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Month: August 2022

What has Canada done for Ukraine in six months of war?

Posted on by Adam Smith

It has been six months since Russia launched its February 24 attack on Ukraine, causing loss of life, destruction and international condemnation.

From the start of the invasion, Canada spoke out in support of Ukraine, offering financial, military and humanitarian aid, and the House of Commons unanimously declared what was happening in Ukraine “genocide.”

The federal government joined with other countries in imposing sanctions against an ever-growing list of individuals and entities, promising that retaliatory measures would be taken despite Russia’s opposition.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that while he hopes the war will end “quickly,” Canada “will support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people with whatever it takes for as long as it takes.”

In May, Trudeau made a surprise weekend trip to Ukraine.

During the visit, designed to show Canada’s support for the country, the prime minister reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to provide military assistance to Ukraine and also imposed another package of sanctions against Russia.

Trudeau went with Chrystia Freeland and Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie. They toured the devastation in the Kiev suburb of Irpen, which had been heavily bombed by the Russians.

The visit followed trips to Ukraine by other world leaders and was seen as a symbol of solidarity and strength.

Random testing at Canadian airports forces healthy people to sit in quarantine

Posted on by Adam Smith

Random testing at Canada’s borders has no way to distinguish between people who have had the COVID-19 virus in the past and those who are currently infected with it, the government said in a statement.

The mandatory measure, which affects about 1 in 20 fully vaccinated people entering Canada by air, also results in healthy travelers being quarantined.

The PCR or molecular tests used are too sensitive to distinguish active infection from previous infections.

Nevertheless, the government insists on using these tests because it claims that they are the “gold standard” for detecting the virus, even if they can identify people who have fully recovered from it.

According to the government, about 5,000 people are tested each day. The tests are conducted by several private companies, which have received government contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars since the pandemic began.

Random testing has been widely criticized this spring as a source of unprecedented disruption at Canadian airports. 

To avoid potential problems, including forcing people with past infections into unnecessary isolation, anyone who provides a positive PCR test taken at least 180 days before entering Canada is exempt from the random testing program.

However, over the past year, access to PCR tests has been limited in many places, so it is unlikely that over-infected travelers will be able to provide the evidence needed to obtain an exemption.

 

What fields are Canadians going to work in after the pandemic?

Posted on by Adam Smith

Amanda Ryan, who lives in New Brunswick, had her own cleaning business until last year, when she decided to become a realtor.

“I had a cleaning business for a long time, and my body was starting to feel the effects of constant cleaning,” says Ryan, a mother of two.

A year after changing careers, Ryan says the work has proven challenging, but enjoyable. And more rewarding.

Such career changes come amid a tightening labor market, which leads to shortages in the industries that workers have left. Overall, Canada’s unemployment rate remains at 4.9 percent, the lowest since 1970.

Examination of the data also shows long-term changes in the country’s labor market, caused by demographic shifts that have occurred over the decades. The data show a sharp shift toward certain sectors, such as government, educational services and real estate, and away from others, such as catering, agriculture and construction.

Labor economist Fabian Lange of McGill University in Montreal says many workers seem to be moving up the “job ladder” toward industries with better compensation and benefits, a phenomenon he is now documenting in the U.S.

Amid such a tight labor market, offered hourly wages have risen substantially in some sectors, such as technical and information services, while in other areas, such as manufacturing, food service and retail, they continue to lag.

 

New Express Entry draw: Pass rates down, invitations up

Posted on by Adam Smith

 

Canada held its fourth draw for all Express Entry programs since July 6.

The IRCC issued 2,250 invitations to apply (ITA) for permanent residency. The Comprehensive Rating System (CRS) qualifying score was 525.

No specific program was specified in this drawing, which means that candidates from the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) were eligible for the invitation.

A total of 7,500 candidates have received an ITA since the July 6 renewal for all programs. The number of invited candidates has steadily increased by 250 with each drawing, and the minimum CRS score has steadily decreased by eight to nine points. The current minimum score is 32 points lower than the July 6 draw of 557.

Canada plans to admit 55,900 permanent residents through Express Entry in 2022, and that number will rise sharply to 111,500 by the end of 2024.

By inviting applicants through Express Entry, IRCC can process applications more efficiently because applicants already meet the basic eligibility level, according to their CRS score. Now that the draw has resumed, IRCC is aiming for a six-month review period for new applications.

However, the IRCC is considering future Express Entry draws focused on specific skills and occupations instead of relying solely on CRS scores. Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said in June that this way Canada could select more immigrants who are already job-ready.

Alberta launches campaign to attract workers from B.C. and Ontario to the province

Posted on by Adam Smith

Alberta is seeking to attract workers to the province from Ontario to fill needed jobs in skilled trades.

In a statement to the media, the provincial government says, “Alberta is the best place in Canada to live, work and raise a family, and the new Talent Attraction Campaign is designed to tell that story.

It will highlight the many cost-of-living, career and lifestyle advantages of living in Alberta, including:

The highest average wage and lowest taxes in the country

Housing in a major city at a lower cost

Shorter average commute times to work

Career opportunities in new and growing industries

easy access to world-renowned mountain parks for year-round hiking, skiing and biking and more than 300 days of sunshine a year.

This diversity means job seekers have more opportunities to expand their skills and succeed in their chosen field.

The $2.6 million campaign will run in social media and other digital spaces, radio and high-traffic venues in Vancouver and Toronto. It will launch in two phases: phase one now and phase two in mid-September, with additional exposure tactics in both markets.

Alberta’s vacancy rate is also high, with more than 100,000 open jobs, and 78% of businesses in the province report shortages limiting their ability to meet demand.

Between December 2021 and July 2022, employment in Alberta increased by 68,200 jobs, compared to a growth of 47,800 in Ontario and 45,400 in British Columbia, despite a higher population.

Alberta workers continue to have the highest earnings of any province.

In Canada, it will be possible to violate ArriveCAN requirements, but only once

Posted on by Adam Smith

The Canadian government is relaxing the once-strict rules on ArriveCAN requirements, making exceptions for travelers who fail to provide mandatory health information.

The new rule provides more flexibility for those who are unaware of the requirements.

As a result, they will be “exempt from quarantine, testing, and fines on a one-time basis.”

Vaccinated Canadian citizens, permanent residents, those registered under the Indian Act, and those with “no history of violations” are eligible for the exemption.

The exemption applies only when crossing the land border.

A spokesman for the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said the temporary measures have been in effect since May, and as of July 29, the exemption applies to fully vaccinated foreign nationals entering Canada by land.

“We can tell you that from May 24 to August 4, 2022, of the 5,086,187 travelers eligible to enter through the land border, the one-time exception was used 308,800 times,” they said.

Those who used the one-time exception will receive information explaining their obligations to provide data to ArriveCAN when crossing the border in the future.

In Canada, people are more attached to language than country

Posted on by gisisr11

According to a new study, more Canadians say they are strongly attached to their primary language than to other identity attributes, including the country they call home.

The Leger survey, commissioned by the Association for Canadian Studies, found that 88 percent of respondents felt a strong attachment to their mother tongue, while 85 percent said the same about Canada.

The high importance of language was particularly characteristic of Francophones and Indigenous peoples.

Evidence of strong attachment to the primary language trumped all other markers of identity, including geography, ethnic group, race, and religion.

Of all the identity markers examined in the study, Canadians were the least likely to report a strong attachment to a religious group.

Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, said the findings highlight the important role of language in people’s self-image.

Jedwab said people should remember not to downplay the importance of language, given how meaningful it can be to society. He said language serves the dual function of facilitating communication and being a manifestation of culture.

91 percent of Canadians whose primary language is French said they felt strongly about their language, compared to 67 percent who said the same feeling about Canada.

 

Quebec Repeals Certain Provisions of Act 96 Discriminating Against the English Language

Posted on by gisisr11

A group challenging Quebec’s new language law won its first legal victory Friday, Aug. 12, as a judge temporarily suspended a provision requiring English court documents to be translated into French.

Quebec Superior Court Judge Chantal Corriveau ruled that sections of Bill 96 requiring companies to pay a certified translator to prepare French versions of legal documents could prevent some English-speaking organizations from accessing justice through the courts.

In a written decision issued Friday, Corriveau said the provision could lead to delays and costs that would particularly affect small and medium-sized businesses.

“In this case, in the court’s view, the evidence shows a serious risk that in these cases some legal entities will not be able to assert their rights in court on time or will be forced to do so in a language they and their attorneys know best and consider their native language,” she wrote.

The judge ordered that the two articles be suspended until the case is heard on the merits, which will likely happen in November.

The group of attorneys challenging these articles of law argued that the translation requirement violates provisions of the 1867 Constitution Act that guarantee access to the courts in both official languages.

According to court documents, the group claims that the number of certified legal interpreters is limited, especially in some regions, and that their services cost between $0.20 and $0.40 per word.

 

Canadian province of Saskatchewan

Posted on by gisisr11

Canadian province of Saskatchewan seeks special immigration independence

At the beginning of August 2022, the Saskatchewan government issued a statement that it was seeking greater control over its immigration system.

The announcement came on the same day that Saskatchewan Immigration Minister Jeremy Harrison attended a meeting in New Brunswick with other Canadian immigration ministers, including his federal counterpart Sean Fraser.

The most important outcome of the meeting was the ministers’ agreement to develop a multi-year PNP allocation plan by March 31, 2023. This would allow each province and territory to allocate PNP funds over three years, which would help them plan ahead to support their economic development goals.

A number of provinces say such efforts are still not enough to promote local economic development.

Saskatchewan is asking for a new bilateral immigration agreement with the federal government, similar to the one Quebec has. Because of its unique French-speakingness in Canada, the province of Quebec has the most control over the immigration system of all ten Canadian provinces and three territories. Under the Canada-Quebec Agreement signed in 1991, the province has the power to set its own levels of immigration, to select all economic class immigrants, to control the admission of temporary residents, and to have a say over classes of families and refugees.

Saskatchewan is currently allocating 6,000 principal applicants for 2022, but the province believes that 13,000 places would be a fair number, as it is Saskatchewan’s proportionate share of all immigration to Canada.

Canada approves new language test for immigration

Posted on by gisisr11

The IRCC recently approved a new language test for economic class immigration applicants.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) anticipates that the test will begin in early to mid-2023.

Currently, there are only four designated organizations: IELTS and CELPIP for English, and TEF and TCF for French.

The IRCC says that despite some initial difficulties during the pandemic, the number of designated testing organizations continues to meet demand. Nevertheless,

the growing number of language test organizations seeking status is a reason for the IRCC to improve the situation.

The announcement says the IRCC will be reviewing potential proposals over the next 12 months. If implemented, these changes are expected to result in even more organizations being interested in seeking status.

Departmental roles and responsibilities related to language testing are currently not clearly defined and have an overlapping policy and operational implications.

The language testing team at the IRCC, part of the Immigration Division, must balance the work of maintaining the file and promoting the new policy priorities.

The IRCC is currently reviewing the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) because some are concerned that it is too granular for testing purposes compared to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Instead of a score on a scale of one to seven, CEFR examiners receive a score on an alphanumeric scale: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.

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