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Adult Entertainment Association of Canada. Undocumented & Temporary Foreign Workers CIMM Committee April 7, 2008 . 1. Association Immigration Sub-Committee. Sub-committee of largest not for profit industry stakeholder organization
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Adult Entertainment Association of Canada Undocumented & Temporary Foreign Workers CIMM Committee April 7, 2008 1
Association Immigration Sub-Committee • Sub-committee of largest not for profit industry stakeholder organization • Established to study and improve facets for foreign workers • Recommends guidelines to Board of Directors • Stakeholder discussions with governments • Helped develop current model with HRSDC 2
Why Needed? Improve Labour Market Responsiveness • CIC is aware need to improve program • Needs tools to increase awareness • HRSDC will enhance employer monitoring & compliance • Needs tools and mandate and execute • Suggest business partnering initiatives • Working together with government • Implement needed preventative measures 3
Federal Government Departments Relate Numerous Challenges • Technicalities • Complexities • Intricacies • Out of Mandate • Problems • Difficulties 4
Obligation to Work Together and Create Proper Plan • Encourage Legal Movement • Current Government Department Structure Uncompromising & Inflexible • Employers and Stakeholder Organizations • Relationship with Foreign Governments • Achieving proficient arrangements • Simplified Solutions by Identifying Goals • In Need of a “Quarterback” Attitude 5
Pressure Likely to Grow • Departments expect 25% increase • More responsive for Canadian employers • Necessary skills and no criminal threat • 80,000 – 150,000 estimate undocumented • On average, 1 in 2 foreigners are illegal 6
Current Model for Industry Work Permit Applications • Applications now a two step process • HRSDC – Reviews, confirms & verifies • CIC – Formal approval • CIC – Unjustifiable rejection ratio for industry 7
HRSDC Applications Foreign Workers 8 Year 2006
CIC Applications Foreign Workers 9 Year 2006
HRSDC CIC Applications Foreign Workers 10 Year 2006
HRSDC Applications From AEAC Members 11 2005/2006
CIC Applications From AEAC Members 12 2005/2006
HRSDC Applications National Average AEAC Members 13 2006 2005/2006
CIC Applications National Average AEAC Members 14 2006 2005/2006
Visual for Total Undocumented Foreign Workers(systematic only) Total National Estimate AEAC Industry 2008 15
CBSA Priority for Removals • Risk of threat to national security • Crimes against humanity • Underworld organized crime • Lesser criminality • Failed refugee claimants • Not to target specific groups (example foreign workers) 16
Protective Standards in Place within Association • Multilingual educational materials (more than just Spanish) • 1-800 toll-free confidential phone line • Facility and workspace checks & verifications • Protections information communicated before work start • Liaison Officers through Police Services Board 17
AEAC Comprehensive Public Consultation Process • No evidence to back up claims against industry (Why solution created first?) • No basis documented cases from industry 1-800 confidential complaint line • No basis concerns from Police Services Boards, Municipal Licensing, Police Liaison Officers or Commissioner Fantino • Public meetings conducted in 4 large Canadian cities concludes unsubstantiated 18
Helpful Provisions From Foreign Women In Industry • Hard working, law abiding & tax paying • Fundamental financial support to families abroad • Entertainers selected to come to work in Canada • Canada has superior reputation internationally • Canada has recently slid in international gender equality ranking 19
Driven to Undocumented Status • Unofficial Measures have unfairly targeted an entire industry (overstepped authority) • Power highlighted in Bill C-17 already exists regarding mistreatment & abuse • Experts have already denounced Bill C-17 as doing nothing to address real problems • Experts confirm genuine prospects of being driving further underground into hands of criminal element 20
Association Recommends Changes to Policies • Disallow agents as potential applicants in Canada • Allow education not affect work • Allow possibility for re-entry visa application • Allow systematic rotation system with AEAC or allow new employer potential 21
Association Recommends Changes to Process • Association self regulatory and partnering • Make process more responsive to needs to validated Canadian employers • Educate women of rights prior to work • Disallow contract between recruiters and applying foreign worker • Modify administrative support at embassy eliminate potential abuse from recruiters 22
Fairness • Avoid stigmatizing women in industry • Avoid driving women into the underground • Association membership requirement • Enhance national awareness to confidential toll free 1-800 hotline • HRSDC develop appropriate procedures for monitoring and compliance through stakeholder outreach 23
C.I.M.M.Solutions Can Be Simple • Discourage creation of illegal paths • Create plan than react to consequences • Mandate to pursue solutions and not only state obstacles (Quarterbackattitude) • Prime directive mandate to work together • Only by working together can get necessary arrangements be developed 24