Day 1 - Tuesday, November 26 | Canadian Council for Refugees

Detailed Daily Program

(Information subject to changes and will be updated as new details become available)

Tuesday, November 26

9am - 10am: Working Group Meetings

*Immigration & Settlement
Location: Richelieu
*Inland Protection
Location: Joliet Frontenac
*Overseas Protection and Resettlement
Location: Chaudiere

*Please note that the Working Group Meetings are closed to representatives of the Government and the media.

10am - 10:30am: Coffee Break

Location: Ballroom C

10:30am - 12:30pm: Plenary: "Building Power across Sectors: Reclaiming support for refugees and newcomers"

2024 Opening Plenary
Location: Ballroom AB
The opening plenary will enable discussion with leaders from key sectors on the opportunity for mobilization and solidarity across movements to rebuild public and political support for refugees and migrants—and what we need to do practically to support each other in this important challenge.

Land Acknowledgement and Welcome Blessing
Claudette Commanda, Elder and Chancellor (Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, QC)

Keynote Speakers
Stephen Brown, CEO, National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) (Ottawa, ON)
JP Hornick, President of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) (Toronto, ON)
Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, Co-Director of Policy and Advocacy, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (Ottawa, ON)
Catherine Lussier, Coordinator of Front d’action populaire en réaménagement urbain (FRAPRU) (Montréal, QC)

Moderators
Aleks Selim Dughman Manzur, Rainbow Refugee Society (Vancouver, BC)
Gauri Sreenivasan, Canandian Council for Refugees (CCR) (Montréal, QC)

12:30pm - 1:30pm: Lunch

Location: Ballroom C

1:30pm - 3pm: Workshops Bloc A

A1: The need for a National Plan for Asylum with Dignity
Location: Ballroom AB
The workshop will offer a check in on what progress has happened since CCR launched the National Plan for Asylum with Dignity in April 2024. It will provide updates from several main stakeholders including IRCC, followed by a discussion of strategies for how CCR members can advocate for the key pillars identified in the Plan.

Speakers
Alexis Graham, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) (Ottawa, ON)
Deanna Vecchiarelli, City of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)

Moderators
Eva Gracia-Turgeon, Foyer du Monde (Montréal, QC)
Brad Kinnie, Journey Home Community (Burnaby, BC)
A2: International Students: Commodification and systemic issues setting the ground for exploitation and abuse
Location: Chaudiere
This workshop will address the harmful rhetoric blaming international students for issues like the housing crisis and food insecurity. By uncovering the impact of the business model in post-secondary education and the resulting immigration status uncertainty for international students, this session aims to better define the scope of CCR and the membership's ongoing commitment to advancing the rights of international students.

Speakers
Paola Carmagnani, The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking (Toronto, ON)
Stefan Enrique Joseph Kallikaden, FCJ Refugee Centre (Toronto, ON)
A3: CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee – Public Interest Litigation and Standing
Location: Richelieu
This session will give participants an overview of the work of CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee and invite you to provide feedback on how CCR should engage in litigation. The session will provide an update on the cases in which CCR is involved, as well as a new challenge that organizations like CCR are facing in obtaining legal standing in the courts - are we interveners or public interest litigants? The session will explain the difference, as well as the recent developments in the courts surrounding the denial of public interest standing and the potential implications of such rulings. After this presentation, participants will be invited to ask questions and provide input from their own experience.

Speakers
Imtenan Abd-El-Razik, Co-Chair of CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee, Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (Waterloo, ON)
Jamie Liew, Co-Chair of CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee, University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)
Jennifer Stone, Co-Chair of CCR’s Legal Affairs Committee, Neighbourhood Legal Services (Toronto, ON)
A4: Mobilizing Our Communities: Service Providers, Advocacy, and Allyship
Location: Joliet Frontenac
What are the obligations of service providers when it comes to engaging in advocacy activities? How can settlement organizations act in allyship with the communities they serve to promote their rights? What is the intersection of advocacy and funding opportunities?

In this workshop, participants have the chance to engage with these questions and more. We will hear from settlement workers and service users about their experiences building advocacy power within organizations and mobilising service users in political and media advocacy as well as in storytelling and community organizing contexts. This workshop encourages and equips service providers to take a speaking-with instead of speaking-for approach to advocacy.

Speakers
Maryse Poisson, Welcome Collective (Montréal, QC)
Camille Bonenfant, Migrant Justice Clinic (Montréal, QC)
Damhat Zagros, Aurora Family Therapy Centre (Winnipeg, MB)

Moderators
Melissa Claisse, Welcome Collective (Montréal, QC)
Harrold Babon, Migrant Justice Clinic (Montréal, QC)

3pm - 3:30pm: Coffee Break

Location: Ballroom C

3:30pm - 5pm: Workshops Bloc B

B1: Emerging Issues in Immigration Detention
Location: Joliet Frontenac
This workshop will explore emerging issues in immigration detention with a particular focus on the federal government’s plan to begin using federal institutions to detain migrants. The workshop will first begin with updates from the government (CBSA) and community organizations, this will be followed by a closed-door strategy session for options to advocate against the proposed changes as well as towards an end to immigration detention more broadly.

Speakers
Laïla Demirdache, Community Legal Services (Ottawa, ON)
Julia Sande, Amnesty International (Toronto, ON)
Subodh Bharati, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (North York, ON) (virtual)
Carl Desmarais, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) (Ottawa, ON)

Moderators
Jessica Chandrashekar, Refugee Law Office, (Toronto, ON)
Louis-Philippe Jannard, Table de Concertation des organismes au service des personnes Réfugiées et Immigrantes (TCRI), (Montréal, QC)
B2: Building Stronger Support Systems for Migrant Workers in Canada
Location: Chaudiere
This workshop is dedicated to addressing the challenges encountered by migrant workers in low-wage occupations, including emergency housing and the critical need for assistance during emergencies. Through a collaborative approach that integrates insights from frontline workers, migrant workers, and interactive discussions, participants will deepen their understanding of the multifaceted issues surrounding migrant worker support. The workshop will explore innovative methods and approaches for establishing robust support systems tailored specifically to migrant workers in the agriculture, food processing and other low-wage sectors. Together, our goal is to devise practical solutions, including advocacy strategies that enhance the safety, well-being, and rights of migrant workers.

Speakers
Gabriel Allahdua, Association for the Rights of Household and Farm Workers (RHFW) (Toronto, ON)
Hannah Deegan, Association for the Rights of Household and Farm Workers (RHFW) (Montréal, QC)
Clarizze Truscott, Kabisig Society of Fort Saskatchewan (Fort Saskatchewan, AB)

Moderators
Tenzin Khentse (he/him/il), FCJ Refugee Centre (Toronto, ON)
Edwin Silang, Catholic Social Services (Edmonton, AB)
B3: Refugee Resettlement Process from Africa under PSR: Challenges with IRCC and IOM
Location: Richelieu
Refugee resettlement under the Private Refugee Sponsorship program has often been criticised for long processing times. Despite recent improvements, visa offices located in the African continent continue to have some of the longest wait times. To further complicate matters, crisis responses targeting African nations are often smaller in scale and less accessible than responses for crises on other continents. This workshop aims to explore how IRCC is dealing with these issues, including concerns related to systemic racism and equity in responses to crises, as well as the effects for those living through long delays.

Speakers
Syn Amanuel, Selamta Immigration Services Inc (Calgary, AB)

Moderators
Nasreen Khadimi (Toronto, ON)
Michelle Ndizeye, Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP) (Toronto, ON)
B4: Root Causes of Palestinian Displacement and Anti-Palestinian Racism: from 1948 to Today
Location: Ballroom AB
This workshop will explore the historical and present-day root causes of Palestinian displacement. Speakers will discuss the main protection gaps for Palestinian refugees and the legal and geopolitical factors that have led to the differential treatment of Palestinian refugees worldwide. Speakers will explain the unprecedented situation for refugees in Gaza today. This is a recommended workshop for CCR members who plan to attend the “Palestinian Refugees Caucus” to discuss how the CCR can contribute to efforts to stop the genocide and further displacement of Palestinian refugees in Gaza.

Speakers
Mouin Rabbani
Dr. Yipeng Ge
Ameena Sultan

Moderators
Lena Awwad, Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA) (Edmonton, AB)
Lauren Lallemand, Canadian Council for Refugees (CCR) (Montréal, QC)

5:15pm - 6:15pm: Caucuses

Caucus 1: Palestinian refugees - From reflection to action... How can we get involved?
Location: Ballroom AB
As a follow-up to the workshop Root Causes of Palestinian Displacement and Anti-Palestinian Racism: from 1948 to Today, this caucus will look at how the CCR and its members can contribute to efforts to end the genocide and displacement of Palestinian refugees in Gaza. Only a brief summary of the workshop will be given before entering into discussion. It is therefore recommended to have attended the workshop prior to the caucus.

Moderators
Lena Awwad, Islamic Family and Social Services Association (IFSSA) (Edmonton, AB)
Asma Faizi, Afghan Women's Organization (Toronto, ON)
Hugo Ducharme, Jesuit Refugee Service Canada (Montréal, QC)
Caucus 2: Is your work threatened by intimidation and organized crime?
Location: Joliet Frontenac
During the Consultation held in Calgary last year, a number of people indicated that their work was often hindered and threatened by organized crime elements, and that they faced intimidation. They stressed the need to be able to work in complete safety. Unfortunately, the responses of the various police forces are often non-existent or unsatisfactory. For example, they are not familiar with the problems faced by migrants, nor with front-line groups and the role they play. Or: they argue that this is not their area of expertise. From conversations with other CCR members across Canada, it's clear that organized crime is an issue in every region of the country. The purpose of this caucus is to exchange ideas with other Canadian CCR members, to learn more about this reality and to identify the best possible solutions for working safely.
Two people will offer their testimonials.

Moderators
Jacques Bertrand, Réseau d'intervention auprès des personnes ayant subi la violence organisée (RIVO-Résilience),(Montréal, QC)
To be confirmed
Caucus 3: Secondary migration of refugee claimants
Location: Richelieu
We are on track to see 180,000 refugee claimants in Canada in 2024. Most of those arrive to Ontario and Quebec and to major cities but many choose or are forced to relocate elsewhere. Some questions we hope to explore:
- What are you seeing your communities in terms of flow of refugee claimants?
- Where are they leaving? Where are they going?
- What supports are available in the communities they arrive to (including housing, legal, and settlement support)?
- What kind of a reception do they receive in the places they land (e.g. public sentiment)?
- What kinds of communities are there to receive them (e.g. ethnic, religious, 2SLGBTQIA)?
- What is necessary to support claimants to thrive in secondary migration?
- Are there projects that have been successful in supporting claimants in this process?
Moderators
Basel Abou Hamrah, Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers (EMCN) (Edmonton, AB)
Francesca Allodi-Ross, Romero House (Toronto, ON)

7pm - 9pm: Social event

Social event
Location: will be shared at a later date