Projects Funded Through 2015 National Call for Proposals
Theme: Economic Integration of Immigrants in Canada
Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program Environmental Scan Project
Research team: Caroline Hemstock, Milton Ortega, and Deniz Erkmen, Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies
This project will examine the impact of federal policy changes on Alberta’s provincial nominee program (AINP) and the flow of nominees to the Alberta labour market and communities. To analyze the effects of the changes on Alberta’s AINP, interviews will be conducted with representatives from Alberta’s Ministry of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour; settlement stakeholders; and CIC regional and local managers across Alberta. Literature and document analyses will also be undertaken to determine whether Alberta’s AINP objectives – including improved economic and social outcomes, regional development, and stakeholder engagement – align with the overarching federal objectives driving newcomer selection and integration.
Engaging Diasporas as International Entrepreneurs: An Empirical Study
Research team: Jean-Marie Nkongolo-Bakenda, University of Regina; and Elie Virgile Chrysostome, University of New York at Plattsburg
This project will employ an on-line survey and case studies to examine the motivations and behaviours of diaspora international entrepreneurs from different regions. Diaspora entrepreneurs serve as potential business investors and trade bridges between home and host countries. Factors that may be critical to the development of diaspora entrepreneurship include, in addition to traditional drivers of international entrepreneurship, altruistic motivations, the need for social recognition from the home country, the identification of entrepreneurial opportunities in the home and host countries, the friendliness of the home country’s socio-economic environment, the receptivity of the home country’s government, the integration of immigrants in the host society, and diaspora support programs in the host country. The project will examine the impact of these factors on the success of diaspora entrepreneurs, differentiating between socio-cultural-economic factors and personal attributes.
Paper published in Journal of International Entrepreneurship
The Transformation of the Quebec Model: A First Portrait of the Impact
Research team: Mireille Paquet, Concordia University; and Chedly Belkhodja, Concordia University
This project has two objectives: (1) to analyze Quebec’s new approach to immigration and integration; and (2) to evaluate the impact of the new directions on stakeholders, especially service provider organizations and public institutions. The research will be conducted in two phases. First, a review will be undertaken of official Quebec documents, including policy statements, consultation reports, and calls for proposals. This may extend to information requests to the Department of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion (MIDI). Second, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with key stakeholders in order to take stock of their experience with Quebec’s new approach. The interviews with field workers and Quebec ministry officials will take place in three regions: metropolitan Montreal; the Quebec City region; and the Eastern Townships.
Theme: Social and Cultural Integration of Immigrants in Canada
Spaces of Encounter: French-speaking Immigrants’ and Refugees’ Experiences of Social and Cultural Integration in Francophone Minority Communities
Research team: Suzanne Huot, University of Western Ontario; and Luisa Veronis, University of Ottawa
This research will investigate the daily experiences of French-speaking immigrants and refugees within community spaces such as schools, community centres, cultural associations, and sports clubs located in Francophone minority communities in Ottawa and London. The main objectives of the research are to critically examine: (1) French-speaking migrants’ access to and use of community spaces for social and cultural integration and engagement in Francophone minority communities; (2) Experiences of inclusion or exclusion within these spaces, taking into account factors such as language, race and ethnicity, gender, and migrant status; and (3) How the experiences of French-speaking migrants vary in relation to the unique socio-historic and geographic context of Francophone minority communities. The research will employ a case study methodology.
The Contradictory Geographies of Newcomer Volunteering in Canada: New Research Directions to Understand Economic Integration, Social Participation and Civic Engagement
Research team: Luisa Veronis, University of Ottawa; and two graduate students
This study has two goals: (1) To better understand the role of volunteering as a mechanism for integration, participation and civic engagement by examining newcomer motivation, expectations of volunteering, and innovation, as well as the role of migrant status, class, gender, ethnicity, race, and language skills in shaping newcomer practices, experiences and outcomes of volunteering; and (2) To develop a policy tool to help settlement agencies and newcomers find volunteering opportunities that match newcomer qualifications, skills, motivations and expectations. The study will employ a qualitative approach that is well suited to investigate issues such as who volunteers, why, how, where and when; and to analyze how differences in legal status, class, gender, ethnicity/race and institutional context shape newcomers’ opportunities and challenges. The study will be conducted in Ottawa-Gatineau.
Theme: At-Risk Populations of Immigrants in Canada
Meanings Attributed to Family Councils and Related Concepts by Immigrant Residents of Long-Term Care and their Family Carers
Research team: Sharon Koehn, Simon Fraser University; Jennifer Baumbusch, University of British Columbia; and Colin Reid, University of British Columbia-Okanagan
This research will investigate the utility of a Family Council model for improving residential long-term care (RLTC) for vulnerable immigrant seniors. Family Councils – groups of family members who work to protect and improve the quality of life of seniors in residential long-term care (RLTC) – are included in the provincial long-term care regulations of British Columbia, Ontario, and Newfoundland & Labrador. There is currently little research on Family Councils in relation to immigrant seniors and their families. In-depth interviews will be conducted with immigrant seniors and family members recruited from residential care homes in Vancouver. The interviews will explore: (a) experiences of ageism, sexism, and racism; and (b) potential outcomes resulting from Family Councils, including greater family inclusion, better care and improved quality of life. The research will lead to recommendations for improving and potentially extending the Family Council model.
Theme: Temporary Resident Streams in Canada
Assessing the Changes to Canada’s Live-in Caregiver Program: Improving Security or Deepening Precariousness?
Research team: Rupa Banerjee, Ryerson University; Philip Kelly, York University; Ethel Tungohan, University of Alberta; and community collaborators GABRIELA-Ontario, Migrante-Canada and Community Alliance for Social Justice (CASJ).
This study will examine the recent changes to the Live-in Caregiver Program (LCP) and investigate how these changes are affecting current caregivers in the program, as well as those who have recently completed the program and received open work permits or permanent resident status. Of particular interest is whether the program changes have affected labour market and social integration, as well as family reunification. The aim is to develop policy and practice recommendations pertaining to the program, as well as suggestions on how best to facilitate a successful transition by caregivers into the labour market and society. The tenets of Participatory Action Research will inform the work. The LCP community will be involved in survey and focus group design, participant recruitment, data analysis, and the formulation of policy implications.