Ottawa's New Immigration Strategy: A Positive Step Forward, Yet Missed Opportunity to Tackle Human Trafficking and Exploitation
TORONTO, Nov. 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Canadian Centre to End Human Traffic (“The Centre”) and Covenant House Vancouver commend the Government of Canada for the development of a comprehensive strategy aimed at enhancing the management of the country’s immigration system. Over the past year, we have been working closely to identify the gaps and challenges with Canada’s immigration system.The government’s new strategy, “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future: A plan to get us there,” includes many “actions” that closely align with the recommendations outlined in our research and labour trafficking and international students policy briefs. In light of the urgency surrounding these measures, we call on the federal government to implement these desperately needed measures without further delay. The government must work with human trafficking survivors, front-line service agencies, provinces and municipalities to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the many actions outlined in the strategy.
The new strategy, while taking a positive step forward, is also a missed opportunity to comprehensively address human trafficking and exploitation of newcomers, international students and migrant workers. The Centre and Covenant House Vancouver express their profound disappointment in the exclusion of critical actions such as Open Work Permits, family reunification, and a pathway to permanent residency for low-wage migrant workers. These measures are essential for protecting temporary foreign workers from abuse and reducing their isolation and family separation.
Canada has created a permanent “under-class” of workers in this country. The Centre and Covenant House Vancouver reaffirm their urgent appeal to the federal government to create a more equitable, fair, and human rights-based system. We call for the immediate implementation of Open Work Permits, support for family reunification, and the establishment of a clear pathway to permanent residency. These measures are not only necessary but also aligned with our commitment to ensuring a just and inclusive society for all.
*For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact:*
*Aziz Froutan*
Communications Manager
The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking
afroutan@ccteht.ca
647-714-2527
*Chelsea Minhas MSW, RSW*
Chief Program Officer
Pronouns: She/Her
Covenant House Vancouver
cminhas@covenanthousebc.org
604-449-4294
*About the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking: *
The Centre is a national charity dedicated to ending all types of human trafficking in Canada. We work with like-minded stakeholders and organizations, including non-profits, corporations, governments and survivors/victims of human trafficking, to advance best practices, eliminate duplicate efforts across Canada, and enable cross-sectoral coordination by providing access to networks and specialized skills. In 2019, The Centre launched the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010, a 24/7, multilingual access to a safe and confidential space to access help and connect to services.
*About Covenant House Vancouver:*
The mandate of Covenant House Vancouver is to support youth 16 - 24 who are homeless and/or at risk of homelessness. The young people Covenant House serves include those who are seeking safety, including from human trafficking. Our carefully designed Continuum of Care includes street outreach, a drop-in centre, our residential support programs including our Crisis Programs and Foundations Program, and our supportive, transitional housing program, Rights of Passage (ROP). These core services are enhanced by individualized, trauma-informed case management, in-house drug, alcohol, and mental health counselling, as well as access to life-skills training and mentorship. One of Covenant House’s core values is the concept of Sanctuary. Through this lens Covenant House provides a safe haven for individuals from all backgrounds and applies a universal “no wrong door” approach to anti-human trafficking.