Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
Good afternoon.
We really welcomed today's initiative to draw Parliament's attention to the situation of those who have chosen Canada as a safe haven, as was just mentioned.
As other speakers before me have outlined, the issues and challenges experienced by asylum seekers throughout their settlement trajectory have many implications, human, economic, and, most importantly, structural. I'm referring here to access to employment, housing, legal services, health care, early childhood services and the like.
As an organization that has been on the front lines of immigration and integration for 38 years, today we will present a synthesis of our observations on the ground regarding the realities asylum seekers face in Quebec.
Our objective is to recommend four courses of action that would greatly facilitate the integration of asylum seekers: First, promote access to quality jobs, particularly by granting work permits upon arrival; second, facilitate access to health and psychosocial services for asylum seekers housed in federal hotels in Quebec; third, develop an awareness campaign on the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP); and fourth, develop transitional housing models to facilitate access to housing.
First, to promote access to quality jobs, we believe it's important to support initiatives that value the skills of asylum seekers and make employers aware of their potential in an unprecedented labour shortage environment. We mustn't forget that the term “asylum seeker” is a status that says nothing about the career trajectory of these individuals.
With support from Services Québec, our organization will be holding the first job fair for asylum seekers this coming December 13. It's a great opportunity for them to break away from informal employment networks that make them vulnerable. It's very important that we point that out.
While we would like to applaud the establishment of a new temporary measure to expedite the issuance of work permits, some questions remain. According to public policy, to obtain a social insurance number, individuals must have their refugee claimant document. Can they get a social insurance number without their refugee claimant document, knowing that claimants can wait up to a year to get an eligibility interview to obtain this document? This interview used to be done on the day the claimant arrived or within 24 hours. That's a year's wait, and it contributes to them working under the table rather than for our businesses in need of workers.
These long processing times take a toll on the psychological health of asylum seekers. We have observed an increase in anxiety and distress due to administrative procedures, particularly those related to legal services, which are currently under pressure in Quebec. They must therefore face uncertainty in addition to the trauma related to their experience in their country of origin and the long road that led him to Canada.
We'd like to point out that asylum seekers housed in federal hotels in Quebec need health and psychosocial services, much like those housed under the provincial initiative Programme régional d'accueil et d'intégration des demandeurs d'asile (PRAIDA).
Furthermore, we recommend that a campaign be developed to raise awareness among frontline health care workers of the Interim Federal Health Program, which is not very well known in Quebec. This program fills a service gap by providing insurance coverage. We also recommend that reference tools be created for administrative officers to help them better understand medical coverage. Such tools would make it easier for them to understand IFHP procedures.
Greater consistency between the IFHP and the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec would also facilitate processing and prevent some professionals from giving up on the IFHP because they find the reimbursement process too cumbersome. Service providers' lack of awareness of the IFHP has a direct impact on the health of asylum seekers, which is already precarious.
Finally, we feel that developing transitional housing models for six months to one year as a complement to PRAIDA's temporary housing would support asylum seekers in their search for housing. Quebec is the only province to offer temporary accommodations upon arrival. However, how can someone obtain housing in three weeks without any credit history or references from previous landlords, all in the midst of an affordable housing crisis?
Rising homelessness among asylum seekers is a visible and tangible sign of the difficulties they face in gaining access to affordable housing in Montreal. Transitional housing models can provide a buffer when asylum seekers come out of temporary accommodations to make it easier for them to understand how rentals work and also help them establish a tenant history.
I will stop there.
I'm willing to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you.