New Canadian Voices: The Local Immigration Partnership Podcast

Newcomers face immense challenges in securing employment in Canada. From failure to get their credentials recognized or meeting the unattainable demand for “Canadian experience”, some are forced to make major career shifts or spend months or years looking for a job. The podcast explores how local immigration partnerships (LIPs) are working to bridge gaps, create inclusive workplaces, and support both newcomers and employers. Initiatives like the Revitalize Worker Inclusion Initiative in Red Deer and employment navigation in Chatham Kent are models for fostering a more equitable workforce. In this episode, we highlight the importance of mutual cultural understanding and systemic change to better integrate skilled immigrants into the Canadian job market.

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

The NLS thanks participants who shared their insights on The New Canadian Voices podcast. We acknowledge that each experience is unique, and the perspectives shared here are reflective of the individuals we were engaging with.

Up until the summer of 2023, Canada’s biggest city, Toronto, operated a shelter system that accepted refugees and homeless Canadians. But as the number of refugees seeking temporary shelter surged, the deputy mayor at the time made a drastic decision. Toronto would no longer accept refugees in many of its city shelters.

Refugees, primarily Black and from Africa, found themselves with nowhere to turn. Some were forced to sleep on the streets. Others desperately sought any available shelter space. A few churches and organizations stepped in, but they were way in over their heads. 

In this episode, we focus on the Pilgrim Feast Tabernacles church, and how, with the help of the organizations like Woodgreen community services and a few brave individuals, they were able to pull off an operation that kept over 1500 refugees sheltered. 
This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

The NLS thanks participants who shared their insights on The New Canadian Voices podcast. We acknowledge that each experience is unique, and the perspectives shared here are reflective of the individuals we were engaging with.

Newcomers to Canada often do not know much about the history and present ways of being of Indigenous peoples all over the Turtle Island. In this episode, we tell the story of Indigenous people’s struggle for cultural resurgence through Darla Rasmussen. 

Darla Rasmussen is an Indigenous woman from the Siksika Nation. She is the founder of Sacred Spaces, which holds ceremony-styled events as a means of sharing knowledge around Indigenous cultural teachings. Darla brings us into her world of ceremony, where she introduces us to the Sacred Pipe, the Medicine Wheel, the drum, and the stories behind them. 

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

The NLS thanks participants who shared their insights on The New Canadian Voices podcast. We acknowledge that each experience is unique, and the perspectives shared here are reflective of the individuals we were engaging with.

Canada has long been a sanctuary for refugees around the globe, a beacon of hope for those fleeing persecution and danger. But for many refugees, the trauma of torture and persecution does not end upon arrival. It lingers in their bodies, minds, and dreams as they attempt to navigate a new society and complex bureaucratic and cultural barriers. Eventually, their hopeful journey turns into a struggle for survival and adaptation.

Organizations like Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT) offer a safe space for survivors to heal through counseling, legal assistance, and cultural orientation programs. These services are critical in helping individuals navigate their vulnerabilities and begin their journey toward healing.

For further resources, please visit the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture website at ccvt.org or reach out to crisis lines available in your province.

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

The NLS thanks participants who shared their insights on The New Canadian Voices podcast. We acknowledge that each experience is unique, and the perspectives shared here are reflective of the individuals we were engaging with.

Refugees arriving in Canada bring with them hopes for a safer, healthier future. However, their journey does not end with stepping onto Canadian soil. The transition into the healthcare system can be fraught with challenges, often transforming relief into a new battle for survival and wellbeing.

Dr. Annalee Coakley runs a refugee clinic called the MOSAIC Refugee Clinic in Calgary. The clinic specializes in providing tailored healthcare services to refugees, bridging the linguistic and cultural divide between patients and providers. Despite its success, the clinic—and others like it—face funding vulnerabilities that threaten to halve the lifeline they provide.

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

The NLS thanks the participants who shared their insights on The New Canadian Voices podcast. We acknowledge that each experience is unique, and the perspectives shared here are reflective of the individuals we were engaging with.

In recent years, Cape Breton University (CBU) in Nova Scotia has seen a significant rise in international student enrollment. This has shed a glaring light on a deepening housing crisis. Many international students were negatively impacted, leaving them to navigate skyrocketing rents, inadequate and unsafe housing conditions, and exploitation by landlords.

In this episode, we explore systemic issues faced by CBU’s international students due to insufficient infrastructure and institutional support, and potential solutions to the crisis.

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

The NLS thanks the participants who shared their insights on The New Canadian Voices podcast. We acknowledge that each experience is unique, and the perspectives shared here are reflective of the individuals we were engaging with.

Long waiting periods, service-provider and health stereotyping, and systemic racism are just some of the issues members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community come up against when they arrive to Canada. In many cases, this leaves them feeling disconnected, retraumatized, and disillusioned by their settlement process. While Canada prides itself on being a safe haven for people of varied gender and sexual orientation, the experiences of many newcomers call this into question. 

In this episode, we talk to individuals who have found true connection by being part of Rainbow Connect, a program of the LGBTQ+ Settlement Services at the Neighbourhood Group in Toronto.

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

Whether you are a new immigrant in a remote rural area, or a small town, or in a metropolis, the challenges you might face will look different depending on where you chose to settle. Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) have an important role to play in crating the conditions for newcomer inclusion at the community level, especially as the barriers to inclusion vary from one location to the next. In this episode we talk to LIPs from all over the country who have dealt with unique challenges in their areas, and pose the question: how can immigrant voices change the narrative on what it means to be Canadian?

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

Newcomers to Canada arrive under a diversity of circumstances, from seeking economic opportunity, to reuniting with family, or fleeing intense conflicts in which they have become stateless. These circumstances shape significantly the challenges they face as they search for community and belonging within Canadian society. Through exploring the difficulties newcomers face in establishing a sense of belonging, we open up conversations around inclusion and diversity in Canadian communities. 

This episode looks at what can be done to move beyond “welcoming” to genuine “inclusion”, and explore different forms of community and solidarity for and between immigrants.

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.

There are many layers that make up an immigrant’s experience in a new country, but access to work and community are two of the most important. In addition to the securing a stable source of income, access to employment helps build a sense of identity and connection. More generally, social connections are fundamental to well-being. But building relationships from scratch can be very challenging, especially in the face of intersectional discrimination. This episode looks at the experiences of new immigrants in finding work and connection, and asks how improved access meaningful employment and supportive services can promote integration into a new country.

This podcast is by the National LIP Secretariat, with production support from Cited Media.