Blue Bird Blog

The President of Basketball Operations for the Toronto Raptors, Masai Ujiri, has been appointed to the Order of Canada.

This is Canada’s highest civilian honour, which recognizes and rewards those “who make extraordinary contributions to the nation, [enrich] the lives of others and [make] a difference to this country.”

Canada’s immigration landscape has been largely transformed by the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), according to a new Statistics Canada study. The PNP was introduced in all provinces, except for Quebec and the Yukon, between 1998 and 2009. Its purpose was to spread the settlement of economic immigrants outside major Canadian cities and to address the labour force needs of each province and territory.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced major changes to his cabinet this morning at 10:30 AM Eastern Time.
Canada’s new immigration minister is Marc Miller, a Member of Parliament from Quebec. Miller recently served as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, a role meant to support the self-determination of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Canada’s most recent Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, will now become Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

The Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) is a process used in Canada to determine if hiring a temporary foreign worker will have a negative effect on the Canadian job market.
The government requires employers to obtain a positive LMIA before they can recruit foreign workers for positions requiring a temporary work permit. The LMIA is conducted by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

A lack of Canadian experience is a common barrier identified by newcomers as they pursue meaningful work in their new country.The Ontario Human Rights commission identified other barriers that immigrants experience when finding jobs that correspond with their education, skills and experience. These can include: