Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 14th, 2016

[Imadeddin Sawaf]

No.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Okay.

Looking at your background, it's incredible that you have spent a lot of time volunteering. That certainly goes a long way in making sure that some of the refugees who are coming here can be guided and that there is some guidance as to how to secure employment, how to receive language training, things of that nature. I know your particular interest, and it makes eminent sense given your background, is to assist the refugees in obtaining employment. If I'm correct, I think you said in your statement that some of the refugees really do have good solid technical skills. However, recognizing that it is a big challenge, and you alluded to that as well, I was wondering if you could focus on instances in which you have been successful, so perhaps we can learn from your experience.

[Imadeddin Sawaf]

Successful in employment or in general?

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

In general, in terms of linking refugees to employment opportunities.

[Imadeddin Sawaf]

There are two paths.

The first path was the first proposal I made in my current job that I work at right now, which is the British Columbia Construction Association. It was to create pods. I find someone who actually speaks a little bit of English, connect them with the four or five permanent construction sites. That was perfect, but then I guess through their own funding programs, they're not allowed to employ them anymore, so that was stopped.

On the other one, I connected with other employers, a different sector in the trades industry, because they're more tradespeople. That was successful in a way, but we didn't find.... Most employers needed more contracts. They said, “You know, I don't have enough work to get your guys working.” So on my own I tried to get them contracts in whichever field they're in, in construction, and once they get the contract they hire the guys. So projects of three, four, or five months, whatever it is, they put our guys, and only our guys, on the project, not just because they're our guys, but because these are people who need to start work to help them financially as well.

Most of them have kids, but not everybody has kids to support, right? They needed that. They needed to get in the stream, or else the reality is they're going to drift off. If you're not going to put them on the right path, they're going to drift off. When they drift off we're going to say, “Why did you drift off? We've given you opportunity, and now you're drifting off.” We don't want to see that. So putting them on the right path, I think, is the most important thing. Otherwise, the reality is they're being offered jobs under the table, “Let me pay you cash; I'll pay you $9 an hour.” It's happening. Regardless if we accept it or not, it is happening. I'm trying not to make it happen, not to do anything illegal.

Make it legal. They want to make it legal, but these are the options they're getting right now, and the word of mouth, “Oh, I think you should do this” is not something.... Let's hear from somebody with the power of authority, “This is what you should do; this is the path. I'm going to put you on the right path.” This is what they're going to get into.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Based on those success stories, the ones who did actually possess the requisite skill set, were there language barriers, or is that, in this particular context, less of a challenge?

[Imadeddin Sawaf]

Yes, there were a lot of language barriers, but after I had found a foreman who speaks English and connected them with him, they performed perfectly. The people who worked with the Arabic employers performed even better. Because the training comes from the Arabic employer himself, it requires less investment to train them. In that sense it was an extreme success.

One of the older Syrian refugees, who I tried this pilot program on, is now working with a non-Arabic-speaking company. He's a professional painter. He knew nothing about painting and is getting paid $20 and something an hour. There is success, if we actually focus on the employment sector.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Excellent.

In your experience, was there anyone who was employed but also had the opportunity to set aside some time for language training?

[Imadeddin Sawaf]

Absolutely.

I'm not taking all the credit myself. What I and other people did was to try to give them a little bit of a schedule. School is from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m.. It's almost impossible to get into these classes. If we're able to secure these classes, they get the 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. classes instead of the morning classes. Then, they actually attend work in the morning and are able to go to night school. That's exactly what a lot of them have been doing.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Thank you ever so much.

If I could, I'd like to ask Ms. Low a question.

Thank you so much for your testimony. I understand that the Calgary Catholic School District has had 109 Syrian students so far. Is that correct?

[Cheryl Low]

That's correct, yes.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

Okay.

I was doing some background reading in preparing for your appearance today. I found that in the media you had said that obviously, funding is very critical to the success of your programs. You had alluded to the fact that you had applied for provincial funding, but you hadn't heard anything back. Is that correct?

[Cheryl Low]

We had made a request to the federal government and the provincial government in December, following the initiative to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees, to request that funding for education be considered as part of that initiative. We did not receive any federal or provincial funding for any of the students we received into our district, as our funding is defined as of the end of September of the school year.

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

You have 10 seconds.

[Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale, ON]

That concludes my questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

Thank you.

Ms. Rempel, you have seven minutes, please.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

I'll start by directing my questions to the Calgary Board of Education.

I know you had written to the Prime Minister, and have been in contact with the federal government to discuss some of the funding gaps created by having to provide services to many new refugee students with complex needs.

We've been told by department officials that there won't be additional funding. I'm just wondering if you could set the record straight. Were you or any other school board, perhaps the Catholic school board, consulted by the federal government, in terms of service delivery, when the decision was made to increase our refugee intake in Canada by over 250%?

[Joy Bowen-Eyre]

Thank you for the question.

Like our colleagues at Calgary Catholic School District, we made a formal request to both the provincial government and the federal government for additional support for our Syrian refugee students. We have heard back directly from the provincial government, and the letter we received stated that no further funding would be allocated either to us or to any other school board within the province, because the Syrian refugee students arrived beyond the cut-off date of September 30.

We have not received anything formally in writing from the federal government, either granting our request or denying the request. We were not consulted by the federal government and asked if we were able to take additional Syrian refugee students into our school board. As a public school district in Calgary, we welcome each and every student who comes through our doors, regardless of situation, circumstance, country of origin, or language.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

The results of this study will be a report that will present recommendations on how to improve the government's response to the Syrian refugee initiative. Given what you have just said, would you be able to provide a concise recommendation, in terms of how to deal with some of the gaps and challenges you're facing in delivering services to Syrian refugees?

[Joy Bowen-Eyre]

We would be happy to provide any sort of documentation or report that this government needs. Yes.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Excellent.

[Joy Bowen-Eyre]

Our board has also contacted the Canadian Ministers of Education Council. We've asked them formally, that's all the provincial education ministers, to work with the federal government to look at ways that we could close the gap and look at ways that we could support all of the Syrian refugee students that have come to each school board within this country.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

Excellent.

I'd like to beg the indulgence of some of our witnesses and my colleagues for a moment. We're nearing the end of the session and there's one piece of business that I need to take care of before that happens.

I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the Committee study options for Canada to expedite bringing Yazidi girls from Syria and Iraq to Canada as refugees; that this study be comprised of no less than two meetings to be held prior to October 1, 2016; that departmental officials be in attendance for at least two meetings; that the committee report its findings to the House; and that pursuant to Standing Order 109, the government table a comprehensive response thereto.

I'll just very briefly go through my rationale.

[The Chair, Liberal, Borys Wrzesnewskyj]

Ms. Rempel, before the rationale, the notice period hasn't passed yet. It hasn't been 48 hours, so there will be an opportunity later this week.

[Michelle Rempel, Conservative, Calgary Nose Hill, AB]

On Thursday then.