By Elizabeth Jones, 2nd year student, Global and International Studies
On March 6th, the Faculty of Public Affairs hosted the “Mapping Migration Policies: Whither Families and Children” conference on Canadian immigration relating to families and children. The event consisted of four panels, each speaker taking their own stance on the treatment of immigrants relating to families.
The first panel was led by Lorena Carrasco on the subject of children migration policies in Canada and Mexico. Next was a panel led by Christina Gabriel on family reunification policies in Canada, then Megan Gaucher had a chance to speak about live-in caregivers and the idea of families ‘cheating the system’, and finally Christina Clark-Kazak ended the event with an intriguing discussion of ‘family-friendly’ detention centers, and if such a thing really exists.
Many interesting and thought-provoking points were brought up by the speakers, such as prejudices against immigrants, the supposed ‘unfairness’ of super-visas for family members such as grandparents and spouses, the idea of an ‘anchor child’ helping a family move to Canada, and more.
The discussion period focused on policies implemented by different Canadian governments (such as differences between the Harper and Trudeau governments). Many questions and points revolved around what is acceptable, the societal treatment of immigrants, and unpaid labour done by immigrant families. The audience also asked about the ethical idea of detaining children (and how immigration detention is not the same as criminal detention) to one-size-fits-all policies and how these have fallen through.
It is no secret that immigration and migration have been topics of heated discussion and debate. Conferences like these allow light to be shed and help clear up any misunderstandings and unrecognized stereotypes that people may have. When it comes to the well-being of all Canadians, being born here or not, I believe it is essential that discussions like these happen in environments of understanding and learning so that everyone attending benefits.
Friday, March 8, 2019 in FPA Research Series, General
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