This is not necessarily so for women who emigrate here from other countries. Why? Because there are no universal standards for education, experience and skill levels. 

Women (and men) who move to Canada with doctorates, PhDs and other degrees are not allowed to practise in Canada unless they receive upgrading and retest, re-intern, or re-apprentice for their careers. Canada is known as the country of opportunity – and I agree we are. We live in a country that provides us with the opportunity to succeed in the career of our choosing. How do we assist those from abroad who choose to come to our country to reach the same goals? By providing them the opportunity to prove themselves as we Canadians ask of our employers! 

Employers are not aware of the funding and grants often made available to hire newcomers to Canada. The Immigrant Women’s Centre of Hamilton outlines a list of reasons to hire immigrants:

• Immigrants are essential for economic growth
• They are often more educated and better skilled
• Immigrants connect employers with diverse markets
• Productivity and retention is improved
• Immigrants can boost your image

In addition to the above benefits, many grants and subsidies are available that you as an employer can access to grow your business when you hire newcomers to Canada. Visit the Immigrant Women’s Centre of Hamilton’s website to source the right funding for you.

http://www.stjosephwomen.on.ca/index.php?page=employeestaffingsupport

http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/guide/1137/

http://www.careerlink.ca/

The above links will provide you with grants and wage subsidies information.  For further assistance and understanding, contact the coordinator for each of the government programs as outlined on the website links above.  Employment Ontario is an invaluable resource – their recruitment services are free of charge and they will assist you with the paperwork, the hiring, the screening of your applicants and more.  Our local expert – Charmaine Mitchell and her staff at CareerLink – Community Employment Centre (link above) would be more than happy to assist you.

Newcomer women represent 12 percent of Waterloo Region residents (2006 Census). The total newcomer population is expected to be 30 percent by 20311. Women, after being uprooted, need to adapt plus face the stress of dealing with leaving family and loved ones behind. As a welcoming community, we can ease the transition. The following are only some of the issues challenging newcomer women.

Stereotyping and Racism

Newcomers contribute to our economy and society by working hard, paying taxes, volunteering and raising families, but stereotypes and prejudice hinder their potential for success. Statements such as “They are here to do the dirty work that Canadians don’t want to do” hamper newcomers and limit their contribution to society. Fact: newcomers are often forced to take jobs they are overqualified for due to inadequate systems in place to recognize credentials and experience.

Pay Equity

Newcomer women, regardless of education, earn less than Canadian women, and Canadian women, on average, earn less than 80% of their male counterparts.
Violence
Global trafficking of women by abduction, fraud, deception and violence results in immigration, both legal and illegal, robbing them of their fundamental rights. Alternatively, some women are so desperate to leave conditions such as poverty, political persecution or war, that they immigrate as mail-order brides or domestic live-in caregivers. Women in both situations are especially vulnerable to abuse and violence.

Language

Language barriers can restrict access in critical areas like employment, housing, healthcare and training. Newcomer women are less likely than men to have official language knowledge, increasing vulnerability during settlement.

Health Risks

Language and cultural barriers can prevent some women from accessing health services. Some suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder related to experiencing
war, rape, torture and other traumas.
Emotional and mental health risks are a very real concern.

Culture Shock

Adapting to a new culture is stressful. Different cultures and belief systems can be intimidating for women trying to maintain their own customs that are different from their new community.

What you can do:

Confront racist stereotypes. Educate and correct beliefs and assumptions.
Invite a local immigrant/refugee organization to speak about their experiences.
Support organizations that advocate for women’s rights.

Addendum

The Welcoming Communities Initiative (WCI): http://welcomingcommunities.ca/lip/

 Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs):

• Waterloo Region http://www.newwr.ca/Pages/lipc.aspx

• Guelph: http://welcomingcommunities.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/02.pdf

NewYouth.ca http://www.newyouth.ca/about-us

Waterloo Region Newcomers and Alumae club: http://www.newcomersclubwaterlooregion.webs.com/

[1] The term Newcomer [1]refers to people who were born outside of Canada. The terms ‘Immigrant’ and ‘Refugee ‘ have negative connotations.  A newcomer is a person who has recently arrived, within 3-5 years; Immigrant status refers to someone who left their country or origin to become a citizen in the new country, an undocumented immigrant is someone whose status is unknown or unofficial. Refugee status refers to people who are escaping and need protection in a new country. 

[1] Local Immigration Partnership Final Report, 2010.

“Powerful Women is a brand new publication directed toward professional women, female entrepreneurs and those trying to turn their dreams into reality. The magazine is read mostly by women at this point. Its pages are filled with success stories, business information and networking advice. All articles are informative and expressed in a positive, up-beat fashion.

The main message sent by this publication is to educate, enlighten and encourage. It promotes self esteem and gives women the drive and passion to pursue their visions of success.

There are no topics or opinions of a negative nature printed in this magazine. It is inspiring and meant to inform, but also entertain it?s readers.

The topics cover various issues surrounding successful women. Contributors are able to advertise their business and offer advice. Others choose to submit pleasant articles of a personal nature.

If you are looking for a great place to connect with other professionals, I would highly recommend checking out a copy.”

C. Lee has since been invited to write for the magazine. Read her article in the summer issue of Powerful Women.

Bill 168 Violence and Harassment in the Workplace

Violence and harassment issues in the workplace and how we handle these matters have been drastically changed by Bill 168 as of December 15, 2009 when this new legislation received Royal Accent. Workplaces across Ontario are required to develop measures to address violence and harassment in the workplace, develop policies, procedures, conduct risk assessments of their organization, and put programs and training in place for their staff.

Ontario is playing catch-up with the other provinces and jurisdictions such as the federal sphere (federal legislation governs transportation companies, banks, airlines, and other federal undertakings), British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia who have all directly addressed the problem of workplace violence as a health and safety issue for years.

Statistics from the Ministry of Labour, Statistics Canada and WSIB directly identify the need for Ontario to address workplace violence and harassment issues:

• In 2009 the Ministry of Labour (MOL)issued 351 fines related to harassment in the workplace;
• The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) identified in 2007 that there were 2,150 lost time claims related to assaults, violent acts, harassment and acts of war or terrorism in Ontario
• Individuals who have been bullied at work waste 10-52% of their time on the job ? lost time ratio.
• Statistics Canada, 2007 identified from the General Social Survey, 2004 that 17% (356,000 incidents) of all self-reported incidents of violent victimization, including sexual assault, robbery and physical assault happen in the workplace.
• Organizations have identified an increase of 66% in aggressive acts within their workplaces over the past 5 years.
• In 2004, 93% of sexual assault victims were female

Women are at high risk of experiencing violence and harassment in the workplace because they are typically employed in high risk occupations ? teaching, nursing, banking, retail and social work.

Effective June 15, 2010 organizations in Ontario must have met the new guidelines and legal requirements as set out in the amendment to the Health and Safety Act in addition to their obligations under the existing legislation of the Human Rights Act. This legislative act will remain in force addressing a more victim-focused complaints process than the new occupational health and safety legislation.

This amendment now places an explicit duty on employers to protect employees from workplace violence and harassment and places a positive obligation to take precautionary measures should violence appear likely to occur within the workplace. All employers must have policies and procedures in place on workplace violence, including harassment and bullying.

Following are steps employers must take to meet compliance by the June 15^th deadline:

1. Conduct a Risk Assessment:

Employers must complete an evaluation of their operations to ensure that the vulnerabilities to violence are identified and addressed; update and/or develop policies to control the risks identified and communicate the results of the assessment to the joint health and safety committee, a health and safety representative or to the workers where no committee or representative exists.

2. Make Necessary Changes to the Workplace:

Using the information gathered in the risk assessment, employers must make the necessary changes to reduce the vulnerability to violence in the workplace

3. Develop & Review Policies with respect to Workplace Violence & Harassment:

Employers must ensure that policies are in place to address findings of the risk assessment and to address the procedure for the reporting and investigating workplace violence and harassment complaints. Employers must post these policies (in the case of employers with more than five employees) and review them on an annual basis.

4. Develop and Maintain Programs to Implement those Policies:

Develop a program for the implementation and maintenance of workplace violence and harassment policies. Employers must include in the program as outlined in the act, measures and procedures that:

• to control the risks identified in the assessment required under subsection 32.0.3 (1) as likely to expose a worker to physical injury;
• for summoning immediate assistance when workplace violence occurs or is likely to occur;
• for workers to report incidents of workplace violence to the employer or supervisor;
• set out how the employer will investigate and deal with incidents or complaints of workplace violence; and
• include any prescribed elements.

5. Train Employees

Employers must provide information and instruction to their employees on the contents of the policies and programs; how to report violence and/or harassment, domestic violence or bullying in the workplace.

Statistics show that 70% of domestic violence victims are also abused at work at some point.

Article submitted by Lynne Bard for the Summer 2010 Issue of Powerful Women Magazine.

Lynne is President and Senior Consultant of Beyond Rewards Inc, a preeminent human resources, risk management and training consulting firm based in Guelph, Ontario. For more information about Bill168, contact Lynne at info@beyondrewards.ca