Jennifer Roggemann had the opportunity to attend the Canada Bar Association Conference in Toronto this past weekend. The conference addressed topics including temporary foreign workers, immigration detention issues, and express entry. Saturday morning featured the Hon. Ahmed Hussen (Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship), as keynote speaker. Read Jennifer’s reflections on his address below:
“Frankly, I was impressed. Throughout the first day of the conference, I sensed a shift in the perspective of officers from IRCC – the phrase, “Client Experience“, was used so often. Hon. Hussen began his speech by stating that “I went through this system myself”. Based on his personal experience, he has made some fresh changes to our immigration system – in the way newcomers (and prospective newcomers) go through our immigration system. What a change! With regards to the application portal being down last week, his comment was “I apologize for the trouble”. I don’t think that I have ever heard a minister make a public apology like that before. His open admission to seeking ideas because “government does not have all the answers” was so humble. I am looking forward to seeing more changes coming into our immigration policy with Hon. Hussen, who stated that “clients are the heart of all we do” and assured all attendees that we need to “seriously take responsibility to heart“.”
For more information on the CBA Conference, click here.