One month to have your say in consultations on Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Have something to say on the state ofimmigration policy in Canada? You have one month to try to be heard. Citizenship and Immigration Canada ( CIC)’s parliamentary secretaries Chungsen Leung and Rick Dykstrahave launched a series of cross-country consultations on immigration issues, beginning today, July 31, in Toronto, at least until Aug. 31.
The two parliamentary secretaries will be meeting with stakeholders and the public to discuss the appropriate level and mix of immigration for Canada in the coming years.
Following the Toronto session today hosted by Parliamentary Secretary Leung, meetings with stakeholders will take place in Windsor, Vancouver, Halifax and Ottawa. Currently, online consultations are also open to the public and stakeholders for input.
The purpose of the consultations is to seek feedback on immigration issues, including the appropriate level of immigration for Canada, and the most suitable mix among economic, family, and refugee and humanitarian classes.
According to a press release, “these consultations present an important opportunity to generate greater public understanding of the difficult decisions involved in managing a global immigration system. There are competing visions and diverging goals for the future of the immigration program, and there are no easy answers. Engaging stakeholders and the broader public is key to CIC’s development of an overall strategy for Canada moving forward.”
Invited stakeholders represent a variety of perspectives, including those of employers, labour, academia, learning institutions, professional organizations, business organizations, regulatory bodies, municipalities, aboriginal groups, settlement provider organizations and ethnocultural organizations.
The online consultations are open for input until Aug. 31, 2012.
There is also a consultation process currently in place regarding the Immigrant Investment Program, running until Sept. 4.