Honourable Ron McKinnon, chair of the Standing Committee on Health, and honourable members, it's an honour to appear before this esteemed committee.
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that I am speaking today from the unceded ancestral territories of the Coast Salish people, namely the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh and Squamish first nations. I'm honoured and privileged to have the opportunity to play, live and reside on their land.
My name is Saleem Spindari. I'm the senior manager of refugees and migrant workers programs at MOSAIC.
MOSAIC is one of the largest settlement non-profit organizations in Canada. We serve immigrant, refugee, migrant and mainstream communities in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, as well as throughout the province of B.C. and overseas via online programs.
MOSAIC's work is derived from its vision that “Together we advance an inclusive and thriving Canada.” At MOSAIC, I oversee programs that support migrant workers, refugee claimants, privately sponsored refugees, international students and other marginalized groups. I will provide brief remarks about the impact of COVID-19 on these groups.
In early March I received from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada a notification of arrival indicating that one of the families that MOSAIC is privately sponsoring would arrive in early April. A visa was issued and travel arrangements were made.
Here in Vancouver, we made all of the arrangements for the arrival of the family from Africa, with the help of a host family who volunteered to provide support to the family upon arrival. Then travel restrictions were imposed, and the flight was cancelled. This had a huge impact on the mental well-being of the family, as they continued to live under deplorable conditions in the refugee camp.
The government recently allowed privately-sponsored refugees who had had their visas issued prior to March 2020 to travel to Canada, but many others are still waiting. Most of the visa offices overseas are still closed, and this is having a huge impact on the lives of refugees who are waiting and have sponsors ready to welcome them.
In British Columbia, we are fortunate to have the first pilot project to support migrant workers, otherwise known as temporary foreign workers. I'm proud to be leading a community capacity-building project to support migrant workers and groups working with them. This project, which is funded by Employment and Social Development Canada, has provided the much-needed funds to support a group that provides an immense contribution to our economy.
Regrettably, the temporary nature of the migrant workers program makes them vulnerable, and it continues to break families. The impact of COVID-19 has been huge on migrant workers as they worry about their family members who are left behind. More restrictions are imposed on their movement. In many cases they cannot even leave their places of employment, and they face difficulties meeting their immediate needs.
I'm glad that the government is currently looking into creating guidelines for migrant workers' accommodations. It is a great first step, but much more is needed.
I call upon the Government of Canada to extend funding to other provinces and to make the B.C. pilot permanent, as the project has been very successful in supporting the mental health, well-being and other needs of migrant workers. Staff at my program have been able to meet migrant workers during their 14-day isolation while following health guidelines, to help them address their needs there.
Refugee claimants who arrived before or during the closure of offices faced challenges in finding accommodation, in obtaining required documents to apply for benefits and employment or to get a hearing date. All of this had a huge impact upon their mental health at a time when they are away from the families they left behind while seeking protection in Canada.
With funding from the B.C. government, MOSAIC has been working closely with other partner organizations to support the mental well-being of refugee claimants during these uncertain times. Of course, these programs are now offered via Zoom and MS Teams.
In closing, I want to remind the esteemed committee that refugees, migrant workers, refugee claimants and international students continue to make immense contributions to Canada's economy. I call upon Canada to offer a pathway for permanent residency to all migrant workers, as not all of them have that. If they are good to work here, they are obviously good to stay here.
Those temporary and permanent residents who are internationally trained professionals should be given the opportunity to practise in Canada. They continue to prove that they are capable, willing and have the skills needed to practise their professions. We have seen the contributions they have made during COVID-19. I call upon the Government of Canada to ease the restrictions and remove the existing barriers toward their licensing.
Thanks again for the opportunity to speak today. I look forward to your questions.