PROMPT – Policy Roundtable Mobilizing Professions and Trades

1. PROMPT – Policy Roundtable Mobilizing Professions and Trades Meeting : Tuesday, November 16, 2004 Venue : Metro Hall, Room 303 Time : 6.00 a.m. to 8.45 p.m.

2. AGENDA • 6.00 – 6.15: Meet and Greet / Dinner • 6.15 – 6.45: Independent Appeals Mechanisms • 6.45 – 7.15: Smart Settlement - • 7.15 – 7.25: Bio Break • 7.25 – 8.00: PROMPT / Capacity Canada: Discussion • 8.00 – 8.15: Employment Strategies paper – Next steps • 8.15 – 9.00: Updates and AOB: Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE) Region of Waterloo Immigrant Skills Summit Campaign 2000 PPF Forum CERIS Seminar Request for Volunteers for Working Group on Development and Distribution Strategy for ‘In the Public Interest’ PROMPT Road Trip – request for volunteers for ‘visits’ to politicians PROMPT Strategic Planning – advance notice Meeting Evaluation

3. Independent Appeals Review Process - Consultations A. How? • PROMPT – joint position / submission • Separate for member associations B. ‘In the Public Interest’ • Arms-length appeal processes are set in place for each profession, or across sector groupings of professions. • Appeal boards consist of assessors who were not involved in the original process of assessment and other members who are knowledgeable about both the technical and process aspects of the appeal (LGAs or other appropriate government appointees)

4. Independent Appeals Review Process - Consultations • Rationale: This mechanism will demonstrate a fair, transparent and independent process that will likely be more acceptable to the broader public. In addition to these merits, such a mechanism will ensure the spirit of due process as well as ensuring accountability

5. Independent Appeals Review Process - Consultations Discussion • Background: Gist of initial conversation with George Thompson, Karen Cohl and Don (?) on terms of reference • Challenges to consideration and implementation of this recommendation as a discrete piece • 24 of 38 professions (health professions) have appeal processes • Study identified systemic barriers and solutions • Not many specific licensing requirements / criteria for registration were identified and challenged • What would an appeals process address?

6. Independent Appeals Review Process - Consultations Discussion What will PROMPT’s Submission be? • ITPI rationale, structure and composition of appeals process • Step in licensing process internal to the regulatory system rather than external to the system, avoiding redress through legal challenges by individuals, human rights challenges, costs of which are borne by affected individuals • Final step of a process that is assumed to be working. PROMPT’s Recommendation 2 i.e. outcome and process audits should help uncover if licensing works systemically disadvantages the licensing of IEPs • Assumes that Recommendation 2 uncovers systemic barriers profession by profession and across professions • Anything else?

7. Smart Settlement Discussion on Revisions • Wider context in the paper for growing disconnect between immigrant selection and settlement policies. Does this fit? • Section 2: New section “the economic preconditions for sustainable settlement”. Does this work? • Section 3: Divided into 2 sections. Context of current policies and critique of current policies. Has this section been strengthened? • Section 4: Focuses on existing models rather than critique of existing models. Can we live with this? • Section 5: New section. PROMPT requested section to identify elements of a sustainable immigrant settlement model. This is more a model of an action plan for PROMPT’s next steps in engaging small centres. What are your thoughts on this?

8. PROMPT / CAPACITY CANADA (Please refer to handout for model) Current Capacity Canada Model Leadership : Project management committee (PMC) Role: Current role of PMC Issues Potential Capacity Canada Model Leadership : PMC + Community Leadership Body (CLB) Role: Role of PMC + CLB

9. Employment Strategies Next Steps: Paper in 2 parts First part • Two page preface that outlines PROMPT’s vision on right of access to meaningful participation in labour force • Develop a vision that is consonant with vision of first 2 papers • Include key ‘Messages’ that PROMPT has already put out (* See handout) • Focus Group – systemic barriers and solutions (?) Second part • Preliminary findings and solutions on existing employment initiatives and funding frameworks for individual barriers • Focus Group - Key elements of any program to address these barriers (?). Key barriers to program delivery organizations to make progress on these issues (?)

10. Employment Strategies Next Steps 1) Focus Group of PROMPT to identify clear vision with systemic solutions – first and second parts. (Dec.2004) 2) Leave 2nd part as is. a) Acknowledge need for programs, facilities and funding but identify key requirements of such programs eg. Relevant, proper assessment, interim stage to licensing (if applicable), employer engagement and advocacy, direct employment outcomes commensurate with skills and abilities of clients, compliant with Lisbon Convention obligations etc. b) Identify which of PROMPT’s ‘positions’ in this section are consonant with PROMPT’s vision and which may not be. 3) Release – a) Next year b) Separate or joint release with Smart Settlement

11. Updates, AOB, Meeting Evaluation • Colleges Integrating Immigrants to Employment (CIITE) • Region of Waterloo Immigrant Skills Summit • Campaign 2000 • PPF Forum • CERIS Seminar • Request for Volunteers for Working Group on Development and Distribution Strategy for ‘In the Public Interest’ • PROMPT Road Trip – request for volunteers for ‘visits’ to politicians • PROMPT Strategic Planning – advance notice • AOB • Meeting Evaluation

12. Schedule for Meetings • Schedule for meetings – 2004 • December 11th, Saturday, 9.00 – 2.30 ( including holiday party?!) • 2005 schedule to be confirmed in December Thank you for your participation!