The next GRITIM-UPF Seminar will be held on Tuesday 25 October from 12:30 to 14:00 at room 13.105 (Ramón Turró building, Ciutadella Campus).

Temporary Labour Migration in Canada – why should we care?

Christine Straehle
Graduate School of Public and International Affairs
University of Ottawa (Canada)

Abstract : Managing the effects of global migration is among the most pressing problems that we face as a global community, and temporary labour migration programs (TLMP) are increasingly proposed as one of the best ways to resolve these problems.
The Canadian government is not alone in its increasing reliance on TLMP to respond to acute labour shortages across a range of industries. In so doing, however, it is exacting a major shift in Canada’s immigration policies, and it is doing so without a systematic and public discussion of the consequences of this shift. For the first time in 2008, the number of migrants admitted into Canada on temporary visas exceeded the number of migrants admitted on permanent visas, and evidence suggests that this trend will continue indefinitely. In this paper, I will address some of the problems with current programs – in particular, I will talk about the danger of exploitation that temporary foreign workers are exposed to in the context of some of Canada’s programs. This is problematic and should give us normative pause if we think about Canada’s self-definition as a liberal-democratic country that upholds the rights that come with this status.

The presentation will be made in English.

Attendance must be confirmed before Monday 24 October to flora.burchianti (arrova) upf (punt) edu

Font:  GRITIM-Universitat Pompeu Fabra