Ford Blames Trudeau for Influx in Asylum Seekers
International Obligations are Clarified for New Ontario Premiere
The first meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford was anything but cohesive. Ford, quick to blame the Prime Minister for the influx in asylum seekers, expressed his distaste for the federal government’s commitments when it comes to refugees entering the country.
The Premier claims that the federal government is straining local and provincial resources and that Ottawa itself should cover all costs as they relate to the refugee crisis. In a highly questionable statement, he has also openly argued that Trudeau’s administration actually “encourages” asylum seekers to cross into Canada illegally.
Premier Ford commented, "This has resulted in a housing crisis and threats to the services that Ontario families depend on. This mess was 100 percent the result of the federal government, and the federal government should foot 100 percent of the bills."
Federal Government Quick to Defend Stance on Policies
These allegations and statements garnered a response from the federal government.
The Prime Minister stated that Ford may not fully comprehend Canada’s international obligations with regards to asylum seekers. He took the time to explain to Ontario’s Premier how the system works and how Canada is obligated to react in these situations in hopes that he would see the relevance and importance of our nation’s responsibilities.
The federal government further defended its position by pledging to continue its ongoing efforts to relieve the burden incurred by Canadian provinces while simultaneously seeking Ontario’s continued support in helping refugees.
Backlash from Ontario
"[Trudeau] was the one who tweeted out that everyone was welcome here and as a result of that we've had thousands of people cross the border illegally and it's putting a strain on many of our public resources," said Lisa MacLeod, the provincial minister managing the immigration file.
Echoing Ford, she added that provinces and municipalities alike should not be burdened by the promises and comments made by the prime minister.
But what the provincial government doesn’t seem to comprehend is that Canada has an international responsibility to provide refugees with due process once they step on Canadian soil and claim asylum.
Trudeau’s own administration backed his stance on the issue. Ahmed Hussen, the Federal Immigration Minister, agreed with Trudeau’s sentiments, commenting that all levels of Canadian government need to work together to maintain commitments to treat asylum seekers with respect and dignity as they are processed through various programs and work their way into the system.
Hussen added, "We have international obligations, as well as domestic laws, to apply when it comes to asylum seekers. These are not optional issues. This is the law that we can't just opt out of."
It’s clear that the federal government is dedicated to protecting Canadians, the integrity of the immigration system, and its commitment to helping those seeking asylum in our country.
Funding Provinces with $50 Million
To offset the costs provinces sustained by the influx in asylum seekers entering the country from the United States, the federal government is sending $50 million in funding to Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba.
But these provinces are asking for more support, stating that this figure is a fraction of what’s required.
Quebec claims its costs are actually closer to $146 million if future projections are factored in. Ontario claims the same, saying that they need at least another $64 million more to cover the finances incurred.
The federal government has agreed to send another $36 million to Quebec and $11 million to Ontario to help relieve these financial stresses.
Despite this effort to aid provincial governments while remaining dedicated to providing asylum for the influx in refugees entering the country, negativity persists on the issue from opposing parties.
It seems Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are leaders who are miles apart when it comes to international obligations and the overall view of Canada’s involvement with asylum seekers, leaving opposing parties in their wake to argue both sides of this prevalent issue.
How Has Canada’s Attitude Changed Towards Refugees?
From a Warm Welcome to Cold Contempt
Three years ago, Canadians opened their arms and warmly welcomed Syrian refugees seeking asylum from their war-torn homeland. At the time, the general consensus among Canadians was that these people were in need and had been forced to flee their homes due to violence. All the same, there were voices opposed to welcoming refugees.
But in the time since, it appears that the kind, open-minded and accepting approach shared by Canadians is giving way to feelings of concern, confusion and frustration with the government as the number of asylum seekers continue to rise, giving rise to increasing delays in processing refugee claims.
The extensive media coverage of this issue has created the perception that Canada’s refugee system is now in crisis mode. Common opinion appears to have shifted: many Canadians believe that refugees pose some kind of a threat to our communities and that the federal government must provide greater refugee screening in addition to extensive border security.
Perpetuating Stigma
In many cases, it seems that high-profile stories in the media have swayed Canadian opinion. With or without sensationalism, asylum seekers and refugees have been at the forefront of public thought in the years since 2015, and Canadian acceptance seems to have soured.
This is, in part, the result of several unique cases and anomalies that received extensive media coverage. But these stories have misrepresented the severity of the refugee situation in Canada. While presented as commonplace, these serious issues are in fact rare occurrences, few and far between. As a result, those people for and against refugees in Canada engage in often-vitriolic debates.
Viral sharing and social media are facilitating this disconnect, pushing it towards an increasingly negative space. Both sides are being propelled by social engagement, sensationalized media coverage, and hot-topic issues.
"When the media keeps hammering 'illegal, illegal, illegal,' what do you expect? People have a vision of being invaded by illegals," said refugee advocate Rivka Augenfeld.
"If people hear the words 'flood' and 'influx' and 'crisis' often enough, you start believing in that."
As negative opinions are continuously shared on the matter, the more probable it is that the attitude will be openly negative.
Polls Reveal Average Canadian Opinion
This summer a poll was conducted by the Angus Reid Institute which revealed a large number of Canadians had issues with our immigration policy and were concerned about the number of refugees entering the country.
Results of data extracted from polls:
- 67% of Canadians are labelling the current refugee situation as a “crisis.”
- 33% of Canadians declare that the situation is not a crisis and that it is being perpetuated by the media and politicians.
- 65% have the opinion that Canada has let in too many “irregular” crossings and that the country’s security is not fit to handle the influx in asylum seekers.
These findings show that the majority is not on board with the federal government’s approach. More than half the population from the survey want Canada to cut back on allowing asylum seekers to enter the country. This opinion is likely due to the predisposition on the issue caused by media and politics.
The nation needs to support the government’s commitments to our international responsibilities in helping asylum seekers, rather than shifting attitudes towards Canada’s refugee response based on exaggerated and unfounded perceptions that we are facing a refugee crisis.
Refugees Find Financial Success—Eventually
Internal Immigration Department Documents Suggest Refugees Earn More than Most Canadians After 25 Years
Refugees settling in Canada are often falsely accused of draining Canadian coffers, earning more in government assistance than veterans, retirees, and vulnerable populations. The truth is that refugees receive limited financial support from government authorities based on a consideration of applicable provincial regulations.
A new internal document from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, obtained via an access to information request by lawyer Richard Kurland, suggests that refugees go on to out-earn the average Canadian citizen. This document refers to an internal study focusing on Canada’s largest groups of refugees in the 1980s and early 1990s. After 25 years of life in Canada, these refugees, from Vietnam, Cambodia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Africa are earning an average of $50,000 annually.
Compared to the Canadian average of $45,000, it seems like refugees go on to earn a bit more in the long-term.
Slow Road to Labour Success
This internal document may strongly indicate that the majority of refugees develop valuable skills and enjoy labour market success during their careers, which could mean that Canada’s 50,000-plus Syrian refugees may enjoy similar success in the long term.
In a memo attached to this internal document, a senior department official cautioned that predicting long-term economic outcomes for refugees is inherently challenging, owing to the “cyclical nature of the economy overall and especially (the) human capital of the Syrian cohorts.”
Long-Term Benefits for Both Refugee Parents and Children
Refugee employment and labour success are often regarded as the domain of refugee children. These children frequently receive extensive social support, a taxpayer-funded education in English and French, and the time to develop workforce-friendly skills. Past research by UBC professor Dan Hiebert has shown that refugees that settle in Canada typically take time to adapt, and despite early struggles, eventually enjoy the same success as Canadians.
According to Hiebert, investing in the financial future of refugees requires high levels of social assistance to help overcome the high poverty levels faced in their first years in Canada.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s internal document is one of the first to highlight the success refugees enjoy in the long-term, and a reminder that refugees are contributing members of the local economy. While it does take time, these individuals eventually earn a respectable living on par with most Canadians.
PNP Immigration Stats Upheld by P.E.I. Newcomers
Labour Force Strengthens as Immigration Numbers Climb Thanks to Foreign Workers
Prince Edward Island has some of the lowest immigration retention rates in the country, fuelled in part by a now-defunct program that helped streamline entrepreneur entry to Canada. Though good on paper, the program did not encourage lasting retention, with entrepreneurs setting up shop to ensure successful immigration or permanent residency before vanishing to other provinces.
This led to concerns and allegations of immigration fraud which were later investigated by Canada Border Services. The program was terminated shortly thereafter.
Further review of P.E.I’s provincial nominee program (PNP) led to the province exploring other options to increase immigration levels. Reviewers simultaneously agreed that encouraging PNP nominees to stay in the long term was vital. This review also sought to help mitigate fraud and other risks.
As a result, in an effort to improve immigration levels (and to help address the backlash against business-class immigrants), the provincial government announced plans to accept more foreign workers for permanent residency in Canada.
Over the next two years, this mandate will fill job vacancies throughout the province, geared heavily towards foreign workers, with less emphasis on entrepreneurs.
No Cause for Alarm
Due to the allegations around and subsequent termination of the provincial government’s initial entrepreneur-focused program, special considerations now exist to help avoid the potential threat of immigration fraud.
For example, foreign workers who apply must be present in P.E.I. for almost double the initial time requirement, a total of 247 days compared to the previous 183-day total.
Working with other federal and provincial partners and counterparts to detect potential fraud, P.E.I. will also instigate information-sharing agreements with various jurisdictions in the area as well as the federal government.
To handle this workload, two more staff have been recruited to augment the half-dozen personnel who operate the PNP and monitor compliance.
"We will be measuring a lot of important pieces that will really help us validate whether this program is working well or not. That will be around retention, about where folks are living, where they're working, those kind of things," commented P.E.I.’s Minister of Economic Development, Chris Palmer.
P.E.I.’s Retention Plan
This new initiative seeks to fill 425 job vacancies by 2019, almost doubling the number of filled vacancies from 2017.
Additionally, it’s expected that the number of business-class immigrants will be significantly lowered by 2019, too. This means the provincial government will provide fewer sponsorships for immigrant investors, paving the way for an increase in the number of sponsorships for foreign worker nominees in the PNP.
Palmer added that this mandate for retaining foreign workers will benefit the province, commenting, "The labour folks that are coming in are putting down roots here, contributing to the culture of P.E.I. and contributing to the economy of P.E.I."
Canada’s Use of AI in Immigration and Refugee Decision-Making Raises Alarms
Researchers Warn of Potential for Breach of Human Rights, Privacy
The University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab recently released a report warning of the potential hazards of the federal government’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) to screen and process immigrant files.
The report’s authors say that using AI and similar technologies has the potential for discrimination in addition to serious privacy and human rights breaches.
Pilot Programs Under Scrutiny
Earlier in 2018, the federal government launched two pilot projects using AI systems to sort through temporary resident visa applications. According to Mathieu Genest, a press secretary and spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, these systems are used to help “triage” online applications.
Genest added that the AI systems are being used to “process routine cases more efficiently,” and that human immigration officers always make final approval or denial decisions in these cases.
But one of the report’s authors, Petra Molnar, says that Canada’s used similar tools since at least 2014 for these purposes.
Molnar also cautioned that AI is not as neutral as one might think, citing the potential for user-created bias affecting the decision-making algorithm. Molnar added that making changes to this algorithm can be quite difficult.
Read follow-up article: Using AI to Augment Immigration Systems
AI Also Considered for Use in Humanitarian and Compassionate Applications
Other pilot projects have also been considered for immigration-centric uses. For instance, in April of 2018, the federal government looked at using AI or machine learning for sorting humanitarian and compassionate applications, in addition to pre-removal risk assessments.
Critics, including this report’s authors, argue that because immigration law is discretionary, refugees should not be subject to “technological experiments without oversight.” It would be profoundly unfair to interfere with that exercise of independent discretion through a systematic decision-making process which will result in a fettering of discretion.
Molnar and her co-authors have a list of seven recommendations for the federal government, chief among them the establishment of an independent oversight body. This body would review all uses of automated decision systems by the federal government.
Given the fact that these refugee streams are widely considered a “last resort” option for vulnerable groups fleeing conflict, relying on a machine to sort and process them interferes with the appropriate, fair and reasonable decision-making process which is justifiable, intelligible and sensitive to all the details, context, as well as the relevant facts and jurisprudence.
While Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada claim that these technologies are meant to support, not replace, decision makers, it remains to be seen if AI will be used responsibly and relied upon to not compromise the integrity of the decision-making process.