Economics Domain Conference / November 18-19, 2004
World Trade and Convention Centre, Halifax
Day 1 — 18 November 2004 |
|
| Keynote speaker | |
| Barry Edmonston, Director, Population Center, Portland State University | |
| Directions and Concerns: Should we Care? | |
Outmigration of many highly skilled people from Canada has become a serious problem for public policy. It is argued that Canada loses its best and brightest—immigrants as well as native-born—to the United States. Ways to mitigate the brain drain problem will be discussed. Economic factors that create ethnic enclaves will also be addressed, as will the positive and negative features of creating a critical mass to retain new immigrants, including providing ethnic goods, jobs, etc. Application of the generalized frameworks to Atlantic Canada will be discussed. |
|
Presenters
| |
| The Regionalization of Immigration — New experiences and Initiatives in Atlantic Canada | |
One of the major goals of the Atlantic Metropolis Atlantique is to promote a more balanced geographic distribution of immigrants in Canada , both in rural and urban centers. Atlantic Canada currently faces a number of demographic and economic development challenges, including outmigration, rural population decline, skills shortage, and lack of investment. While the region receives a very small proportion of national immigrant inflow, immigrant retention is also an important challenge that has only recently attracted the attention of policymakers. Several recent policy initiatives have been designed to attract and retain immigrants in the Atlantic provinces and smaller regions. This plenary session will bring together policymakers, NGOs, and researchers to share their findings, experiences, and problems faced in designing and implementing such initiatives. |
|
Presenters
|
|
| The Regionalization of Immigration—Western Canada's Experience | |
Nearly three-quarters of newcomers to Canada settle in one of Canada 's three largest metropolises: Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver. While the benefits of immigration are felt in these cities, second-tier cities such as Halifax, Ottawa, Hamilton, Windsor, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Edmonton could receive many more immigrants than they currently do. Similarly, smaller centres and rural areas tend to be left behind. Increasingly, these smaller centres are becoming vocal in wanting to share in the benefits of regionalized immigration. This workshop explores how regionalization of immigration has been approached in western Canada. It examines the successes and failures of previous attempts at regionalization and identifies factors that facilitate or inhibit the dispersion of immigration. The presentations identify lessons learned: policy-relevant solutions that have helped smaller communities to attract and retain immigrants. |
|
Presenters
|
|
Day 2 — 19 November 2004 |
|
| The Regionalization of Immigration—Quebec’s Experience | |
Since 1991, the immigration-related responsibilities that the Quebec and federal governments share have been governed by the Canada-Québec Accord Relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens. Those responsibilities are covered by the acts and regulations of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Quebec Department of Relations with the Citizens and Immigration (MRCI). The Quebec government and many stakeholders in the province have developed expertise in immigration and integration that is recognized the world over. This session will provide participants with an overview of the history and demographic aspects of immigration in Quebec. Quebec’s initiatives will be analysed and compared with other Canadian initiatives. To conclude, three speakers (one from the NGO sector, one from the public policy sector, and one from the private business sector) will share their visions of realistic regionalization (and retention?) policy that have a positive and lasting impact on newcomers and on host regions. |
|
Presenters
|
|
Concurrent Workshops |
|
| Gender and Transnational Migration: New Migration Experiences, New Perspectives, and Implications for Atlantic Canada. | |
This session will explore contemporary practices of transnational migration with special emphasis on the role of gender as an organizing category in transnational migration patterns, structures and experiences. Empirical case studies, not necessarily limited to Atlantic Canada, are particularly welcome, along with theoretical reflections on this rapidly expanding field. Ideally, the analyses should
|
|
| Organizer Evie Tastsoglou, Atlantic Metropolis Atlantique and Gender Domain |
|
Presenters
|
|
| Poles of Attraction: What the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC) and the Ethnic Diversity Survey (EDS) Can Tell Us? | |
| Two of the largest scale surveys on immigration and diversity in Canada, LSIC and EDS, contain numerous modules that can help explain what attracts newcomers and ethnic, racial, and religious minorities to Canadian communities and what factors encourage them to stay in these same communities. The first presentation using LSIC data will explore initial pull factors that encouraged respondents of LSIC to settle in particular communities. The second presentation will explore whether newcomers and minorities' social networks or opportunities for employment win out as poles of attraction. The third presentation will explore the types of barriers that minorities report on EDS, and the fourth presentation will speak more broadly about the stay go decision, based on a series of recent studies that have been conducted by researchers at the Vancouver Metropolis centre (RIIM). | |
Presenters
|
|
| Economic Integration – Models, Programs and Best Practices | |
Like their counterparts in other Canadian jurisdictions, recent immigrants in Atlantic Canada face a variety of challenges, including recognition of foreign credentials, professional qualifications, and work experience; difficulties in accessing the Canadian labour market and gaining Canadian work experience; difficulties in finding meaningful employment; and a lack of familiarity with the Canadian business environment and regulations. The 2001 census indicates that unemployment among recent immigrants in Canada is twice as high as for native-born citizens. The high level of unemployment among new immigrants seems more surprising when taking into account that 42 percent of working-age immigrants in 2000 had university degrees in comparison with only 19 percent in 1980. The lack of recognition of foreign credentials and work experience is generally cited as the major cause of unemployment. This workshop will showcase some immigration integration models, programs, and best practices in Canada targeting a relatively broad range of immigrant professionals, entrepreneurs, and trades people. Discussion will focus on access to regulated professions and occupations, employment placement, business orientation, business management skills, job search training, and work-related ESL training. |
|
| Organizer Colin Sun, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency |
|
Presenters
|
|
| Public Policy Forum | |
Presenter
|
|
| Immigration and Regionalization: Future Directions | |
Community leadership and involvement are critical to the success of regionalization initiatives. With the collaboration of its federal, provincial and territorial partners, and interested communities, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is currently working on a number of regionalization initiatives including: the increased utilization of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP); agreements on foreign student processing and employment; increased provincial and community participation in foreign promotion and recruitment; a provincial and regional approach to enhanced language training; an improved Going to Canada immigration portal; and a tool box to assist small centres to attract and retain newcomers. This plenary session will provide further information on these initiatives and will outline CIC’s plans for increased collaboration with partners and stakeholders on a range of immigration priorities including regionalization. Organizer |
|
Presenters
|