Good morning. My name is Lori Willocks. I work as a settlement coordinator at the Calgary Immigrant Aid Society.
Immigrants play an increasingly important role in Canada's growth and economy, but many newcomers are forced into jobs that are far below their training and qualifications. This is making Canada a less attractive destination of choice for new immigrants.
In fact, a recent StatsCan report shows that one in six highly educated male immigrants leaves Canada within one year of arrival due to the job market. Because of this, we have a few recommendations.
We recommend providing potential immigrants with clear and accurate information about working in Canada prior to their immigration.
We recommend increasing the funding for language programs that offer occupation-specific language training, employment preparation, and paid work placement.
We recommend providing child care support and more flexible hours for ESL students to improve accessibility.
We also recommend offering incentives to employers who will provide work placements or internships to immigrants to help them gain Canadian work experience.
Vibrant Communities Calgary believes that the Government of Canada has a strong role to play in the elimination of poverty in our community. Federal and provincial programs are intertwined, and solutions to these issues cannot be found unless both levels of government work together and address the barriers as well as the opportunities.
Further, government programs need to be reviewed and designed in light of current social and economic conditions. In an economy such as Calgary's, job transitions are not only possible but essential for efficiency gains.
Good social program design strongly reinforces good economic performance.
If government programs prevent these efficiency gains, individual workers suffer and it is detrimental to the economy as a whole.
We hope you will act quickly on these recommendations, as the situation of low-income Calgarians is becoming increasingly serious and has far-reaching consequences for our entire community.
I thank you for the opportunity to speak today.