POLICY
PAPER WRITING
MODULE
# 6
…
IDENTIFY “NEW DIRECTIONS” AND/OR “ALTERNATIVE
SOLUTIONS” PROPOSED BY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS/NGOs WHO ARE WORKING EXPERTS IN
THE FIELD.
NEW DIRECTIONS ARE CURRENT POLICIES AND CURRENT
ORGANIZED THINKING/ PERSPECTIVES ABOUT THE ISSUE UNDER EXAMINATION IN YOUR
POLICY PAPER. ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS PRIMARILY REFER TO
REFORMS/ RECOMMENDATIONS/ ACTION PLANS TO HELP RECTIFY A PERCEIVED PROBLEM IN
THE CURRENT POLICY.
THE CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF NEW DIRECTIONS AND
ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS DISCOURSED IN THE PUBLIC ARENA IS FUNDAMENTAL FOR
DERIVING PRACTICAL AND IMPLEMENTABLE INITIATIVES THAT INITIATE PROGRESSIVE
SOCIAL CHANGE.
REMEMBER, SOME OF THE PROPOSED
DIRECTIONS/SOLUTIONS CAN BE SUPPORTED/ REFINED/ TWEEKED BY YOUR OWN ANALYSIS.
LIKE ALL SCHOLARLY WORK, YOURS IS A CONTRIBUTION MEANT TO ADVANCE AN ON-GOING
CONVERSATION.
***POLICY PAPERS ARE CRITICAL ANALYSES OF
AN IMPORTANT SOCIAL ISSUE OR PROBLEM THAT INVOLVES THE RESEARCH AND
DEVELOP OF A DEFENSIBLE PLAN (POLICY PROPOSAL) FOR SOLVING THE PROBLEM AND
FORMULATE WORKABLE STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE PLAN.
POLICY PAPERS NEED TO BE
FORMAL, CONCISE, STRAIGHTFORWARD, ORGANIZED, LOGICAL, THOUGHTFUL, WELL
RESEARCHED, WELL SUPPORTED, WELL WRITTEN, AND WELL ARGUED.
EX: POLICY PAPER ON ==
BARRIERS TO ACCREDITATION AND EMPLOYMENT FOR FOREIGN-TRAINED PROFESSIONALS AND
TRADES PEOPLE
...
[1] AIMS TO IDENTIFY KEY POLICY ISSUES;
[2]
APPLY THE BEST AND MOST UP-TO-DATE
RESEARCH TO HELP UNDERSTAND THESE ISSUES; AND TO
[3]
EXPLORE THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS
RESEARCH FOR THE DESIGN AND CONDUCT OF POLICY
...
ISSUE:
(1)
IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS
CANADA NEEDS ONE MILLION SKILLED WORKERS.
(2)
{YET} MANY FOREIGN-TRAINED
PROFESSIONALS ARE HERE AND CANNOT WORK IN THEIR FIELDS.
(3)
WHILE CANADA'S IMMIGRATION
POLICY HAS FOCUSED ON ATTRACTING A HIGHLY SKILLED IMMIGRANT WORKFORCE === SIX
OF TEN IMMIGRANTS ARE MOVING INTO EMPLOYMENT THAT REPRESENTS A DOWNWARD SHIFT
IN CAREER MOBILITY.
(4)
THIS IS PARTICULARLY
PROBLEMATIC IS VERY SIGNIFICANT IN ONTARIO, WHICH ATTRACTS
THE MAJORITY (60 PERCENT) OF IMMIGRANTS TO CANADA. OF THESE
ONTARIO-BOUND IMMIGRANTS MOST ARE DESTINED FOR TORONTO. MEANWHILE, RECENT
STUDIES AND STATISTICS SHOW THAT IMMIGRANTS ARE EXPERIENCING INCREASING
UNEMPLOYMENT AND UNDER-EMPLOYMENT, WITH IMMIGRANTS PARTICULARLY FROM RACIALIZED
COMMUNITIES FACING HIGH LEVELS OF POVERTY.
(5)
STUDIES COLLECTED BY THE WORLD
EDUCATION SERVICES (WES) SHOW UNDEREMPLOYED IMMIGRANTS IN CANADA
ARE LOSING $5 BILLION IN ANNUAL INCOME, WHICH WOULD GENERATE $1.5 BILLION IN
INCOME TAXES, ASSUMING A 30% TAX RATE. MOREOVER, WES – WHICH IS A
NOT-FOR-PROFIT ORGANIZATION THAT PRODUCES EVALUATIONS OF FOREIGN DEGREES AND
DIPLOMAS – DETERMINED MORE THAN 75% OF FOREIGN CREDENTIALS IT EVALUATED
LAST YEAR IN ENGINEERING, HEALTH CARE AND IT MATCHED OR EXCEEDED CANADIAN
STANDARDS.
===
ERGO ===
SOCIOLOGICAL CONCLUSION: THE EMPIRICAL
DISPARITY(IES) SUPPORTS THE CONTENTION {FROM THE “SYSTEMIC PERSPECTIVE”}THAT BARRIERS
IN CANADA INHIBITING FOREIGN-TRAINED INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT ONLY A ABOMINABLE
WASTE OF TALENT, BUT ARE ALSO STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY VARIABLES OF ETHNIC
ORIGIN, ANCESTRY, RACE, COLOUR AND/OR GENDER; AND SO, CONSTITUTE SYSTEMIC
DISCRIMINATION. SUCH DISCRIMINATION IS NOT ONLY UNLAWFUL UNDER BOTH THE
GOVERNING PROVINCIAL/TERRITORIAL/FEDERAL HUMAN RIGHT LEGISLATION AND UNDER
SECTION 15(1) OF THE CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHT AND FREEDOMS, BUT ALSO
LEADS TO DEBILITATING SOCIAL COSTS OF BOTH AN ECONOMIC AND NON-ECONOMIC NATURE,
SUCH AS: 1) SLOWER MOVEMENT OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, 2) COMMUNITY
FRUSTRATION , 3) WEAKER IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION,
4) RACE RELATIONS TENSIONS, 5) HUMAN RIGHTS
COMPLAINTS AND 6) MACRO-ECONOMIC COSTS. ALL OF
THESE SOCIETAL COSTS HAVE DIRECT IMPACTS ON PRODUCTIVITY LEVELS AS WELL
AS ON SOCIETAL COHESION.
...
NGO’S POSITION ON ISSUE:
(1)
BARRIERS TO ACCREDITATION
AND EMPLOYMENT FOR FOREIGN-TRAINED PROFESSIONALS AND TRADES PEOPLE IS A LONG-STANDING
CONCERN FOR OCASI MEMBERS, AND THE IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE-SERVING SECTOR IN
ONTARIO AND ELSEWHERE IN CANADA.
(A)
OVERCOMING BARRIERS THAT
DISCRIMINATE [INVOLVING STAKE-HOLDERS —[1] GOVERNMENT, [2]
REGULATORS, [3] CREDENTIAL ASSESSORS, [4]
EMPLOYERS AND [5] LABOUR].
(B)
GIVE EMPLOYERS THE “PROXY”
[KNOWLEDGE THAT GIVES THE GO-AHEAD TO HIRE],
C) PARADIGM
SHIFT — “EQUITY FIX” — BY EXPEDITING “CREDENTIAL ASSESSMENTS” AND
FACILITATING “TRAINING UPGRADES.”
THE
MAYTREE TEN POINT PLAN
THE MAYTREE FOUNDATION
RECENTLY RELEASED (NOVEMBER 2003 ) A PLAN TO INTEGRATE IMMIGRANT SKILLS INTO
THE ONTARIO ECONOMY, ENTITLED "INTEGRATING IMMIGRANT SKILLS IN THE
ONTARIO ECONOMY - A TEN POINT PLAN".
[[THE POLICY PAPER WAS
DEVELOPED FOR THE FOUNDATION BY NAOMI ALBOIM, A FELLOW AND ADJUNCT PROFESSOR AT
THE SCHOOL OF POLICY STUDIES AT QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY, AND A PUBLIC POLICY
CONSULTANT.]]
THE PLAN NOTES {FROM THE
“IMMIGRANT PERSPECTIVE”} THAT SKILLED IMMIGRANTS ATTEMPTING TO ENTER THE
LABOUR MARKET IN THEIR OCCUPATIONS FACE HAVE TO DEAL WITH BARRIERS
SUCH AS == LACK OF INFORMATION, INADEQUATE ASSESSMENT AND RECOGNITION OF
QUALIFICATIONS ACHIEVED ABROAD, LACK OF UPGRADING OPPORTUNITIES, LACK OF
OCCUPATIONAL SPECIFIC LANGUAGE TRAINING, AND LACK OF OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN
CANADIAN WORK EXPERIENCE.
THE PLAN IDENTIFIES TEN
CONCRETE INITIATIVES THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE NEW ONTARIO
GOVERNMENT, AS WELL AS BY GOVERNMENTS IN OTHER CANADIAN PROVINCES, THAT WILL ALLOW
THESE JURISDICTIONS TO BENEFIT FROM IMMIGRANT SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE.
{{THIS POLICY PAPER
PRESENTS A SET OF “TEN” POINT PLAN FOR INTEGRATING IMMIGRANT SKILLS IN
THE ONTARIO ECONOMY. IT IS HOPED THAT ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
WILL BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS IMPORTANT EFFORT AT SOME LEVEL, (1) WHETHER
IT BE SUPPORTING AND/OR ENDORSING THE POLICY PAPER, (2) ADOPTING THE USE
OF THE SET OF CRITERIA, (3) JOINING THE IMMIGRATION/REFUGEE SERVING
SECTOR, OR (4) EDUCATING OTHERS ON THIS TOPIC.}}
THE PLAN IDENTIFIES TEN
CONCRETE INITIATIVES THAT COULD BE IMPLEMENTED BY THE NEW ONTARIO
GOVERNMENT, AS WELL AS BY GOVERNMENTS IN OTHER CANADIAN PROVINCES, THAT WILL ALLOW
THESE JURISDICTIONS TO BENEFIT FROM IMMIGRANT SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE.
THE INITIATIVES ARE AS
FOLLOWS :
1.
CREATE AN ONTARIO INTERNET PORTAL TO
INFORM SKILLED IMMIGRANTS.
2.
IMPROVE COLLABORATION ON THE
ASSESSMENT OF ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS TO INCREASE EMPLOYER CONFIDENCE.
3.
PROVIDE INCENTIVES FOR EDUCATIONAL
INSTITUTIONS AND LICENSING BODIES TO DEVELOP COMPETENCY BASED ASSESSMENT TOOLS.
4.
REVIEW POST SECONDARY FUNDING
FORMULAS AND THE STATUTORY FRAMEWORK SO EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS ARE ENCOURAGED
TO PROVIDE BRIDGING PROGRAMS AS PART OF THEIR "MAINSTREAM" SERVICES.
5.
WORK WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO
EXPAND STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMS.
6.
FUND LABOUR MARKET LANGUAGE TRAINING
TO BE DELIVERED BY EMPLOYERS AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
7.
PROVIDE INCENTIVES TO EMPLOYERS,
EMPLOYER ASSOCIATIONS, AND LABOUR TO BECOME MORE ACTIVE IN THE INTEGRATION OF
IMMIGRANT SKILLS.
8.
SUSTAIN THE COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS OF
ONTARIO SELF-REGULATED PROFESSIONS TO IMPROVE ACCESS FOR INTERNATIONAL
CANDIDATES.
9.
INITIATE MULTI-LATERAL DISCUSSIONS
TO CREATE 5-PARTY AGREEMENTS ON THE LABOUR MARKET INTEGRATION OF IMMIGRANTS.
10.
SUPPORT LOCAL INITIATIVES TO INTEGRATE
IMMIGRANT SKILLS.