WATCH: Immigration Policy on the Fly: What Have We Done and What Comes Next?

On June 15, 2020 Senator Omidvar participated in a webinar hosted by First Policy Response examining immigration policy responses to COVID-19.

Event Overview

The event featured Professor Naomi Alboim (Distinguished Fellow, School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University and Senior Policy Fellow, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration, Ryerson University), The Honourable Ratna Omidvar (Independent Senator for Ontario), Professor Anna Triandafyllidou (Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration, Ryerson University) and was moderated by Yasir Naqvi (CEO, Institute for Canadian Citizenship).

The event started with a grounding exercise from Dr. Triandafyllidou, who reminded us of our own vulnerability: “Those who have usually been non-precarious – we thought we had everything under control. Suddenly [through COVID-19] we see how we are all vulnerable.” This experience allows us to have more empathy to those who are more “structurally vulnerable due to conditions outside of their choice.” This was a great way to set the stage for a rich discussion about immigration policy in the time of COVID-19, which covered immigration levels, public perception of immigrants, the link between immigration policy and racism, and skilled/ “unskilled” labour.

Click here to read the full event summary on the First Policy Response Website