September 16 - 30, 2016
12th and
Cambie
By Geoff Meggs
OPINION
PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY
A7
Changes to immigration policies
on the horizon
Canada’s
national
Filipino community leaders
have a tough challenge
in front of them as the
Trudeau Liberal government
wrestles with key changes to
immigration policy.
It’s vital that the needs
and aspirations of Filipino
newcomers
to
Canada
– whether as immigrants or
temporary foreign workers
– are part of the national
proposed rolling
back changes
made to the Temporary
Foreign Worker program by
the outgoing Conservatives,
reforms that were intended to
reduce Canada’s reliance on
overseas workers and reduce
employer abuses.
How will all these
changes fit together when
most Canadians – who have
no idea how many immigrants
come to our country every
protection against employer
abuses and substandard
living conditions?
Equally importantly, will
new government policies widen
access to family reunification?
This is the quickest, most
efficient and humane way to
expand immigration arrivals
and improve the success of
newcomers.
The City of Vancouver is
vitally interested in the answers
to these questions and how
debate.
After a massive upheaval
in Canada’s immigration policy
under the Conservatives,
who saw immigration more
as a temporary labour force
supplement than a nationbuilding program, change is
in the air.
Prime Minister Trudeau
is calling on other nations
to follow Canada’s example
by welcoming many more
refugees.
Immigration
minister John McCallum
says he wants to increase
immigration numbers above
this year’s level of 300,000.
McCallum
has
also
year – have indicated in a
national poll that they want
no increase?
For the most part, Filipino
newcomers to Canada have
to travel a long and difficult
journey through the Temporary
Foreign Worker program or
the live-in caregiver program
before finding a pathway to
immigration and permanent
residency. That has to
change.
Will
changers
to
the
Temporary
Foreign
Worker
program
make
that road easier? Will the
new government rules give
workers in those jobs more
the leaders of
our
diverse
newcomer
communities
would
like
to see them
answered.
L a s t
week’s council
meeting heard
of the scores
of initiatives
our Vancouver
Immigration
Pa r t n e r s h i p
program has
identified to
increase the
success
of
newcomers.
Unfortunately,
this
program is not available in
every community in BC, nor
is funding guaranteed over
the long term.
A dramatic improvement
to settlement services at the
front line – in our country’s
municipalities – should be
part of any new program.
The
incredible
contribution made by the
Filipino
WWW.PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY.COM
community
in
every walk of Canadian
life – health care, tourism,
agriculture, food services
and many more – must be
reflected in positive new
initiatives by our national
government.
I look forward, as does
Mayor Gregor Robertson,
so hearing the community’s
perspective
on
these
issues.