Position Papers & Backgrounders

OCASI Brief - Temporary Foriegn Worker Program Review

Policy: 

OCASI - Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants submitted a Brief to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities for its review of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).

OCASI made the following key observations and recommendations in the Brief:

Key Observations

OCASI Comments on Bill C-6 - Citizenship Bill

OCASI Comments on Bill C-6 - Citizenship Bill

Debbie Douglas, OCASI Executive Director appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration to make a presentation and answer questions about our submission on Bill C-6 - An Act to amend the Citizenship Act and to make consequential amendments to another Act.

OCASI Welcomes Proposed Reform of Temporary Foreign Worker Program

Toronto, March 1, 2016 – OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants welcomes the statement to media by Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, that the government plans to reform the federal Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) following a review by the House of Commons Standing Committee.

OCASI Condemns Attacks on Muslims

November 17, 2015/Toronto – OCASI – Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants strongly condemns the recent arson attack on the Kawartha Muslim Religious Association's Masjid Al-Salaam in Peterborough, and the vandalism at the Ram Dham Hindu Temple in Kitchener.

The Council is concerned by these attacks as well as other escalating expressions of Islamaphobia, racism and xenophobia, which in our present reality are primarily targeting Muslims, and Canadian residents of Arab and South Asian background.

Political Parties Respond to OCASI Questions for General Election 2015

OCASI canvassed the major political parties for their views on seven questions that are of interest to OCASI member agencies and Ontario's immigrant and refugee communities. Included are questions on settlement services for immigrants and refugees, refugee sponsorship, family reunification, citizenship and permanent residency for migrant workers.

The questions were sent on August 5, 2015 to the following: Conservative Party, Green Party, Liberal Party and New Democratic Party. Please see below for the responses received to-date (in the order of receipt):

Pages