Empleo en Canada

Invitacion al Foro de Nuevos Inmigrantes - Enero 9, 2007 Toronto

2007-01-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

La Ciudad de Toronto le invita cordialmente al

FORO DE NUEVOS INMIGRANTES

Patrocinado y dirigido por Vamos a Canadá y el Access and Diversity Unit
in Parks, Forestry and Recreation de la Ciudad de Toronto

“A networking event where employers can liaise with the most qualified NEWCOMER PROFESSIONALS”

Martes 9 de Enero del 2007, 4:30 a 10:00 pm

Nathan Phillips Square (City Hall) Rotunda - Main Floor

100 Queen Street West, Toronto M5H 2N1

El registro es gratuito y comienza a las 4:30 pm en punto

Conferencistas:

El Honorable Mario G. Racco, MPP y Asistente Parlamentario

del Ministro de Trabajo de Ontario

“Estándares laborales, seguridad y salud en el lugar de trabajo”

El Honorable Dr. Khalil Ramal, MPP y Asistente Parlamentario

del Ministro de Inmigración de Ontario

“Ley 124: Acceso justo a profesiones reguladas”

El Distinguido Keith Pelley, Presidente y Director Ejecutivo del equipo

de fútbol americano Toronto Argonauts

“Alto a la Violencia”

Para registrarse o pedir mayores informes llamar al (905)370-0119

o escribir un email a: jobs@vamosacanada.com

Programa de Live-in Caregivers / Nannies / Nineras / Au Pair

2006-12-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

Programa de Live-in Caregiver.

Si su familia tiene un ser querido que necesita de cuidados especiales, o un niño pequeño que necesite cuidado constante mientras usted trabaja, el gobierno de Canada ha diseñado un programa por medio del cual es posible traer caregivers extranjeros.
Si usted es una persona con experiencia o estudios en esta rama y desea emigrar a Canada, este programa podria tambien ser ideal para usted.

Razones por las que una familia requiere de un caregiver:

- Tiene hijos pequeños y ambos padres deben trabajar o estudiar
- Tiene algun familiar invalido
- Algun miembro de la familia acaba de tener una cirugia mayor
- Su(s) padre(s) estan en la llamada 3a edad y necesitan alguien que los cuide

Requisitos basicos para calificar como caregiver:

- Estudios de al menos 6 meses en pedagogia, primeros auxilios, enfermeria, etc.
- Si no se tienen los estudios, experiencia de 1 año continuo cuidando gente
- Dominio basico del ingles o frances

Responsabilidades de la familia:

- Proporcionar un cuarto y baño separado, con seguro en la puerta
- Pagar el sueldo minimo y retener impuestos
- Tener un contrato con el caregiver donde se estipulan sueldo, horario, tareas a realizar, vacaciones, dias festivos, etc.

Responsabilidades del caregiver:

- Proporcionar el cuidado para el que fue contratado
- Vivir en la misma casa que la persona a cuidar
- Cumplir con las clausulas del contrato

Ventajas del programa:

- El tramite del permiso puede tardar de 1 a 3 meses por lo que es relativamente rapido
- Si el caregiver y la familia deciden dar por terminado el contrato pueden hacerlo en cualquier momento sin obligacion alguna para ambos. En este caso el caregiver puede buscar a otra familia sin salir de Canada
- Despues de 2 años el caregiver puede pedir la residencia permanente y obtener un permiso de trabajo abierto

El programa de Live-in Caregiver ha beneficiado muchas familias y caregivers a traves del tiempo. Vamos a Canada puede ayudarle a conseguir caregivers calificadas. Asi mismo podemos tramitar toda la documentacion necesaria para el permiso de trabajo y facilitar las entrevistas. Si usted es una familia en busca de un caregiver o un caregiver que quiere trabajar en Canada no dude en contactar a un representante de Vamos a Canada.

Programa de Live-in Caregivers / Nannies / Nineras / Au Pair

2006-12-07T10:58:00.002-08:00

IT Business

2006-12-07T10:58:00.001-08:00

Fuente: IT Business: "There is an IT skills shortage and an anticipated net shortfall in the next six years unless specific measures are taken to address the issue. John Boufford, president of the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS), sees CIPS taking an active and essential role working with industry partners to resolve this crisis in skills demand."

IT Business

2006-12-07T10:58:00.000-08:00

Fair Access To Regulated Professions Act

2006-11-20T11:49:00.000-08:00

El 3 de Octubre del 2006 el Honorable Mike Colle, Ministro de Inmigracion de Ontario presento a la asamblea legislativa provincial la segunda lectura del FAIR ACCESS TO REGULATED PROFESSIONS ACT (Acceso justo a profesiones reguladas), 2006. Se dirigio en su discurso al Sr. Ted Arnott, responsable de la asamblea.

El proposito es que el Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act sea adoptado como ley. Elocuentemente dicho por el Ministro, el proposito de esta ley es hacer algo respecto a la situacion que vive una persona con estudios y experiencia fuera de Canada al llegar al pais: hay demasiados y muy complejos organismos reguladores (34) como el colegio de arquitectos, el de medicos y cirujanos, el de parteras, el de contadores y el de maestros por mencionar algunos.
Ninguno de estos ha sido supervisado nunca por el gobierno provincial.

El Ministro Colle puntualizo que de hacerse ley esta propuesta se asignaria un comisionado que ayudaria a los recien llegados a enrolarse en los procesos regulatorios de cada organismo con miras a que su educacion y experiencia sean reconocidas. Dijo tambien que esto es el producto de varios años de intentos fracasados en ayudar al recien llegado a que tengan al menos una oportunidad justa de trabajar en su area de especialidad en Ontario. 140,000 inmigrantes escogen a Ontario para iniciar su vida en Canada cada año, lo que equivale a un 60% del total de los inmigrantes.

El Ministro Colle concluyo su discurso ante la asamblea reiterando a los asistentes que a final de cuentas esta propuesta de ley tiene como fin el traer justicia, transparencia y responsabilidad al sistema para que los recien llegados puedan trabajar, alimentar a sus familias y contribuir a la economia de la provincial y asi celebrar la diversidad y multiculturalismo social y economico.
Dijo tambien que el pais necesita esto mas que nunca ya que por un lado el mundo se ha vuelto muy competitivo y por el otro es lo justo y correcto.

Por su parte el Miembro del Parlamento Provincial (MPP) de Ontario Mario Racco manifesto su apoyo incondicional a la propuesta de ley cuando dijo que la meta es darle a los recien llegados una oportunidad justa de ejercer su profesion y triunfar en el pais. De ser aceptada, la ley crearia todo un proceso para asistir a los profesionales extranjeros a lograr sus metas y desarrollar su potencial contribuyendo asi a la economia de la provincia.

Lo que esta propuesta de ley realmente significa es que el complicado proceso de ser reconocido como profesional del area respectiva sera mas facil. La transicion sera mas fluida eliminando las barreras que existen en la actualidad.
Los inmigrantes no tendran que trabajar de taxistas o cosas que no tengan nada que ver con su profesion. Podran dar seguimiento a su proceso de registro con los organismos regulatorios con miras a ejercer su profesion.
En pocas palabras las puertas se abriran aun mas a los profesionales de diversas areas.
Sea usted bienvenido a comenzar una nueva vida en Canada. En Vamos a Canada le asistiremos completamente en esta nueva etapa de su vida y le ayudaremos a introducirse en esta sociedad canadiense tan multicultural, conocida en el mundo por ser el lugar mas cosmopolita donde gente de todas razas, credos y costumbres puede convivir y triunfar!

Estadisticas economicas de la semana

2006-10-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

A review of this week's economic statistics: "A review of this week's economic statistics
14:30:31 EST Oct 29, 2006
Fuente: Canadian Press
OTTAWA (CP) - Indicadores economicos de la semana:
- Aumento en ventas al menude0
- Aumento en Superavit fiscal
- Aumento en casos de seguro del desempleo
- Se avecinan tiempos dificiles para el sector manufacturero

La inmigracion es clave para el crecimiento de Canada

2006-10-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

CALGARY - Alberta y el resto de Canada deben actuar rapidamente para aumentar la inmigracion y tomar ventaja del conocimiento y experiencia de los recien llegados para poder competir con otros paises en la busqueda de talento internacionalmente.
Fuente: Canada.com

Mountain Resort Magazine - North America's most widely read operations publication - VANOC begins 2010 employment drive

2006-10-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Mountain Resort Magazine - North America's most widely read operations publication - VANOC begins 2010 employment drive: "When the Games come to Vancouver, Whistler Blackcomb, Cypress and a variety of other venues, 1,200 full time, 3,500 temporary and 25,000 volunteers will be in British Columbia to make it happen. The organizing committee has begun searching Canada for 'corporate athletes,' at the same time will be training people from all industries how to host events, market those events and those athletes, and be prepared to continue a career in resort management.

VANOC’s team is growing quickly and over the next three years all postings for 1,200 full-time, 3,500 temporary and 25,000 volunteer positions will appear on workopolis.com, a site that recruits from both universities and from the general workforce in Canada.

“VANOC is building a huge enterprise, expanding its team from the 275 employees to more than 30,000 paid and volunteer positions in the space of just over three years,' said VANOC CEO John Furlong.

Paid positions at VANOC will range from entry-level to senior management and will be filled across eight divisions: CEO’s Office; Sport, Paralympic Games, Venue Management and Technology & Systems; Games Services Operations & Ceremonies; Venue Development; Revenue, Marketing and Communications; Human Resources and Sustainability; Finance and Legal.

“There will be many exciting opportunities to be part of the Vancouver 2010 team,” continued Furlong. “Be it a transport systems manager, an accountant, a medal ceremonies assistant, a food services manager or a venue construction inspector.

As the official online recruitment supplier, Workopolis will be providing"

Eventos: The National Job Fair & Training Expo - Site description - Conferencia dictada por Vamos a Canada

2006-09-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

The National Job Fair & Training Expo - Site description - The Public Presentation Area: "Presentation No. 8 --- 6:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
VAMOS A CANADA
Title: Clashes in Corporate Culture
Brief description: What is culture and why does it matter in the workplace? Culture is the collection and immersion in customs and traditions of a group of people that originate from a common geographical location. These behavioral traits and participation in customs affect a person�s involvement with their own community and also with people who are outside of this cultural group. When two cultures meet there is a clash and a struggle. How can this fight be avoided? How can it be resolved once it has begun? What, more importantly is Canadian Corporate Culture and from where does it originate?"

Eventos: The National Job Fair & Training Expo - Conferencia dictada por Vamos a Canada

2006-09-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

canadian hr reporter Nova Scotia invests $4.4 million in Michelin plant

2006-08-30T07:29:00.000-07:00

canadian hr reporter - article display

Michelin Canada is expanding its facility in Bridgewater, N.S., a $36-million project that will result in the creation of more than 30 jobs.

The province of Nova Scotia is investing about $4.4 million to help expand and modernize the steel cord products operation at the facility, while the tire manufacturer is putting up $32 million. But the expansion is about more than the 36 jobs to be created in 2008, said Premier Rodney MacDonald, it's about encouraging big employers to stay in the province.

"Attracting continued investment from global companies like Michelin is a key factor to building a prosperous economy and providing stable, long-term employment in our local communities," said MacDonald.

"This investment supports our commitment to the success of our advanced manufacturing industry in rural Nova Scotia."

About 3,500 people work at Michelin's three plants in Nova Scotia, making the company the fourth-largest employer in the province. More than 1,000 are at the non-unionized factory in Bridgewater.

Michelin has been operating in Nova Scotia for 35 years. In that time, the province has given the company $134 million in investments and loans.

Sri Lankan cooks arrive at local restaurant

2006-08-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

Whitecourt Star, Whitecourt, AB: "Two new faces sit anxiously with smiles spread across their faces. They both have only lived in Canada, a foreign country to them, for less than a week and have just started brand new jobs at the local Boston Pizza. They seem excited about their new roles in this brand new county and brand new town, after travelling across the Pacific Ocean from the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Champa De Seram and Erandana Herath, along with four others, are joining the many Sri Lankan cooks coming to work in northern Alberta Boston Pizza outlets. The chain is climbing aboard the immigration train to find help in a hospitality industry that is suffering because of the lack of local hands available � an economic crunch due to a booming oil and gas industry.
The six cooks arrived on August 10 to begin their three-year contract working for the chain, and so far they�re impressed with how accommodating and friendly Canadians are. However, the cultural differences were evident instantaneously for the new cooks.
'It�s something different to our country,' De Seram said.
'Completely different to our country,' Herath agreed enthusiastically.
The weather for one is a major difference. Although right now, Herath said the weather is similar to that in Sri Lanka, but once winter approaches it will be a different story.
'Boston Pizza is also different from our country, but very easy to learn,' De Seram said.
'In our country we have Pizza Huts, not Boston Pizza,' Herath added.
So far, despite the language barrier, the cooks have been performing well in the kitchen.
'They�ve been doing really well,' Whitecourt Boston Pizza owner Cindy Marcolin said. 'Due to the labour shortage, it�s been tough to keep people.'
According to the Canada Immigration Lawyers, there is a shortage of a"

Matching worker, job remains challenge

2006-08-15T07:05:00.000-07:00

Matching worker, job remains challenge: "Jeremy Warren, The StarPhoenix
Published: Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Saskatchewan has 11,000 jobs waiting to be filled, according to recruitment ads the provincial government recently placed in Alberta newspapers.
For every job, there are virtually as many stories from employers and potential employees about their experience wading through Saskatchewan's shrinking labour pool. The StarPhoenix spoke with Saskatoon's employers and job-hunters to gauge the impact the labour shortage is having.
- - -
'Anybody who wants a job can get one,' said Ricky Roinila, who's looking for a job in shipping and receiving.
Standing outside the Canada- Saskatchewan Career and Employment Services offi ce in downtown Saskatoon, Roinila, who just got back from a 10- year stay in Rankin Inlet, hasn't had trouble fi nding jobs. It's a matter of being realistic about the search.
'There are so many people applying for jobs that it's better to apply for something you've been trained for or have a lot experience in. You still have to be smart about it,' Roinila said.
Employers beware, the labour crunch can make it easier for a person to leave a job they don't feel comfortable with, Roinila said.
'You don't have to put up with crap since there are tons of jobs out there. If you feel your boss is endangering you or treating you unfairly, just leave. You don't have to fi ght tooth and nail for a job these days.'
- - -
While many construction companies and contractors are getting squeezed in the labour crunch, consumers are feeling the impact, too.
The time it takes to build a home is increasing, which delays possession dates and increases construction costs, said Perry Kenke, owner of River Ridge Homes.

Governments move to ease job shortages

2006-08-08T05:58:00.000-07:00

Governments move to ease job shortages: "Susan Lazaruk, The Province
Published: Wednesday, August 02, 2006
The local construction industry is welcoming moves from Ottawa and Victoria to make it easier for foreign workers to fill jobs in B.C.
B.C. Economic Development Minister Colin Hansen announced yesterday it was expanding the provincial nominee program designed to fast-track immigrant workers by adding six new staff members.
Since 2001, the program has helped 1,750 skilled workers and business people immigrate to B.C., 750 of them last year alone. The program targets those in nursing, high technology, post-secondary education, skilled trades and others, all of which are facing worker shortages.
Also this week, Ottawa announced the hiring of special workers in B.C. and Alberta to help facilitate the immigration of temporary foreign workers on one-to-two-year visas.
'This is good news for the industry,' said Keith Sashaw of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association. 'The provincial and federal governments are listening to the concerns of the construction industry and are taking steps to address those concerns.'
He said half of last year's immigrants through the provincial program work in construction, where the building boom has led to a shortage of workers in every category.
Sashaw said the provincial program will help an offshore worker with a valid job offer move to B.C. in as little as three months and get landed immigrant status within a year, compared with the almost four years sit takes going through the federal route.
He estimated over the next five to eight years in B.C. up to 40,000 construction workers will be needed to fill new positions and replace those retiring. The province has estimated that one million workers will be needed over the n"

Canada's Hottest Jobs - Forbes.com

2006-07-28T15:42:00.000-07:00

Canada's Hottest Jobs - Forbes.com: "Nothing generates jobs like a thriving economy.
Witness Canada. Strong growth over the past couple of years has seen the country's unemployment rate fall to a 32-year low.
Gross domestic product grew at an annualized 3.8% in the first quarter of this year, following 2.8% growth in 2005. The unemployment rate was down to 6.1% in June, having fallen to 6.7% in 2005 from 7.2% the previous year and a peak of 7.7% in 2002."

TheStar.com - Canada lags in career training

2006-07-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

Canada lags in career training
Jul. 12, 2006. 01:00 AM
CAROL GOAR

If someone intervenes at the right time, an academically gifted young woman who is reluctant to aim higher than her parents expect can be gently dissuaded from going to hairdressing school.

If someone intervenes in the right way, a young man who's a whiz with computers, but hates writing essays, can be spared the misery of trying to become a lawyer.

If someone acts soon enough, a kid whose grades start dropping can be prevented from making a bad choice; a teenager who is about to drop out can be convinced to give school another try; a youth who is drifting aimlessly can be pointed in a positive direction.

The trouble is, that "someone" may not be there — or may be too busy dealing with drugs, violence or students' personal crises to step in.

"Most young Canadians don't have adequate access to career development services to help them choose the best paths to a successful working life," says a report just released by Canadian Policy Research Networks. "There is limited awareness of the benefits of career development and no national career development strategy."TheStar.com - Canada lags in career training

They're here to make dreams real

2006-06-30T12:37:00.000-07:00

EDMONTON - In the tiny New Brunswick fishing village where Mike and Matt Renton grew up, people wave when you pass them on the highway, whether they know you or not.

Fourteen months ago, the identical twin brothers waved goodbye and headed west in a '97 Cutlass Supreme searching for a piece of Alberta's prosperity.

Like thousands of others drawn by the promise of jobs and hefty paycheques, the twins and their friend Dave Kierstead headed for oil-rich northern Alberta.

Today, they pursue their dreams of success from a modest Inglewood bungalow that at its peak in April housed a total of eight young New Brunswickers. All are apprentices in welding or pipe-fitting.

"It's definitely not like home. Far from it," Matt Renton said.

"People are different. Scenery is different. Everything is different. But do I regret it? Not in a million years. I've got pay stubs and things to show that I made the big money that nobody down home in their lifetime would ever make."

They're here to make dreams real

TheStar.com - Editorial: Abramos las puertas del empleo a los inmigrantes calificados

2006-06-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

When Gurmeet Bambrah came to Canada five years ago, she immediately applied to have her engineering credentials recognized here. But despite 20 years of professional experience and advanced degrees from British universities, she still is not licensed to practise in Ontario.

The problem?

After waiting months to have her qualifications assessed and write an exam, she has not been able to obtain the year of Canadian work experience she needs to become accredited.

"I set about looking for a job (but) I hadn't a clue where to go for this because nobody would advise me," says Bambrah, co-ordinator of the Council for Access to the Profession of Engineering, a Toronto-based group that advocates for internationally trained engineers.

Bambrah is not unique. Every year, Ontario welcomes as many as 140,000 new immigrants. More than half hold university degrees, and about 13,000 have professions or trades.TheStar.com - Editorial: Open up professions to skilled immigrants

The Guardian: Nuestra economia necesita mas trabajadores temporales

2006-06-12T07:53:00.000-07:00

Our economy needs seasonal workers

If seasonal workers are an essential part of our economy, then it stands to reason the EI program must reflect that reality.

By
The Guardian

It was iffy for a while, but the Harper government came through recently with an extension to an employment insurance pilot project that delivers additional benefits to seasonal workers. It was the right thing to do. Seasonal industries depend on a seasonal workforce, and adequate EI benefits are essential to maintaining that workforce.

The previous Liberal government had brought in a pilot project that provides five weeks additional EI benefits in high unemployment regions in the country. With that project nearing its expiration date at the end of May, rumours were circulating that the new Harper government wouldn’t renew it. The feds were non-committal and as recently as two weeks ago, provincial politicians were urging the Binns government to lobby Ottawa to renew the project. So was Liberal MP Wayne Easter who emphasized the importance of such programs to places like P.E.I. where seasonal workers would be left for weeks without pay if the program wasn’t extended.

The Guardian: Our economy needs seasonal workers

Ontario facilitara el empleo de profesionales extranjeros

2006-06-02T11:17:00.000-07:00

Ontario to speed employment of foreign-trained professionals
Fuente: Ottawa Business Journal
Viernes 2 de Junio del 2006 9:00 AM EST

El gobierno de Ontario introducira una nueva legislacion para ayudar a personas que estudiaron en el extranjero a conseguir trabajo en su area mas rapidamente.

La nueva Ley llamada "Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act" se aplicaria a 34 profesiones reguladas en Ontario, incluyendo doctores, contadores, abogados, maestros, ingenieros y trabajadores sociales.

"La legislacion propuesta trata de asegurar que la gente con experiencia global tenga posibilidades reales y justas de ejercer su profesion", aseguro el Ministro de Inmigracion provincial Mike Colle en un informe.

Aun no se han dado a conocer los detalles de esta legislacion pero el gobierno provincial de Dalton McGuinty espera introducirla antes del final de sesiones de la asamblea legislativa actual.

Al mismo tiempo el gobierno dice que creara hasta 70 programas de internship con duracion de 6 meses para que los profesionales extranjeros trabajen en agencias y ministerios provinciales del gobierno.

"Estamos marcando el paso ya que somos la primera provincia con este tipo de iniciativa", dijo el Ministro de Servicios Gubernamentales Gerry Phillips.

Spinning Immigration

2006-05-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

By charlie smith
Straight.com
Publish Date: 25-May-2006

On May 23, hundreds of people met at Lumberman’s Arch to commemorate a major event in the history of Canadian immigration. The group gathered on the 92nd anniversary of the arrival of the Komagata Maru into Burrard Inlet.

Even though the 376 South Asian passengers were British subjects, they encountered a hostile reception. Under the law of the day, immigration officers could refuse entry to anyone who did not arrive in a continuous journey from his or her country of origin. The Komagata Maru remained in the harbour with the passengers, mostly Sikhs, before being sent back to India on July 23, 1914.

For several years, the Prof. Mohan Singh Memorial Foundation has been seeking a federal-government apology for the Komagata Maru incident. Spokesperson Jasbir Sandhu told the Georgia Straight that he hoped the May 23 event in Stanley Park would get the attention of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, because Harper sidestepped a question about the Komagata Maru during a recent visit to Vancouver. “This issue is not just for the Indo-Canadian community,” Sandhu said. “We live in a multiethnic, multicultural city.”

This isn’t the only immigration-related issue facing the Harper government. As the Straight went to press, the B.C. Federation of Labour and human-rights groups were scheduled to hold a May 24 news conference to highlight the plight of a Mexican migrant worker, José Marcos Baac. His lawyer, Zool Suleman, claimed that his client lost his job and was told he must go back to Mexico. Suleman told the Straight that many farmworkers, including Baac, have voiced concerns about working conditions with that employer in the Fraser Valley.

“The issue that we wish to raise is what happens to migrant Mexican workers who come here when they have disputes with their employers,” Suleman said, adding that the employer was responsive to many of the workers’ concerns. “There is no proper, impartial, transparent dispute-resolution process.”

At 2 p.m. on Saturday (May 27), human-rights activists are planning a third immigration-related event for the Conservative government. They are joining a “National Day of Action” with a protest at the Vancouver Art Gallery for hundreds of thousands of people who live without legal status in Canada. It will coincide with protests across the United States on the same day on behalf of undocumented workers.

One of the organizers of the Saturday event, Harjap Grewal, told the Straight that there is a “crackdown” on immigrants taking place in Europe, the U.S., and Canada. He cited recent roundups and deportations of workers in Toronto, which included enforcement officials visiting schools. “The tactics are becoming very similar to what they’ve been doing in the United States,” Grewal said.

Since the January election, Harper and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Monte Solberg, have tried to portray themselves as supporters of immigration. In speeches posted on his ministry’s Web site, Solberg has explained that he lives in Brooks, Alberta, which is home to 1,200 former Sudanese refugees. On more than one occasion, Solberg has noted that his government pumped more than $300 million into settlement funding and committed $18 million to hasten the recognition of foreign credentials. He did not make himself available for an interview with the Straight.

“There’s no question that Canada has the most wide-open and compassionate immigration system in the world,” Solberg said in one of his speeches. “But that doesn’t mean we can sit on our hands: we’re going to make it even better.”

At the same time, Solberg has also claimed that Canada’s refugee-determination system is “complex, slow, costly, and inefficient”. In a May 10 presentation to a parliamentary committee, Solberg claimed that “significant resources are spent on claims made within Canada by individuals who do not need refugee protection”.

Earlier this month, Harper gave a speech in Ontario, surrounded by nonwhite faces, in which he noted that the government had cut the permanent-residence fee in half, to $490. Harper also announced that foreign kids adopted by Canadian parents would gain citizenship with minimal hassles.

Grewal told the Straight that he thinks it’s “disgusting” that nonwhite “community leaders” would pose for Harper photo ops, considering the Conservatives’ stance on guest workers and Harper’s recent decision to arm border guards. Grewal described the federal government’s live-in caregiver program and the seasonal agricultural workers’ program as “being the equivalent of the slave trade”. He said the government wants to bring in labourers but deprive them of their human rights. Last year, more than 95,000 foreign workers came to Canada under the Temporary Foreign Workers program.

“If you put them under a guest-worker program, you don’t have to give them full rights or full standards of employment in Canada, which basically allows it to be a more exploitable labour market,” Grewal said. “It’s a very tactical way of allowing for a flexible labour market, which can reduce wages and increase profits for some companies.”

Some of Solberg’s right-wing supporters, how?ever, would like the guest-worker program expanded. In a paper published last year for the Fraser Institute, economist and former Reform MP Herb Grubel proposed a new immigrant-selection process: foreigners would enter Canada on renewable, temporary work visas. They could only do this if they had a valid employment contract. These temporary visas could lead to permanent immigration status.

“Unemployed holders of temporary work visas would face deportation,” Grubel recommended in the paper. “Private firms in a public-private-partnership arrangement would collect and maintain information needed by government to enforce the regulations. As taxpayers, the holders of temporary work visas are entitled to all government benefits available to Canadians.”

Grubel, who once sat in the same caucus as Harper and Solberg, recommended that the government issue temporary work visas over two-year periods at Canadian embassies abroad. After four years in Canada, these workers could obtain permanent immigration visas. Their spouses and families could be admitted under “family work visas”, which would enable them to work. Those who lost their jobs would have to find another job or leave the country within three months.

Grubel cited four problems associated with allowing people to come to Canada under the “family class” to be reunited with relatives. He claimed that parents were unlikely to find jobs because of their advanced age and language difficulties. He added that parents who come sometimes have young unmarried children who “can also become immigrants without having to pass the points test applied to economic immigrants”. Then he cited Fraser Institute researcher Martin Collacott’s contention that these children, once in Canada, marry spouses overseas who sponsor their parents. Finally, Grubel claimed, sponsors do not keep “a substantial proportion” of their commitments to guarantee that immigrants won’t become a burden on the public treasury.

Burnaby-Douglas NDP MP Bill Siksay told the Straight that he was troubled that Solberg didn’t emphasize family reunification during the minister’s recent appearance before the Commons citizenship and immigration committee. “It’s a concern of thousands of Canadian immigrants right now who are trying to have family members join them, and lots of other Canadians who want family members to join them as well,” Siksay said. “To leave it out of the overall characterization of the immigration system, I think, was significant.”

Siksay claimed that family-class immigrants usually have an easier time adapting to Canada because they don’t have as high expectations as economic-class immigrants. Meanwhile, Liberal MP Andrew Telegdi told the Straight that he is concerned that Solberg has abandoned the traditional practice of setting annual immigration levels. “One of the key things for Canada is that immigration has been in the past and will continue to be in the future the lifeblood of our country,” Telegdi said. Both Telegdi and Siksay also criticized the Conservative government for not creating a refugee-appeal division.

Even though approximately 60 percent of immigrants came in under the “economic category” in 2002 and only 28.5 percent were in the family class (just 9.8 percent were parents and grandparents), Grubel still expressed concerns about immigrants bypassing the “points” test, which is based on such factors as age, education, language proficiency, and so forth. Grubel also claimed that the live-in caregivers “typically have low educational achievements and their work experience does not qualify them for high-paying jobs”. He provided no evidence to back this up.

Charlene Sayo, an organizer with the Philippine Women Centre, strongly rejected Grubel’s contention that live-in caregivers have “low educational achievements”. She claimed that many are extremely well-educated in the Philippines.

“It’s quite erroneous for Herbert Grubel to say they have low education,” Sayo told the Straight. “It’s just not true.”

Collacott, also a senior fellow of the Fraser Insti?tute, claimed in a 2002 paper that immigrant-service organizations have “played a significant role in opposing reforms and in lobbying for changes that drive policy even further away from serving the interests of the country and, in some respects, from those of the immigrants themselves”. He cited their opposition to proposals that newcomers have a working knowledge of French or English. “They might have added (but did not), that if immigrants already possessed such skills when they arrived in Canada, the services of such organizations would be in less demand and they would stand to lose a good deal of their government funding,” Collacott wrote.

He also warned of the impact of Sikhs exerting their political influence on the Liberal Party of Canada. “In response, there are rumblings in the Chinese community in Vancouver over the success of Sikhs in extending their political influence far beyond their numbers; questions are being raised about whether the Chinese should not also consider voting as a block in order to serve more effectively their community’s interests,” Collacott wrote, without documenting this particular claim. “In the event the Chinese were to respond by themselves resorting to block voting, it is not inconceivable that people of European origin would eventually follow suit in order to ensure their interests received sufficient attention.”

Collacott’s recommendations included the following sentence: “Immigration should only be used on an exceptional basis to meet such shortages where they are particularly severe and the market cannot rectify them in the short term.” He also called for restrictions on the family class to one’s immediate family.

When Harper was the Reform party’s policy director in its early days, it opposed affirmative action for minorities and opposed allocating any government funds for ethnic groups. Sponsorship would be limited to immediate families and major changes to immigration policy would be dealt with in a national referendum.

Over the years, Harper and Solberg have reflected the views of the Fraser Institute on many economic issues. However, they haven’t publicly reflected Grubel’s and Collacott’s more recent recommendations on immigration.

Suleman, a veteran immigration lawyer, said he thinks the new Conservative government will stay the course on immigration, though he senses a slight tightening on humanitarian cases. Suleman suggested that as long as the Conservatives remain in a minority in Parliament, he doesn’t anticipate major changes on the enforcement side.

“I think people want to see a bogeyman where there may not be one,” he said. “In all due fairness to this government, I have not seen anything in my practice to indicate that things are harsher or worse due to this government.”

However, Suleman added that if the Conservatives ever form a majority with a longer mandate, he would expect to see “fairly significant” changes in immigration policy. As long as Solberg continues dodging interview requests, the public will not be able to find out if those changes could include adopting Grubel’s controversial recommendations on guest workers.

Cantv.net > Viajes y Turismo

2006-05-16T06:54:00.000-07:00

La consultora canadiense Vamos a Canadá y el portal venezolano aemigrar.com alcanzan un acuerdo para poner a disposición de los navegantes de Internet toda la información sobre como emigrar a Canadá y esto de forma gratuita, ofreciendo consejos y los puntos mas resaltantes de este proceso.
11/05/2006. Recientemente la consultora Vamos a Canadá ( www.vamosacanada.com ) y el sitio web www.aemigrar.com han firmado un acuerdo para poner a disposición de los internautas latinoamericanos información actualizada, gratuita y extensa sobre como emigrar a Canadá, el material estará disponible en los próximos días, los contenidos abarcaran desde el campo legal hasta los aspectos de la vida común de un inmigrante que desee estudiar, trabajar o ser simplemente un ciudadano más de ese país.

Cantv.net > Viajes y Turismo

Employment program for foreign students

2006-05-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

Embassy - Newspaper Online.: "Immigration Minister Monte Solberg is winning praise from foreign students and education sector officials for his new student work policy, but the timing of the announcement means many international students will miss out on working off campus this summer.
A new immigration policy that will allow foreign students in post-secondary institutions to find off-campus work is part of a wider strategy to increase the pool of educated workers and expand the Canadian economy.

There is hope the student visa program will help fuel a population growth that will energize the economy. Canada is facing a looming labour shortage as baby boomers retire and families have fewer babies.

'We have to make Canada's immigration policy more responsive to markets and to what immigrants themselves are looking for,' says Monte Solberg, the federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, in an interview. 'If we are successful in getting many [students] to take up the program, [it] will end up providing a huge benefit to the Canadian economy. We are hopeful they will ultimately become permanent residents and that is of incalculable benefit to us.' "

Programa de empleo para estudiantes foraneos

2006-05-05T14:23:00.000-07:00