In the Field - Message from the Executive Director

Looking Ahead

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January 2017

The year has begun with a sense of optimism on the policy front. In the dying days of 2016, there was a flurry of activities coming out of Ottawa as the Federal government announced one policy directive after the other.

In Memoriam

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In the last few weeks, we lost two stalwarts of the sector – Kay Blair and Fred Franklin. Both were extraordinary leaders in the social justice work of the sector, Kay with a focus on immigrant settlement, and women economic and social empowerment; and Fred on refugee protection and detention issues for all those imprisoned, refugees or not.

Changing the national narrative

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Executive Director’s Message - September 2016

This is the front page of Canada’s largest newspaper that greeted me last weekend. I had to read twice to ensure that I did not misread: “67. The percentage of Canadians who agree that immigrants should be screened for anti-Canadian values.” And this: “29. The percentage of Canadians who believe the state has a role in telling women what they can wear”. Excuse me?

Remembering

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Getting started on the writing of my piece this month was difficult. I couldn’t land on themes I wanted to explore, information or opinions I wanted to share or even random thoughts. It took me a while to realize that I couldn’t focus on one or two things because there is so much going on - so much noise, so much news, so much discord, too many deaths. It all feels heavy and urgent and complex.

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