The Immigration and Refugee Board is seeking full-time order-in-council members for its offices in Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary. The positions are with the Refugee Protection Division and the Immigration Appeal Division. Let’s get some child advocates inside! Deadline to apply is June 30th.
Category: Refugees
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World Refugee Day
June 20th marks World Refugee Day. See the United Nations High Commission on Refugees website for information, resources and promotional material.
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Canadian Public Health Association conference: Sessions on immigrant children and families
The Canadian Public Health Association is holding its annual conference this year in Halifax, Nova Scotia from June 1-4. Sessions on or related to immigrant children and families include:
Immigrant and Migrant Health – I
Development of a framework to examine the determinants of health among Canadian immigrants, with Marie DesMeules
Studying intra-metropolitan health disparities in Canada: how and why globalization matters, with Ted Schrecker
Migration, Health and equity issues for Canada in the context of global migration, with Janet Hatcher Roberts
Using administrative data to analyze the health experience of African Nova Scotians, with Mikiko TerashimaFocus on Children’s Health
Children immigrants’ risk of physical inactivity according to family origin and length of residency, with Mathieu Bélanger
Immigrant and Migrant Health – II
Meanings of health, illness and help-seeking strategies among punjabi-speaking immigrants, with Beatrice McDonough
Migration and perinatal health surveillance: An international DELPHI survey, with Anita Gagnon
Migration to industrialized countries and perinatal health: A systematic review, with Anita Gagnon
Childbearing migrant women and equal access to research participation, with Amy Low
For more information, see the PDF program. -
SSHRC Strategic knowledge clusters – 11 new research initiatives
The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) announced funding of 2.1 Million for 11 new Strategic Knowledge Clusters last week. Funding continues for the next 7 years.
In announcing the funding, the Minister of Industry, the Honourable Jim Prentice said “Canadian scholars and researchers will continue to produce world-class results so that we, as a country, may use this knowledge to enhance the quality of life of all Canadians“.
Chad Gaffiled, President of SSHRC said “These talented researchers will help advance understanding of complex issues in our society and inform decision makers in government, business and communities across Canada”.
Of the 11 newly funded initiatives, these 3, of interest and relevance to the Early Childhood Working Group and Canadian Coalition for Immigrant Children and Youth:Canadian Forum for Public Research on Heritage, with Luc Noppen, Université du Québec à Montréal
Canadian Refugee Research Network, with Susan McGrath, York University
Strategic Knowledge Cluster on Early Childhood Development, with Michel Bovin, Université Laval.The three are clearly linked and we look forward to the work undertaken and especially to the linkages that must be made among them, if the knowledge clusters are to, as Gaffield says “advance understanding of complex issues” and as the Minister of Industry emphasized “to enhance the quality of life of all“.
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Graduate program in refugee and migration studies at York University
York University offers a graduate diploma program in Refugee and Migration Studies. Coordinated by the Refugee Studies program at York, the program allows students in a graduate program at York to specialize in migration and refugee studies. The program encourages students to consider how they can best serve both the Canadian and international communities in this area of public and humanitarian policy.
The Centre for Refugee Studies at York University is “engaged in research on refugee issues which inform public discussion, policy development and practice for international, governmental, advocacy and service organizations. The Centre also supports teaching in refugee and migration studies”.
For more information, see the Centre for Refugee Studies page at York U. -
IRB stats
The Canadian Council on Refugees has released a report on Immigration and Refugee Board Statistics, 2007.
Along with the numbers, some analysis of issues related to family reunification, the racialization of poverty, the limited response to Iraqi refugees and more.
Access the report here: statsreport1. Also see settlement.org for an overview. -
childtrafficking.org updated
childtrafficking.org, hosted by the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre has updated its digital library and added the 2007 report by Save the Children UK, Legacy of Disasters: The Impact of Climate Change on Children. From the report:
“Overall, natural disasters are likely to lead to unprecedented numbers of ‘environmental refugees’ or ‘environmentally displaced people’. Regions that rely most heavily on agriculture will be most affected; environmental migration is already most acute in sub-Saharan Africa, but millions of people in Asia and India are also on the move.
“The UN estimates that by 2010 there will be 50 million such people worldwide. Given the demographics of the countries most likely to be affected and the traditional composition of displaced populations, most environmentally displaced people will be women and children”.Visit childtrafficking.org or Save the Children UK to read the report.
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Refugee children in school
The National Post ran a story on refugee children in this weekend’s edition. The story is entitled “Refugee in a classroom“. A few quotes about learning in an environment where refugee students feel safe:
The teacher of the class, says: “It goes beyond just teaching…You’re dealing with the whole child, and you’re changing lives“.
A student comment: “We discuss things like racism, like religion, topics that create a lot of tension“.
One classroom teacher’s vision for equity for students in her school is realized. Let’s hope that this kind of understanding, analysis and action can be applied across the country so that all refugee and immigrant children (and their parents) are welcomed into schools. -
CCRs 10 areas of concern about proposed changes to the IRPA
The Canadian Council for Refugees has developed a useful fact sheet that outlines “Ten reasons to be concerned about proposed amendments to Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) in Bill C-50″.
Excerpts from the fact sheet:
1. Arbitrary power. The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration can introduce “instructions” without Parliamentary oversight..Having the rules for who gets in made and changed by ministerial fiat … lacks transparency and makes the immigration selection process vulnerable to inappropriate political pressures.
2. Applicants’ legal rights eliminated. The proposed amendment in IRPA s. 11 from ‘the visa shall be issued’ to ‘the visa may be issued’ (means) the applicant will no longer have the same legal basis to demand that the processing be finalized in a timely manner.
3. Overseas humanitarian and compassionate applications. The amendments eliminate the right to have an overseas application for humanitarian and compassionate consideration examined. This includes … family reunification.
4. Intentions are not law. The government has made a number of statements about how they intend or don’t intend to use the new powers… Expressions of current intention are no protection against future uses of the powers.
5. The amendments do not belong in the budget bill. IRPA amendments should (be) dealt with through separate legislation, studied by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration and debated.
6. Lack of explanatory information. The government has failed to provide adequate information.
7. Failure to produce draft instructions. … draft instructions have not been made public.
8. Lack of consultation. The proposed amendments were introduced without the normal prior consultation with stakeholders.
9. There are other ways of addressing the backlog. … the proposed amendments will not … resolve the existing backlog, since they only affect applications made after 27 February 2008.
10. The immigration program needs to value immigrants. Canada needs to consider immigrants as full participants in society, not simply as disposable units to fill currently available jobs. -
NAME Call for 2008 conference proposal reviewers
As posted here Feb 12/08, the US-based National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME) is holding its 18th annual conference Nov 12-16/08 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference theme is Beyond Celebrating Diversity: reActivating the Equity and Social Justice Roots of Multicultural Education.
NAME is now seeking conference proposal reviewers. From the proposal review Chair, Christine Clark, as posted today to the NAME listserv:
“The review timeframe will be – with some flexibility on either end – that proposals will be sent to you by mid to late May and would need to be completed and returned by early to mid June. You do not need to be a NAME member to be a reviewer.
“Please let me know ASAP if you are willing to be a proposal reviewer this year. In your reply, please send me all of your contact information (name,professional affiliation, mailing address, phones, faxes, e-mails) so that we can update the database. If nothing about your contact information has changed in the last year please indicate that in your reply.
“Also, please indicate your interests and/or expertise with respect to proposal review topic areas – for example, gender equity, achievement gap, P-12, disability access, gay rights, and so forth”.
Respond to chriseclark@mac.com.Christine Clark, Ed.D.Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion & Professor of Curriculum and InstructionUniversity of Nevada, Las Vegas702.895.3888 Office Telephone702.895.2944 Office Facsimile