Citizenship and Immigration Committee on June 3rd, 2026

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

That would give us other points of view on this.

In your opinion, do refugees and asylum seekers face more barriers than other types of immigrants, such as those selected in economic programs, when it comes to having their qualifications recognized?

[Michael Casasola]

Unfortunately, we don't have a line of sight on that. We're not service providers in Canada, and I can't really provide you feedback on the issues or challenges that refugee claimants or protected persons face. We do know statistically that with time, the situation does improve, but as for credential recognition, I'm not aware.

[Steve Mason]

Perhaps I'll add quickly to that.

In our work, we don't work with asylum seekers in Canada. We're working on bringing refugees into Canada as permanent residents. What we've learned on credential recognition is that the big benefit comes when you don't work at the level of the individual refugee but look at the upstream credential alignment.

Under that Nova Scotia pharmacy pilot, for example, the provincial regulator went to Jordan and assessed and accredited the training program the refugees had gone through in Jordan so that they would know that anybody who had gone through that program would have the necessary credentials to work in Canada after a three-month upskilling program. There was an immediate ability for them to have that credential recognized.

That's where you really need the input of the provincial government and the provincial regulator, whatever the sector may be, to ensure that can happen and that we avoid lengthy upskilling and retraining process times.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Has it ever happened that the credentials of the people you support were not recognized once they got here?

[Steve Mason]

We have not had that experience. Our pilots are all very new, but because the credentials are being recognized in advance from the regulator, there's a certainty. The first cohort, for example, came into Nova Scotia earlier this year, and they're all already working as full-time pharmacists in rural communities.

[Michael Casasola]

If I may add, this may be the next evolution in this model. We've seen it, for example, in Jordan. We've also seen similar examples in Kenya and in other places we're looking, where Canadian credentials are already being recognized by the institutions that are providing the training and trying to recruit from graduates of that program.

We're trying to ensure that refugees have access to these programs so they can apply on an equal playing field with other newcomers.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

In your opinion, could refugees who are already in the country, who have arrived for all kinds of reasons, constitute an attractive pool for skilled labour?

If so, is the problem of credential recognition important?

[Michael Casasola]

What we're interested in and what the EMPP is about are unmet needs. Certainly, we're all in favour of the opportunities for refugees, refugee claimants or even permanent residents who came to Canada as refugees to find success in Canada. As for whether that would be a potential pool, again, it would depend on the circumstances.

A lot of the sectors that we've seen recruiting through the EMPP have been in the areas of health care.... I think almost half of the refugees came through working in health care, manufacturing and the skilled trades. These have been areas of chronic needs.

For training and upskilling, there are wonderful organizations, like Refugee Jumpstart, that are trying to help refugees in Canada, whether they are refugee claimants, protected persons or permanent residents, to make a liaison to where there are gaps in the economy.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu.

Thank you, Mr. Casasola.

Next we're going to the second round of questions and answers, which will be five minutes.

We will begin with Mr. Menegakis.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to our witnesses for appearing before us today.

My questions are for you today, Mr. Miranda. I'm hugely impressed that you're here. You're here as an individual to talk to us about this very important topic.

In my mind, in my view, you did everything right. You went to high school, got good grades, applied to a good university in a very competitive program—the University of Western Ontario—and graduated from it. You did everything you were asked to do, and when you tried to enter the workforce, it took you two years and over 500 applications to get an entry-level job in this country.

How do you feel when you hear that the government is bringing in more foreign tech workers who are filling entry-level jobs?

[Ethan Miranda]

It's quite concerning, because I've seen how difficult it is for me and my fellow recent graduates to find a job. When I see more people coming in to compete for the jobs that I'm trying to apply for, it's a bit concerning, for sure.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Would you agree that instead of importing talent, the Liberal government should incentivize companies to train young talent like you who are already here in Canada for these entry-level roles?

[Ethan Miranda]

Yes, I would.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

As we heard earlier, Canada's youth unemployment rate has spiked to about 14.3% nationally. In fact, in the greater Toronto area, where I live, it's pushing around 20%. Do you believe that immigration policy in Canada is currently aligned with helping young Canadians like you find work?

[Ethan Miranda]

It's certainly having an impact. I'm not really sure whether immigration policy is the main driver of the issue that I'm facing in particular, but when I see the government investigating whether or not they should bring in more foreign tech workers, that's a bit concerning to me because I think it could worsen the situation.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

You testified that you're making a low wage at a start-up currently, despite having an engineering degree from one of the prominent universities in the country. Do you believe the massive influx of foreign tech talent is keeping entry-level wages and jobs depressed for young talent like you?

[Ethan Miranda]

It's definitely having an impact. The degree to which it's affecting things, I'm not really sure. I haven't studied it, but I would say that it's definitely having an impact and is certainly making it harder for people like me to find a job.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

The Prime Minister spoke about the sacrifices that our youth will have to make. What sacrifices do you feel you and your peers are making?

[Ethan Miranda]

When I graduated university, I wanted to be a software developer and work in tech, on the engineering side. Since I graduated, I've realized that it's not really going to be possible for me. I've had to pivot and try to use other skills to get a position. This is the main sacrifice that I've made.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Do you think it would be beneficial for our committee to invite more young people like you to hear stories directly from the young Canadians who are affected? We hear from a lot of experts here and a lot of organizations. Do you think it would be beneficial to hear from more young people like you?

[Ethan Miranda]

Yes, it would, because I think you'll see the scale of the issue. I'm just one person, but there are many more people like me who will tell you the exact same thing, especially in software engineering.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Let me ask you this, if I may. If you could tell the Prime Minister one thing, what would you tell him?

[Ethan Miranda]

I would ask him to make sure that Canada's immigration policy is stress-tested to make sure that it doesn't worsen the job market for young people.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Menegakis.

Thank you, Mr. Miranda.

Next we have five minutes for Mr. Zuberi.