Deputations & Submissions

OCASI made the following four recommendations for the 2023 Federal Budget, in our pre-budget submission to the Standing Committee on Finance.

1. Establish a minimum core funding threshold that invests in quality services and decent work for the non-profit immigrant and refugee serving sector and the larger non-profit sector.

April 2022 / Toronto

Remove the term “visible minority”, use the term “racialized people” as a designated group and remove citizenship status discrimination. These are some of the recommendations we made in a joint submission to the Federal Employment Equity Act Review Task Force. Read the joint submission by Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change, South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario and OCASI.

August 2021 / Toronto

OCASI made a written submission to the Standing Committee on Finance for pre-budget consultations on the 2022 Federal Budget.

OCASI made the following recommendations:

Toronto / January 26, 2022

OCASI made a verbal presentation on January 19, 2022 to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs for its Ontario 2022 Pre-Budget consultations, and made a written submission.

Almost two years into the health pandemic we have ample evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased long-standing structural and societal inequalities. Indigenous, Black and racialized communities – including immigrants and refugees - were put at higher risk of exposure to the virus and were at higher risk of contracting the infection.

Toronto / November18, 2021

OCASI made a written submission to the Standing Committee on Social Policy on Bill 27: Working for Workers Act, 2021.

The Bill proposes certain changes that are intended to address exploitation and abuse by recruiters. It is not certain if these proposals will be effective. Other proposals in the Bill have the potential to harm workers.

Toronto / July 28, 2021

OCASI made submissions to Ontario's Task Force on Women and the Economy for its consultation on women’s participation in the economy and Ontario’s workforce.

Toronto / July 28, 2021

OCASI made submissions to the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee (OWRAC). The Committee was established by the Ontario government to provide recommendations to shape the future of work in our province.

The OCASI submission puts forward an Action Plan to end the labour force underutilization of immigrant talent in Ontario.

OCASI states:

Toronto / October 16, 2020 - OCASI made the following pre-budget submission today to Ontario Ministry of Finance.

Toronto / August 7, 2020

OCASI provided a written submission to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance for its pre-budget consultations.

The OCASI submission called for a revamp of the immigration and refugee system to make the systems fair and more accessible. OCASI also made recommendations to advance racial equity and eliminate racial discrimination.

Recommendation 1 – Revamp the immigration and refugee system as follows:

Toronto / July 24, 2020

OCASI held a virtual discussion with Toronto member agencies on July 8, 2020 to prepare our submission to the Toronto Office of Recovery and Rebuild (TORR) public consultations.