to dismiss Israeli gripes about UNRWA as hasbara in the service of a battle against Palestinian refugeehood, but that no longer carries the same weight after UNRWA fired its own employees and many of its largest donors halted its funding. While it is absolutely true that hostility to Israel permeates the U.N. and many international institutions and NGOs always have Israel in their crosshairs, that same international community can vindicate Israel in ways that nobody else can.

On the other side, those who have been screaming about genocide and referencing international law and Israel’s allegedly manifest violations of it at every opportunity should have the decency to revisit their prebaked assertions. I don’t expect that most of the protestors who deploy the genocide charge as if they are noting a fact as straightforward as the sun rising in the east will be swayed by the ICJ or any other evidence that contradicts their convictions, but they should acknowledge that the rug has been pulled out from under them. Israel’s war conduct is not perfect, and there are likely plenty of violations of international law and much objectionable conduct that people can find. But that does not make it genocide, and based on the ICJ’s provisional orders, Israel’s war is both ungenocidal and a legitimate defensive response to Hamas’ illegitimate and indefensible actions. If you want to rely on international law to tar Israel, you need to respect that same international law when it tells you that you are wrong.

Source: Israel and the International Community

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Ottawa declassifies more details from Rodal report on Nazi war criminals in Canada

2024/02/05 Leave a comment

Of note:

As justice minister in the late 1960s, Pierre Trudeau opposed revoking the citizenship of a naturalized Canadian suspected of murdering 5,128 Jews in Latvia during the Second World War, over concerns about legality and social cohesion, long-redacted memos released on Thursday show.

…The previously redacted sections of Ms. Rodal’s report explore, among other cases, the case of F, from Latvia, a suspected firing-squad captain. He had been convicted in absentia by the Soviet Union. A 1965 memo by the legal division of External Affairs observed that the Soviet Union had requested his extradition to embarrass the Canadian government, but that at the same time, Canada had no reason to doubt the truth of the accusations. If true, the memo says, F was “an ardent Nazi lackey, not only cooperating actively with the occupying German forces but actually serving their Jewish and Gypsy extermination squads.” The memo said Canada had denied requests for extradition in at least four cases.

When the Canadian Jewish Congress asked in 1966 for a re-examination of the legal possibilities for action, a meeting across government departments was held. Two ideas for addressing war criminals were rejected: the revocation of citizenship for failing to disclose details of their past, and therefore not being of “good character” as required in citizenship applications; and retroactive legislation to allow for trials in Canada. There was a caveat: If a major war criminal such as Martin Bormann, who was once suspected of being in Canada, turned up, retroactive laws might be considered.

Mr. Trudeau later wrote, in a memo to Paul Martin Sr., who was secretary of state for external affairs, that nothing in Canadian law suggests a citizenship application is “in the nature of a confessional, requiring the applicant to disclose all prior conduct.”

On the subject of F, the alleged firing squad captain, Mr. Trudeau added that while anxiety in the Jewish community was understandable, “it would be most ill-advised for the government to undertake this venture, which would involve publicly accusing a Canadian citizen of having committed crimes in Latvia in respect of which he has been convicted, in absentia, in Russia.” Such a move, Mr. Trudeau said in a separate memo, could suggest widespread revocations of citizenship ahead.

…..Mr. Matas said Mr. Trudeau has since been proven wrong on his legal concerns, as the courts have allowed the revocation of citizenship for intentional non-disclosure.

Source: Ottawa declassifies more details from Rodal report on Nazi war criminals in Canada

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Globe editorial: Let’s get Canada’s foreign student program back to the classroom

2024/02/05 Leave a comment

Well said:

…

The program is in chaos, a failure of federalism, where both Ottawa and the provinces have neglected to work together to execute their respective responsibilities. The program should never have been tailored to address short-term labour market demands for truck drivers and child care workers.

Canada can have an international student program that shines again, if both levels of government reconnect with its original, higher purpose.

source: Let’s get Canada’s foreign student program back to the classroom

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Moffatt: Canada is failing the grade on housing. Fixing that starts with international students, but it shouldn’t end there

2024/02/05 Leave a comment

Good overview of issues and needed steps. Perhaps overly optimistic regarding possibility of “doing it all:”

Beyond individual policies, though, what Canada needs most are co-ordination and alignment between our housing and population growth policies, as well as robust population forecasts to plan our needs not just in housing, but in schools, hospitals and other public infrastructure, too. Capping yearly non-permanent resident growth, in the same way that the country caps immigration, is essential for this planning. Canada may have been caught off-guard by how quickly our population has grown in the past two years, but this failure to forecast cannot happen again, as it doesn’t just affect our housing market – it puts Canada’s entire immigration system in disrepute with Canadians.

The good news is that we have a chance to do it all: simultaneously solve Canada’s housing crisis, grow our population, address the climate challenge and have a flourishing high-education system. We can build enough housing for existing residents and the newcomers who contribute so much to Canada’s economic and cultural vibrancy. And the vision to attract the best and brightest to the country to offset the effects of an aging population is sound, too: Integrating the higher-education system into the immigration system to give newcomers Canadian credentials and experiences is fantastic and should not be abandoned. But to achieve this, we need public policies that meet the ambition of our vision to ensure that everyone in Canada, regardless of how long they have been here, has a safe and secure place to call home. A reactionary cap from one level of government, while necessary, cannot be the limit.

Source: Canada is failing the grade on housing. Fixing that starts with international students, but it shouldn’t end there

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Emigration of Immigrants: Results from the Longitudinal Immigration Database

2024/02/05 Leave a comment

Interesting study on part of the immigration churn:

  • Immigration is an increasingly important facet of Canada’s migration dynamics.
  • According to the emigration criterion developed in this study:
    • 5.1% of immigrants admitted between 1982 and 2017 emigrated within five years of landing;
    • This percentage rises to 17.5% 20 years after admission;
    • Annual probabilities of emigrating peak three to seven years after admission.
  • Several immigrant characteristics are linked to emigration:
    • Immigrants born in Taiwan, the United States, France, Hong Kong or Lebanon are more likely to emigrate. Conversely, those born in the Philippines, Vietnam, Sri Lanka or Jamaica are less likely to leave Canada;
    • Immigrants who never had children in their tax family were substantially more likely to emigrate than those who had children. This effect remains strong when other factors are considered;
    • Immigrants admitted to the country at age 65 or older and those with Nova Scotia as their intended province of destination are somewhat more likely to emigrate than those who landed at a younger age. However, these effects disappear when other factors associated with immigrant emigration are taken into account;
    • Immigrants admitted in the investor and entrepreneur categories are more likely to emigrate, while those admitted in the caregiver and refugee categories are less likely to emigrate;
    • Emigration follows a clear gradient based on level of education. Individuals with higher levels of education are more likely to migrate than less educated immigrants;
    • Immigrants who held a non-permanent resident study permit prior to being admitted are especially likely to leave Canada. However, this results mainly from the fact that these immigrants present several characteristics associated with emigration, such as higher levels of education.

Source: Emigration of Immigrants: Results from the Longitudinal Immigration Database

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Minister O’Regan launches first of its kind pay transparency website: Equi’Vision

2024/02/05 Leave a comment

This is quite an impressive website and analytical tool. Unlikely, IMO, to be of use to most job seekers but likely will be of use to stakeholders, governments and industry associations. Will be interesting in a year of so to get some web metrics on its use:

Every Canadian deserves a real and fair chance at success. Reducing pay gaps and improving representation means knocking down the barriers that hold back marginalized communities in the workplace. In order to do this, we need to know where the gaps are.

Today, Minister of Labour, Seamus O’Regan Jr., launched Equi’Vision, a new website that shines light on the barriers to equity experienced by women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities in federally regulated private sector industries. It provides user-friendly, easily comparable data on workforce representation rates and the pay gaps experienced by members of the four designated groups recognized under the Employment Equity Act. With Equi’Vision, Canada becomes the first country in the world to make this level of information publicly available.

Equi’Vision data is submitted by employers with 100 or more employees as part of their annual reporting to the Labour Program under the Employment Equity Act. Individual employee information, including data related to individual salaries, is not reported or disclosed.

Better information leads to better, more informed decision making. By making this information publicly available, the Government aims to draw attention to the persistent issues in Canadian workplaces that are maintaining pay gaps and preventing representation, so that businesses are encouraged to act upon them.

Reducing pay gaps and improving representation requires all partners – businesses, workers and government – joining together to help create safe and inclusive workplaces for all workers, because that’s where workers are at their best. That’s a good thing for our economy, and for all Canadians.

Source: Minister O’Regan launches first of its kind pay transparency website: Equi’Vision

Direct Link to Equi’Vision: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/portfolio/labour/programs/employment-equity/pay-gap-reporting.html

CP link: Federal government launches new pay transparency website for four key groups

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