Research Library

This thesis examined the narrative abilities of bilingual, English L2 newcomer and immigrant children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Typical Development (TD). Compared to the monolingual research, there have been fewer studies examining narratives in clinical bilingual groups, especially bilinguals with ASD, and no study so far has compared bilinguals with ASD to bilinguals with DLD. This thesis asked: (1) Is macrostructure an area of weakness in DLD? (2) Do children with ASD experience difficulties with structural language, i.e., morphology and syntax? (3) Are narrative skills requiring perspective-taking abilities equally vulnerable in ASD and DLD? (4) Do bilinguals with ASD and DLD use the second language input they receive to the same as bilinguals with TD? Identified differences between newcomer children with ASD, DLD or TD can be utilized to create tailored interventions. This thesis examined the narrative abilities of bilingual, English L2 newcomer and immigrant children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) and Typical Development (TD). Compared to the monolingual research, there have been fewer studies examining narratives in clinical bilingual groups, especially bilinguals with ASD, and no study so far has compared bilinguals with ASD to bilinguals with DLD. This thesis asked: (1) Is macrostructure an area of weakness in DLD? (2) Do children with ASD experience difficulties with structural language, i.e., morphology and syntax? (3) Are narrative skills requiring perspective-taking abilities equally vulnerable in ASD and DLD? (4) Do bilinguals with ASD and DLD use the second language input they receive to the same as bilinguals with TD? Identified differences between newcomer children with ASD, DLD or TD can be utilized to create tailored interventions.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

The Alberta Settlement and Integration Program (ASIP) Stakeholder Engagement Report is a comprehensive document that highlights the progress made in improving settlement access, building communities’ capacity, responding to emerging needs, and supporting initiatives for better labor market integration in Alberta. The report provides recommendations that are disaggregated into general provincial recommendations and nuanced recommendations that are specific to the unique context of Alberta’s small centers. The report emphasizes the intersectional and mutually supportive nature of the ASIP focus areas, highlighting that many recommendations cross-pollinate across several focus areas. The report also includes an overview of ASIP. Overall, the report provides valuable insights into the progress made in improving settlement and integration services in Alberta and offers recommendations for future improvements. The Alberta Settlement and Integration Program (ASIP) Stakeholder Engagement Report is a comprehensive document that highlights the progress made in improving settlement access, building communities’ capacity, responding to emerging needs, and supporting initiatives for better labor market integration in Alberta. The report provides recommendations that are disaggregated into general provincial recommendations and nuanced recommendations that are specific to the unique context of Alberta’s small centers. The report emphasizes the intersectional and mutually supportive nature of the ASIP focus areas, highlighting that many recommendations cross-pollinate across several focus areas. The report also includes an overview of ASIP. Overall, the report provides valuable insights into the progress made in improving settlement and integration services in Alberta and offers recommendations for future improvements.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

About one in five Canadians is a former immigrant. In 2019, Canada welcomed over 340,000 permanent residents, 43,000 of whom came to Alberta.2 Starting in 2021, Canada proposes an ambitious plan to welcome even more permanent residents to Canada, increasing Canada’s population by more than 1 per cent every year for the next three years. Newcomers are an integral part of Canada; they support the local economy in towns and cities across the country by filling employment gaps and contributing their knowledge, skills and experiences to the community. Educated, skilled economic newcomers allow Canada to build its future economic capacity to address a shrinking labour force in the country. To help newcomers integrate in Canada, achieve their full potential and participate in the labour market and in society, the Government of Canada supports newcomers through settlement and integration services. The Settlement Program is characterized by a public-private partnership between the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), provinces and territories, municipalities and many partner organizations. Settlement services are delivered by a network of local organizations and service providers to all newcomers arriving in Canada, removing barriers to their full participation in life and work in Canada and providing them with the tools needed for a smooth and fast integration into their new home – Canada. To evaluate the success of its Settlement Program, the IRCC developed a Performance Measurement Strategy. The Strategy outlines some immediate and intermediate desired outcomes of newcomer settlement and integration, including newcomers’ labour market participation and income, their ability to use the official languages, their uptake of services, participation in the community and the program’s ability to meet and adapt to their needs. To measure the level of integration by newcomers and estimate the direct and measurable outputs of program delivery, the government often uses proxy variables (such as service uptake, naturalization rate, labour market indicators and newcomers’ own sense of belonging). The introduction of Express Entry system in 2015 changed the way Canada selects immigrants. Canada now prioritizes younger, educated individuals with work experience, strong English or French language skills and the ability to integrate in Canada. These immigrants have high human capital (intangible personal attributes such as knowledge, skills, training and experience). These highly-educated skilled economic newcomers prioritize employment integration above all in the hopes of putting their knowledge, education and skills into use upon arrival in Canada. However, once in Canada, many skilled economic immigrants struggle to quickly and effectively integrate economically. This varied economic integration occurs in part because Canada’s Settlement Program is slow to respond to the needs of high skilled economic immigrants. Additional opportunities of on-the job training and improvements to the system of professional accreditation would allow newcomers to contribute their knowledge and skills to the Canadian society while enhancing their skills and easing their integration. To achieve this, settlement services must be made more accessible for all types of newcomers by offering services much sooner in the immigration process and expanding the eligibility criteria for services beyond permanent residents to include temporary residents and naturalized Canadians. To understand newcomer integration from a local perspective, I address settlement and integration services in Calgary, Alberta. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cooling off of the natural resources market, the city is experiencing unemployment levels much higher than the national average. Newcomers in Calgary are especially impacted by the recession as they tend to experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. With the economy predicted to be sluggish for the next few years, settlement programs are more important than ever, especially as the Government of Canada prepares to welcome over 400,000 of newcomers annually until at least 2023, some of whom will arrive in Calgary. Afterwards, I also give a preliminary overview and evaluation of the Alberta Gateway Project. About one in five Canadians is a former immigrant. In 2019, Canada welcomed over 340,000 permanent residents, 43,000 of whom came to Alberta.2 Starting in 2021, Canada proposes an ambitious plan to welcome even more permanent residents to Canada, increasing Canada’s population by more than 1 per cent every year for the next three years. Newcomers are an integral part of Canada; they support the local economy in towns and cities across the country by filling employment gaps and contributing their knowledge, skills and experiences to the community. Educated, skilled economic newcomers allow Canada to build its future economic capacity to address a shrinking labour force in the country. To help newcomers integrate in Canada, achieve their full potential and participate in the labour market and in society, the Government of Canada supports newcomers through settlement and integration services. The Settlement Program is characterized by a public-private partnership between the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), provinces and territories, municipalities and many partner organizations. Settlement services are delivered by a network of local organizations and service providers to all newcomers arriving in Canada, removing barriers to their full participation in life and work in Canada and providing them with the tools needed for a smooth and fast integration into their new home – Canada. To evaluate the success of its Settlement Program, the IRCC developed a Performance Measurement Strategy. The Strategy outlines some immediate and intermediate desired outcomes of newcomer settlement and integration, including newcomers’ labour market participation and income, their ability to use the official languages, their uptake of services, participation in the community and the program’s ability to meet and adapt to their needs. To measure the level of integration by newcomers and estimate the direct and measurable outputs of program delivery, the government often uses proxy variables (such as service uptake, naturalization rate, labour market indicators and newcomers’ own sense of belonging). The introduction of Express Entry system in 2015 changed the way Canada selects immigrants. Canada now prioritizes younger, educated individuals with work experience, strong English or French language skills and the ability to integrate in Canada. These immigrants have high human capital (intangible personal attributes such as knowledge, skills, training and experience). These highly-educated skilled economic newcomers prioritize employment integration above all in the hopes of putting their knowledge, education and skills into use upon arrival in Canada. However, once in Canada, many skilled economic immigrants struggle to quickly and effectively integrate economically. This varied economic integration occurs in part because Canada’s Settlement Program is slow to respond to the needs of high skilled economic immigrants. Additional opportunities of on-the job training and improvements to the system of professional accreditation would allow newcomers to contribute their knowledge and skills to the Canadian society while enhancing their skills and easing their integration. To achieve this, settlement services must be made more accessible for all types of newcomers by offering services much sooner in the immigration process and expanding the eligibility criteria for services beyond permanent residents to include temporary residents and naturalized Canadians. To understand newcomer integration from a local perspective, I address settlement and integration services in Calgary, Alberta. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a cooling off of the natural resources market, the city is experiencing unemployment levels much higher than the national average. Newcomers in Calgary are especially impacted by the recession as they tend to experience higher rates of unemployment and underemployment. With the economy predicted to be sluggish for the next few years, settlement programs are more important than ever, especially as the Government of Canada prepares to welcome over 400,000 of newcomers annually until at least 2023, some of whom will arrive in Calgary. Afterwards, I also give a preliminary overview and evaluation of the Alberta Gateway Project.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This is a study into the early resettlement experiences of Syrian refugees across Alberta. The study explored three broad areas – employment, language and social connections. The majority of participants in the survey sample were either working in part-time jobs, students or looking for work. Employment was a key challenge for these refugees. Their skills and experience did not match job opportunities or their lack of English language skills posed as a critical barrier. The study also found that refugees were making friends and building ties, however these were still nebulous and largely transactional in nature. Male participants were more likely than women to participate in social, cultural and educational activities and smaller centres saw higher rates of participation. While most participants experienced a certain sense of belonging to Canada they simultaneously felt challenged while considering issues such as loss of identity, managing settlement concerns and combatting racism and social exclusion. Language was one of the other key challenges for incoming Syrian refugees. With low levels of English comprehension and speaking skills it was difficult to find jobs and build social relationships. Women in the survey had higher language skills and were more likely to be students or have full-time employment as compared to men. Men were more likely than women to be looking for work and struggled with English language fluency. In terms of location, small centres and large centres saw some critical differences. There were higher rates of employment and survey participants reported greater satisfaction with employment in larger centres as compared to smaller centres. Large centres also saw a higher proportion of individuals who were able to pay bills and save money. The study proposes several specific service strategies and approaches to working with Syrian refugees. These include: creating a peer navigator model; developing a trauma informed framework for practice; developing a strengths-based needs assessment process; and embedding social well-being as a core outcome for all settlement services with Syrian refugees. This is a study into the early resettlement experiences of Syrian refugees across Alberta. The study explored three broad areas – employment, language and social connections. The majority of participants in the survey sample were either working in part-time jobs, students or looking for work. Employment was a key challenge for these refugees. Their skills and experience did not match job opportunities or their lack of English language skills posed as a critical barrier. The study also found that refugees were making friends and building ties, however these were still nebulous and largely transactional in nature. Male participants were more likely than women to participate in social, cultural and educational activities and smaller centres saw higher rates of participation. While most participants experienced a certain sense of belonging to Canada they simultaneously felt challenged while considering issues such as loss of identity, managing settlement concerns and combatting racism and social exclusion. Language was one of the other key challenges for incoming Syrian refugees. With low levels of English comprehension and speaking skills it was difficult to find jobs and build social relationships. Women in the survey had higher language skills and were more likely to be students or have full-time employment as compared to men. Men were more likely than women to be looking for work and struggled with English language fluency. In terms of location, small centres and large centres saw some critical differences. There were higher rates of employment and survey participants reported greater satisfaction with employment in larger centres as compared to smaller centres. Large centres also saw a higher proportion of individuals who were able to pay bills and save money. The study proposes several specific service strategies and approaches to working with Syrian refugees. These include: creating a peer navigator model; developing a trauma informed framework for practice; developing a strengths-based needs assessment process; and embedding social well-being as a core outcome for all settlement services with Syrian refugees.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

This paper discusses the ways of increasing Alberta’s labour force. Increasing Alberta’s labour supply at the extensive margin involves increasing the population, which can be accomplished in three ways: higher birth rates, increased numbers of migrants arriving from other Canadian provinces, and increased immigration. Given these trends, immigration is becoming an increasingly important source of labour force growth throughout Canada, and Alberta is no exception. Immigrants are not a homogenous group, and there are a variety of immigration programs targeted at specific groups of potential newcomers. The economic and labour market outcomes of newcomers admitted under these programs are different, with factors such as language ability, domestic work experience, and the ability of employers to recognize credentials being important to the success of immigrants in the Canadian labour market. Two programs, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), have seen an increase in both the number and proportion of immigrants admitted in recent years, and the evidence to date shows they are performing well economically. The number of immigrants coming to Alberta through the controversial Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has dropped significantly from its peak in 2013, but Alberta still accounts for a disproportionate number of workers admitted under the program. While there are significant concerns about both the treatment of workers under the program and its effect on wage suppression in some industries, there is evidence that a limited TFWP may be beneficial. The final source of potential labour through immigration is foreign students. While there has been a tripling of foreign students across Canada over the last 20 years, Alberta has not experienced the same level of growth. Unfortunately, there is very limited room to increase the overall labour supply in Alberta at the intensive margins. Better addressing credential recognition, both in regulated occupations and the skilled trades, is another way Alberta could better utilize the talent of its current population. This paper discusses the ways of increasing Alberta’s labour force. Increasing Alberta’s labour supply at the extensive margin involves increasing the population, which can be accomplished in three ways: higher birth rates, increased numbers of migrants arriving from other Canadian provinces, and increased immigration. Given these trends, immigration is becoming an increasingly important source of labour force growth throughout Canada, and Alberta is no exception. Immigrants are not a homogenous group, and there are a variety of immigration programs targeted at specific groups of potential newcomers. The economic and labour market outcomes of newcomers admitted under these programs are different, with factors such as language ability, domestic work experience, and the ability of employers to recognize credentials being important to the success of immigrants in the Canadian labour market. Two programs, the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), have seen an increase in both the number and proportion of immigrants admitted in recent years, and the evidence to date shows they are performing well economically. The number of immigrants coming to Alberta through the controversial Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) has dropped significantly from its peak in 2013, but Alberta still accounts for a disproportionate number of workers admitted under the program. While there are significant concerns about both the treatment of workers under the program and its effect on wage suppression in some industries, there is evidence that a limited TFWP may be beneficial. The final source of potential labour through immigration is foreign students. While there has been a tripling of foreign students across Canada over the last 20 years, Alberta has not experienced the same level of growth. Unfortunately, there is very limited room to increase the overall labour supply in Alberta at the intensive margins. Better addressing credential recognition, both in regulated occupations and the skilled trades, is another way Alberta could better utilize the talent of its current population.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

Alberta has seen a significant increase in refugees in recent years, however, Immigrant and Refugee Board (IRB) hearings are backlogged and refugee claimants have limited access to services in the interim. AAISA is asking the Ministry of Labour to update Alberta Labour and Immigration’s strategic framework for newcomers, as well as increase funding for service provider organizations (SPOs) to provide services to refugees and refugee claimants. Alberta has seen a significant increase in refugees in recent years, however, Immigrant and Refugee Board (IRB) hearings are backlogged and refugee claimants have limited access to services in the interim. AAISA is asking the Ministry of Labour to update Alberta Labour and Immigration’s strategic framework for newcomers, as well as increase funding for service provider organizations (SPOs) to provide services to refugees and refugee claimants.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

Canadian immigrant policies have systemically excluded individuals with disabilities from immigrating to Canada due to ‘excessive demand’ and ‘medical inadmissibility’ clauses. Ableism, racism, and colonialism affect all aspects of pre-application, application, settlement and integration. However, a gap in resources and knowledge of working with newcomers with disabilities exists. This reports on the training program requested by Immigrant Services Calgary on supporting newcomers with disabilities. Canadian immigrant policies have systemically excluded individuals with disabilities from immigrating to Canada due to ‘excessive demand’ and ‘medical inadmissibility’ clauses. Ableism, racism, and colonialism affect all aspects of pre-application, application, settlement and integration. However, a gap in resources and knowledge of working with newcomers with disabilities exists. This reports on the training program requested by Immigrant Services Calgary on supporting newcomers with disabilities.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly

On May 3rd, 2016, a wildfire swept through the Northern Alberta resource community of Fort McMurray, scouring the political-economic landscape and leading to the largest prolonged evacuation in Canadian history. In serving as the primary service centre for the Athabasca tar sands— the world’s third-largest known oil deposit— Fort McMurray has also become a notable outpost of transnational labour. Migrant caregivers, in particular, are precariously tied to this ‘land of opportunity’— bound by short-term employment contracts tied to single employers. Thus, in following the assertion that “there is no such thing as a natural disaster,” this thesis draws upon their experiences to reveal how the everyday manifestations of capitalist crisis that exist in this place were responsible for rendering the wildfire into a disaster in the lives of tens of thousands of people. In drawing upon the experiences of this social reproductive workforce, I argue that the crisis of social reproduction (i.e. biological reproduction, the reproduction of the labouring class, and provisioning and carework), in particular, is the thread of capitalist crisis capable of illuminating the other strands of crisis at the foundation of this disaster and explicating the interconnections between them. Moreover, it is in specifically focusing on the crisis of social reproduction, I argue, that we are able to not only understand the political-economic foundation of this disaster but also how its impacts were reabsorbed into everyday life through the social reproductive labour of this largely disposable workforce. In drawing upon the concept of surplus value, I argue that in much the same way that this value is extracted from workers to rebuild the physical infrastructure of communities in the wake of disaster, families extracted migrant caregivers’ social reproductive surplus value in order to rebuild the social infrastructure of their everyday lives and re-establish the crises at the foundation of this disaster. On May 3rd, 2016, a wildfire swept through the Northern Alberta resource community of Fort McMurray, scouring the political-economic landscape and leading to the largest prolonged evacuation in Canadian history. In serving as the primary service centre for the Athabasca tar sands— the world’s third-largest known oil deposit— Fort McMurray has also become a notable outpost of transnational labour. Migrant caregivers, in particular, are precariously tied to this ‘land of opportunity’— bound by short-term employment contracts tied to single employers. Thus, in following the assertion that “there is no such thing as a natural disaster,” this thesis draws upon their experiences to reveal how the everyday manifestations of capitalist crisis that exist in this place were responsible for rendering the wildfire into a disaster in the lives of tens of thousands of people. In drawing upon the experiences of this social reproductive workforce, I argue that the crisis of social reproduction (i.e. biological reproduction, the reproduction of the labouring class, and provisioning and carework), in particular, is the thread of capitalist crisis capable of illuminating the other strands of crisis at the foundation of this disaster and explicating the interconnections between them. Moreover, it is in specifically focusing on the crisis of social reproduction, I argue, that we are able to not only understand the political-economic foundation of this disaster but also how its impacts were reabsorbed into everyday life through the social reproductive labour of this largely disposable workforce. In drawing upon the concept of surplus value, I argue that in much the same way that this value is extracted from workers to rebuild the physical infrastructure of communities in the wake of disaster, families extracted migrant caregivers’ social reproductive surplus value in order to rebuild the social infrastructure of their everyday lives and re-establish the crises at the foundation of this disaster.
This publication has no Abstract to dispaly