Canada’s new Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser, promises to verify “personally” that the unconscious prejudices of officials in his own department do not discriminate against French-speaking Africans wishing to come and study in the country.
“It is no secret that throughout our history unconscious bias and systemic racism have been a shameful part of Canadian history affecting different aspects of government operations. We want to make sure that […] this kind of unconscious bias does not create discrimination against people who come from different parts of the world, ”said Minister Sean Fraser, at the entrance to a meeting of the Liberal caucus on Wednesday.
Appointed Minister of Immigration by Justin Trudeau last month, the Nova Scotia-born minister was reacting to the revelations of the To have to according to which the refusal rates of students from Africa continue to climb, while the number of English-speaking foreign students is increasing in Quebec. The ministry would refuse certain “impeccable” files of candidates meeting all the criteria.
These decisions are made by officials from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This ministry still fails to meet the targets set for the reception of French-speaking immigrants in Quebec and outside Quebec, recalled Mr. Fraser, despite the labor shortage in the country.
“I believe this is actually an opportunity for Canada to examine [les dossiers] international students arriving from French-speaking countries in West Africa, to potentially increase the proportion of French-speaking newcomers, ”added the Minister, in English, after apologizing for not being able to answer questions in the language of Molière despite his French lessons.
Sean Fraser does not believe, however, that the exclusion of a growing number of African students is “a decision. [consciente] actively favor one country over another ”, and argues that a large majority of public servants have the best of intentions. “But I am sure that from a user experience perspective [immigrant], there are people who feel discriminated against, ”he admitted.
However, a federal report released last month revealed that his department, IRCC, is burdened with problems of racism. Officials are said to share openly racist clichés in conversations, and prejudices are said to guide hires and promotions. The problem would even affect the delivery of programs to clients.