Adult Entertainment Association of Canada

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Adult Entertainment Association of
Canada

• Undocumented Temporary Foreign Workers
• CIMM Committee April 7, 2008

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Association Immigration Sub-Committee

• Sub-committee of largest not for profit industry
  stakeholder organization
• Established to study and improve facets for
  foreign workers
• Recommends guidelines to Board of Directors
• Stakeholder discussions with governments
• Helped develop current model with HRSDC

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Why Needed? Improve Labour Market Responsiveness

• CIC is aware need to improve program
• Needs tools to increase awareness
• HRSDC will enhance employer monitoring
  compliance
• Needs tools and mandate and execute
• Suggest business partnering initiatives
• Working together with government
• Implement needed preventative measures

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Federal Government Departments Relate Numerous
Challenges

• Technicalities
• Complexities
• Intricacies
• Out of Mandate
• Problems
• Difficulties

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Obligation to Work Together and Create Proper Plan

• Encourage Legal Movement
• Current Government Department Structure
  Uncompromising Inflexible
• Employers and Stakeholder Organizations
• Relationship with Foreign Governments
• Achieving proficient arrangements
• Simplified Solutions by Identifying Goals
• In Need of a Quarterback Attitude

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Pressure Likely to Grow

• Departments expect 25 increase
• More responsive for Canadian employers
• Necessary skills and no criminal threat
• 80,000 150,000 estimate undocumented
• On average, 1 in 2 foreigners are illegal

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Current Model for Industry Work Permit
Applications

• Applications now a two step process
• HRSDC Reviews, confirms verifies
• CIC Formal approval
• CIC Unjustifiable rejection ratio for industry

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HRSDC
Applications Foreign Workers
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Year 2006
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CIC
Applications Foreign Workers
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Year 2006
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HRSDC CIC
Applications Foreign Workers
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Year 2006
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HRSDC
Applications From AEAC Members
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2005/2006
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CIC
Applications From AEAC Members
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2005/2006
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HRSDC
Applications National Average AEAC Members
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2006
2005/2006
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CIC
Applications National Average AEAC Members
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2006
2005/2006
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Visual for Total Undocumented Foreign
Workers(systematic only)
Total National Estimate AEAC Industry
2008
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CBSA Priority for Removals

• Risk of threat to national security
• Crimes against humanity
• Underworld organized crime
• Lesser criminality
• Failed refugee claimants
• Not to target specific groups (example foreign
  workers)

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Protective Standards in Place within Association

• Multilingual educational materials (more than
  just Spanish)
• 1-800 toll-free confidential phone line
• Facility and workspace checks verifications
• Protections information communicated before work
  start
• Liaison Officers through Police Services Board

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AEAC Comprehensive Public Consultation Process

• No evidence to back up claims against industry
  (Why solution created first?)
• No basis documented cases from industry 1-800
  confidential complaint line
• No basis concerns from Police Services Boards,
  Municipal Licensing, Police Liaison Officers or
  Commissioner Fantino
• Public meetings conducted in 4 large Canadian
  cities concludes unsubstantiated

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Helpful Provisions From Foreign Women In
Industry

• Hard working, law abiding tax paying
• Fundamental financial support to families abroad
• Entertainers selected to come to work in Canada
• Canada has superior reputation internationally
• Canada has recently slid in international gender
  equality ranking

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Driven to Undocumented Status

• Unofficial Measures have unfairly targeted an
  entire industry (overstepped authority)
• Power highlighted in Bill C-17 already exists
  regarding mistreatment abuse
• Experts have already denounced Bill C-17 as doing
  nothing to address real problems
• Experts confirm genuine prospects of being
  driving further underground into hands of
  criminal element

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Association Recommends Changes to Policies

• Disallow agents as potential applicants in Canada
• Allow education not affect work
• Allow possibility for re-entry visa application
• Allow systematic rotation system with AEAC or
  allow new employer potential

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Association Recommends Changes to Process

• Association self regulatory and partnering
• Make process more responsive to needs to
  validated Canadian employers
• Educate women of rights prior to work
• Disallow contract between recruiters and applying
  foreign worker
• Modify administrative support at embassy
  eliminate potential abuse from recruiters

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Fairness

• Avoid stigmatizing women in industry
• Avoid driving women into the underground
• Association membership requirement
• Enhance national awareness to
• confidential toll free 1-800 hotline
• HRSDC develop appropriate procedures for
  monitoring and compliance through stakeholder
  outreach

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C.I.M.M.Solutions Can Be Simple

• Discourage creation of illegal paths
• Create plan than react to consequences
• Mandate to pursue solutions and not only state
  obstacles (Quarterback attitude)
• Prime directive mandate to work together
• Only by working together can get necessary
  arrangements be developed

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