…. TO FOCUS ON INCREASING REFUGEE ACCESS TO PROTECTION VIA LABOUR COMPLEMENTARY PATHWAYS

Toronto, ON – April 25, 2022 

Nearly 13 million of the world’s refugees are of working age, but most cannot work legally where they live. Instead, they have to rely on aid, precarious work situations, or undertake dangerous journeys to try to find safety for themselves and their families.  

Meanwhile, employers around the world report pressing talent gaps in their local markets. In Canada, many employers face significant skills shortages and rely on international skilled workers to meet their labour needs. In fact, according to Statistics Canada there are over 1 million job vacancies across the country. Refugees often have the skills to fill these gaps – but the systems that govern international recruitment and skilled migration put them at a disadvantage.

The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) is a ground-breaking initiative of the Government of Canada to welcome displaced people through Canada's economic immigration pathways, while addressing chronic talent shortages across the country. Phase I (April 2018-June 2020) proved that skilled refugees can qualify for permanent residence through Canada’s economic programs with some administrative flexibilities. In June of 2020, the Government announced Canada’s ongoing commitment to refugee labour mobility with a goal of admitting up to 500 refugees and their family members through the EMPP. In December 2021, the second phase of the EMPP was launched, building on lessons learned from Phase I to explore a scalable and sustainable model for refugee labour mobility to Canada.

To continue supporting this amazing work, Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB) and Jumpstart Refugee Talent (Jumpstart) have formed the Refugee 500 Taskforce, which will help ensure the success of the EMPP in bringing in at least 500 skilled refugees and their families to Canada in the next two years. 

The Refugee 500 Taskforce is a collaboration among leaders and stakeholders to make recommendations on how to improve the EMPP for both employers and displaced talent, and to provide advice on how to scale the program even more – in particular, to support the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship in meeting his mandate letter commitment to welcome 2,000 skilled refugees through the EMPP. It will also be a forum for EMPP stakeholders to share lessons learned and best practices. 

The broad range of leaders and stakeholders who were invited to participate in the Taskforce, included representation from EMPP alumni, industry associations, employers, civil society organizations, refugee representatives, international organizations and the private sector. Following is a full list of current Taskforce members: 

• Bassel Ramli (Partnership and Program Lead - EMPP, Jumpstart Refugee Talent)

• Lara Dyer (Canada Director, Talent Beyond Boundaries)

• The Honourable John McCallum (Chair of the Board, TBB Canada)

• Patrick O’Leary (Global Director, TBB)

• Mustafa Alio (Co-Founder,Jumpstart and Managing Director, Refugees Seat)

• Mohammad Hakmi (EMPP Alumni, Full Stack Developer, Bonfire Interactive)

• Omar Taha (EMPP Alumni, Support Advisor, Shopify)

• Ben Rempel (Board Member, TBB Canada)

• Stephen Cryne (President and CEO, Canadian Employee Relocation Council)

• Sandi Campbell (Executive Director, Future Workforce Development at TECHNATION)

• Leah Nord (Senior Director of Workforce Strategies and Inclusive Growth, Canadian Chamber of Commerce)

• Claudia Hepburn (CEO, Windmill Microlending)

• Oumar Dicko (National Director, Government Partnerships, Windmill Microlending)

• Sandra Elgersma (Resettlement and Complementary Pathways Officer, UNHCR*)

• Jodi Hall (Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Association for Long Term Care)

• Maria Alicia Eguiguren (International Labour Mobility Senior Consultant, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society - HIAS)

• Galo Quizanga Zambrano (Global Director of Economic Inclusion, HIAS)

• Trevor Neiman (Director of Policy & Legal Council, Business Council of Canada)

• Ann Stafford (Regional Vice-President, Canada, Weichert Workforce Mobility Inc.)

• David Crawford (Partner, Fragomen Canada)

• Desmond Yeo (Global Partnerships Lead for Canada and the UK, Tent Partnership for Refugees)

• Sarah MacIntosh-Wiseman (Canada Director, Shapiro Foundation)

• Martin Anderson (Director of International Programs, RefugePoint)

• Jake Hirsch-Allen (North America Workforce Development and Higher Education System Lead, LinkedIn)

• Andrea Nemtin (Social Innovation Canada)

• Rand Al Jammal (Senior Manager, Programs and Strategy, Jumpstart Refugee Talent)

• Mehrangiz Monsef (Program Manager, EMPP, Jumpstart Refugee Talent and TBB Canada)

• Maureen Connors (Canada Fundraising and Communications Officer, TBB Canada)

• Marina Brizar (UK Director, TBB)

• Ayana Ibrahimi (Canadian Lead Immigration Specialist at TBB, Fragomen Canada)

• Sahana Sivabalasingam (Mobility and Settlement Officer, TBB Canada)

QUOTES:

“Canada continues to be a global leader in progressing toward a world where all people can move freely on the basis of their skills. Refugee 500 will help keep us on that path. An amazing and diverse group of innovative thought leaders have joined the Taskforce. There is an impressive amount of expertise, knowledge, and passion to help engage the business community and employers across Canada to participate in the program and hire displaced talent. It’s a privilege to work with such a dedicated and progressive group.” – Lara Dyer, Canada Director, Talent Beyond Boundaries, and Taskforce Co-Chair

“As a refugee-led organization we, at Jumpstart Refugee Talent, are thrilled to join forces with an incredible group of changemakers that are determined to make a positive impact on the lives of so many refugee families across the world. Together we will support businesses and welcome refugees to communities across Canada.” – Mustafa Alio, Co-Founder of Jumpstart and Managing Director of Refugees Seat 

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*UNHCR is participating as observers