E61: Daniel Bernhard believes we can have a better Canadian immigration conversation

Anti-immigration sentiment in Canada is at a 30-year high. And some of the recent takes on immigrants and the problems they bring with them make for an interesting read.

But, let’s pause for a bit…are we misdiagnosing the Canadian immigration problem?

Are we addressing the right issues? Or in a hurry to sound right and get a word in, we've simplified a complex and nuanced conversation into a good vs. bad debate.

Daniel Bernhard, the CEO of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC), believes we can have a better conversation about Canadian immigration. One that's much broader, accommodates all the nuances, and, most importantly, considers everyone affected —Canadians and immigrants.

He joined me on The Newcomers Podcast to chat about the two sides of the international student debate. We also explored:

• Why we MUST view immigration from an outcome-based lenses

• Why The Leaky Bucket Report 2024 and Talent to win study are part of a bigger story

• Why the student route should be the best immigration pathway for Canada, and more.

This conversation validated a lot of thoughts that I have about immigration. My biggest takeaway as an immigrant: We need to address everyone’s interest. It’s a Canada conversation. If all I consider is my immigrant POV, nothing moves forward.

Shoutout to George Carothers and his team for the amazing work they’ve done with the Leaky Bucket report and the Talent to Win study. Read them here 👇🏽

• The Leaky Bucket Report 2024

The Leaky Bucket 2024

6.45MB ∙ PDF file

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The report follows ICC’s first “Leaky Bucket” report released in 2023, also produced by the Conference Board of Canada. That original study revealed the alarming trend of immigrants leaving Canada in growing numbers to seek opportunity elsewhere. This year’s report provides updated figures and digs deeper into the characteristics of those immigrants who are leaving in greater and greater numbers.

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• Talent to win Study

Talent To Win

2.16MB ∙ PDF file

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“Talent to win” is a unique collaboration between the ICC and Deloitte, which brought together over 40 leaders from business, government, and civil society to understand the causes of immigrant underemployment and surface creative workarounds that leading employers have enacted to put this immensely underused talent pool to work. Beyond the reality of systemic discrimination, the roundtable discussions revealed that employers face several challenges, including: lack of ambition in business culture, inadequate onboarding and mentoring practices, blind spots in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) frameworks that don’t take country of origin into account, and a lack of support to navigate Canada’s complex immigration system – especially for small and medium-sized businesses.

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