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Canadian-born visible minorities are the blind spot in integration policies.
This is what Brahim Boudarbat (Université de Montréal, CIRANO) and Idossou Marius Adom (International Monetary Fund) conclude in a recent CIRANO study. Even if they were born in Canada, have a good knowledge of French or English, and have been educated here, members of a visible minority seem to have difficulty finding a place in the job market.
At a time when both Quebec and Canada are seeking to recruit more workers from abroad to address labor shortages, logic would dictate that we first realize the full potential of the working-age population already here. The situation of young Canadians from visible minority backgrounds deserves special attention to counter the risks of their socio-economic exclusion and the consequences this could have on social cohesion.
On Thursday February 22, Brahim Boudarbat presented the highlights of his study at a symposium. Then, a panel of people from various backgrounds discussed the issues involved in welcoming and integrating immigrants to Quebec.
Mireille Paquet, Associate Professor at Concordia University, Delfino Campanile, General Manager of PROMIS Immigration and Denis Hamel, Vice-President - "Politiques de développement de la main-d’œuvre" at the Conseil du patronat du Québec, participated in this panel moderated by Déborah Cherenfant, Regional Manager, Femmes entrepreneures, Québec & Atlantique at TD.
On February 8, Brahim Boudarbat presented the results of his study to over 275 people from various government departments. The presentation was part of the Research Partnership on Public Policies and the Labour Market, which aims to bring CIRANO researchers' work on employment issues to the attention of public decision-makers.