Labour market and employment

OCASI appeared before the Special Advisors to the Changing Workplaces Review (CWR) on June 16, 2015 to share recommendations on how the Employment Standards Act should be changed to better protect workers. The submission focused on growing precarious and low-wage work, and vulnerability of migrant workers and workers without immigration status.

December 9, 2014/Toronto - The Auditor General (AG) of Ontario has found serious shortcomings in the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in her 2014 Annual Report, released on Tuesday December 9, 2014. The report makes several important recommendations, which when implemented will bring a transformation to ensure program integrity.

The PNP as a policy tool is critically important to Ontario, Canada's largest province, to compete with other countries as well as provinces and territories for highly qualified immigrants. 

OCASI wrote to Jason Kenney, Minister of Employment and Social Development to express support for Ontario employment programs resourced through the federal-provincial Labour Market Agreement, and to urge that these funds are not diverted to the Canada Job Grant.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Honourable Jason Kenney
Minister of Employment and Social Development
Place du Portage, Phase IV, 14th Floor
140 Promenade du Portage
Gatineau, Québec K1A 0J9

The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) welcomes the proposal to encourage employers to hire immigrants by offering a tax credit. This is an investment in new Canadians that will benefit all Ontarians, since improving their integration in the labour market will serve to strengthen Ontario's economy. Let us look at why this is important and necessary.

 OCASI position on Family Reunification

The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI) is deeply disturbed to learn that Canada plans to cut back on the number of family reunification applications approved for parents and grandparents in 2011.