Senator Omidvar Speaks to the PS752 Tragedy in the Senate
Senator Omidvar speaks about the PS752 tragedy in the Senate chamber while offering her condolences to a nation that grieves together.
immigrants
Podcast – Plan B: Immigration in Canada
Senator Omidvar speaks with Ralph Benmergui about coming to Canada and the current state of discourse around immigration and multiculturalism.
SPEECH: Minister Hussen’s Commitment to Address Unintended Consequences of Bill C-45 for Immigrants
"We argued in committee and in the chamber, I believe, that it was not simply unfair but also against the principle of the bill, which is decriminalization. Instead, as a knock-on effect, there is an over-the-top impact on just one class of residents, and that is permanent residents, while others follow a different path to rehabilitation."
Senate spares impaired immigrant drivers from ‘sledgehammer’ penalty
The Senate has passed a critical amendment to the Impaired Driving Act that would spare permanent residents sentenced to less than six months from being deported.
Will the Senate pass the cannabis bill tonight? No one knows for sure
Independent Ontario Sen. Ratna Omidvar secured enough support for an amendment that would protect immigrants or refugees convicted of relatively minor cannabis-related offences from being barred from getting their citizenships, or from deportation. The government will consider that amendment if the bill passes tomorrow, sources said.
Us and Them: Difference, Diversity and a World of Difference – Embassy of Canada to Germany
This piece is based on a speech delivered by Senator Ratna Omidvar on April 26 2017, titled “Us and Them: Difference, Diversity and a World of Difference,” to an audience at the Embassy of Canada to Germany in Berlin.
Kick-Starting Employer Action
Hire Immigrants sat down with former executive director, Senator Ratna Omidvar, and stakeholders from across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area – employers, government representatives and non-profit organizations – to focus on identifying employment opportunities for Syrian newcomers and how to match refugee talent to the needs of employers.
OPINION: It’s time to restate the business case for migration
In an age where diversity is being threatened by fear, it is critical that Canada be the beacon of gender and cultural equality.
OPINION: Putting Canada’s new refugees to work requires all hands on deck
Connecting the incoming talent to opportunity will require imagination and change. It will demand innovation in work places, training, mentoring, job-matching, organizational co-ordination and delivery of products and services. This degree of change will leave a lasting mark on economic inclusion in Canada. What a great moment for receiving communities, and for future waves of newcomers.