CIIT Committee Report

SUPPLEMENTARY OPINION

NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF CANADA

The NDP thanks the committee members, staff, analysts, and the witnesses who participated in this study of “Multiculturalism: Its Contribution to Canada’s International Trade and Investment Activities.”

The NDP celebrates that Canada is a culturally rich and diverse country and we take pride in our unity and coexistence of the many traditions and cultures within it.

Many of our communities today are built on the contributions, traditions and practices that people from all over the world have brought to Canada.

The NDP must acknowledge the Indigenous people living in Canada as the original people from which many traditions and upon which a great deal of Canada’s history is based.  Canada – starting with its original inhabitants – has a proud tradition of welcoming newcomers. Many of our first settlers survived and then prospered because of the openness, compassion and generosity of Indigenous peoples; we must now must work to acknowledge and honour that relationship in every way possible, including in how we conduct international trade. What makes our social and economic fabric so strong is our desire and ability to welcome people from all over the world. We are a country where people can come and build a life.

The NDP heard from the majority of witnesses who appeared for this study that Canada’s multicultural business groups and associations are very active within their cultural communities and within the broader community as well. They offer many networking opportunities to their members and also are developing many programs specifically for their younger members (including students). These programs can be in the form of internships, scholarships and international exchanges. The NDP believes this is important to note, as these groups fundraise and self-finance and to support their efforts, the Government of Canada could help to play an instrumental role in leveraging these important ties to their home countries. We see this as a great growth strategy; encouraging young people to start their own small and medium-sized businesses helps to create good-paying jobs which act as the economic cornerstone in many local Canadian communities.

The committee also heard a number of concerns from the witnesses based on the problems they encountered with federal government departments and its programs. The committee was informed that businesses are consistently lacking the skilled tradespeople they rely upon for the operation of their businesses and they are not receiving the help they need from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship Canada.

To expand on this issue, Mr. Wojciech Sniegowski, the President of the Canada-Poland Chamber of Commerce stated that their members’ companies are put at risk due to the inability for them to hire skilled labourers.  He commented on the skills gap and said, “The limited availability of skilled workers is a serious hindrance to many of them (their members). While Canada's immigration policies are theoretically designed to address workforce shortages, existing programs are insufficient when it comes to addressing the current crisis. Organizations such as ours regularly raise these concerns in our discussions with public officials.”

Mr. Sniegowski continued by saying, “A prudently designed immigration program would assist businesses in Canada's Polish community as well as other Canadian businesses in gaining access to this highly educated and trained English-speaking workforce in a timely manner. The Canada-Poland Chamber of Commerce is ready and willing to serve as a credible partner of the Government of Canada in facilitating such an initiative.”

Some witnesses also spoke of the overwhelming amount of red tape and administrative headaches they encounter from the government and a desire to streamline the apparent miscommunication between federal departments. Ms. Karima-Catherine Goundiam from Red Dot Digital said, “What I'm looking for from the government is less red tape and more direct information as to what to do in matchmaking. Everything I've done from an international trade perspective I've found out on my own. I made the mistakes and I forged my own path, and that takes a hell of a lot of time and a lot of money.”

The committee heard during testimony that there is a talent ‘mismatch’. There are many people who come to Canada and want to leverage their skills and background to benefit their chosen country, their community and their families; the challenge is often having their abilities fairly recognized. Too many foreign-trained professionals are forced to work in part-time, precarious jobs, instead of putting their skills to good use in Canada.

The NDP believe it is important for the Government of Canada to accelerate and streamline the Foreign Credential Recognition Program and adequately fund professional bodies to develop harmonized standards for credential recognition with a single point of contact. The government must also reach out to potential immigrants seeking employment by holding more orientation sessions, provide federal funding on literacy and language training, and foster the work of many professional bodies that can provide skills bridging and business mentorship within our communities.