Migrant Rights are Human Rights

Although it is the case that a rights discourse has become part of everyday language, the discourse remains relatively weak when it comes to migrant workers in Canada and around the world. Most certainly, the rights discourse has not been translated into everyday practices that protect the rights of migrant workers and their families worldwide. In fact, although we have the language of rights clearly articulated in the 1990 UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMW) which offers significant protections for migrant workers, Canada and most other receiving countries have yet to ratify this agreement. Similarly, Canada has not ratified the two International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions that pertain to the rights of migrant workers, C97 Migration for Employment Convention (Revised) (1949) and C143 Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Conventions (1975). By ratifying these agreements, receiving countries would send a signal that the rights discourse applies to migrants as well as citizens, and it would also indicate a commitment to taking concrete steps towards protecting migrant rights. striking feature of contemporary patterns in international migration is the rising number of migrant workers leaving their homes in the global South for jobs in high‐income countries. Many high income states have turned to immigration policy to meet employer labour needs through temporary migration, creating new programs or increasing the volume of older versions. The United States, for example, now has over 80 types of temporary visas. In the UK, the liberalization of labour mobility has led to an estimated one million migrant workers arriving from EU accession countries in three short years. While some of these managed migration schemes provide a stepping stone for permanent residence, which is particularly the case with skilled workers, those in so‐called low‐skilled or unskilled occupations are generally designed to prevent settlement and restrict mobility. However, as evidenced by the history of temporary migration schemes in Europe and the U.S., temporary migration schemes are never temporary and tend to lead to long term settlement and a growth in undocumented migration. Since the significant demand for workers often exceeds the capacities of legal programs, and there are limited permanent migration channels for many migrants from developing countries (particularly those living in poverty), means that there is significant growth in undocumented migration as well

Issue 02: Key Issues & Recommendations for Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program: Reducing Vulnerabilities & Protecting Rights

In this issue of Policy Points we have identified some of the most significant rights issues facing Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) in Canada based on our empirical research amassed over a decade of study. In order to address these problems, we have provided a number of recommendations for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) with an emphasis on some of the most vulnerable workers – those in the Pilot Project for Occupations Requiring Lower Levels of Formal Training (NOC C & D Pilot), and the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP). While recognizing that there are jurisdictional differences and many other changes could be integrated at the provincial and municipal levels, the following provide the most essential federal-level recommendations

Indirect Pathways Into Practice: A Comparative Examination of Indian and Philippine Internationally Educated Nurses and Their Entry Into Ontario’s Nursing Profession

In Canada half of all internationally educated nurses (IENs) are employed in Ontario, and in 2010 the top three countries where new IENs had received their training were the Philippines, India and China. This presentation reports on preliminary results from an ongoing research project examining the experiences of IENs from the Philippines and India who intend to enter Ontario’s nursing profession indirectly via temporary migration streams. The preliminary survey results will be presented, including differences in the characteristics and experiences of the two groups as they follow migration and occupational pathways to enter Canada and the nursing profession in Ontario. The preliminary findings will highlight some of the issues the data reveal in terms of specific settlement experiences, issues of effective conversion of pre-migration training into professional practice post-migration, and how policy shifts toward temporary and two-step migration may be shaping the nature of IENs’ indirect pathways into practice

Paper versus Practice: Occupational Health and Safety Protections and Realities for Temporary Foreign Agricultural Workers in Ontario

Over 20,000 temporary foreign agricultural workers come to Ontario each year, primarily from Mexico and the Caribbean. Agricultural workers are exposed to a number of occupational health and safety (OHS) risks. This article discusses the various OHS protections available to workers and their limitations, and analyzes the specific challenges that temporary foreign workers face in accessing rights, such as language and cultural barriers, information gaps, and precarious employment and immigration status. It also analyzes the limitations with respect to OHS training and the provision and use of personal protective equipment, arguing that these protections are under-regulated and inconsistent. The article concludes with recommendations to improve shortcomings, including standardized and specific OHS training, random OHS inspections, and full inclusion of agricultural workers in provincial legislations. Findings are based primarily on interviews with 100 migrant farmworkers who reported injuries or illness, as well as with key stakeholders such as employers and government officials

Identifying the signalling pathway of a novel Myostatin Splice Variant (MSV)

Myostatin (Mstn), a member of the transforming growth factor-β super family, is a potent negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. Studies delineating the function of Mstn have identified multiple signal transduction pathways that convey the Mstn signal. Mstn has been shown to influence canonical TGF-β, mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the PI3K/AKT signal transduction cascades. The discovery in our laboratory of a novel splice variant of Mstn (MSV) that opposes Mstn and stimulates the proliferation of myoblasts provided the impetus for the investigations in this thesis. The splicing of MSV was restricted to the Cetartiodactyl clade of mammals, and MSV may represent an intragenic regulator of Mstn. Thus, the studies undertaken in this thesis were to delineate the signalling pathways used by Mstn and MSV in order to understand how their opposing roles in myoblasts regulate myogenesis. Initially, microarray analysis was used to investigate the transcriptional responses of ovine myoblasts following exposure to recombinant Mstn (eukaryotic) and MSV (prokaryotic) protein. Mstn treatment induced changes in number of transcripts, with changes consistent with previous investigations, for example increased interlukin-6 (IL6) and decreased MyoD. In addition, a novel transcriptional target of Mstn, the β1 subunit of the Na⁺-K⁺-ATPase was discovered. Treatment of ovine myoblasts with recombinant MSV induced a plethora of transcriptional responses. IPA analysis suggested a number of these were due to LPS (endotoxin) contamination, which could be attributed to the production of this protein in E. coli. This was confirmed using the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay. Phase separation using Triton-X 114 proved an effective method for the removal of LPS from the MSV preparation. Western blot analysis was performed following the treatment of ovine myoblasts with Mstn and purified MSV. Consistent with previous myoblast studies Mstn stimulated canonical TGF-β (Smad) signalling and the p38 and ERK components of the MAPK signalling cascade. In contrast to previous studies, Mstn also stimulated AKT signalling, with specific phosphorylation of serine 473 (AKTS⁴⁷³). In addition, Mstn altered the abundance of multiple myogenic transcription factors (MyoD, Myf5, MRF4, Pax7 and Mef2) and the abundance and/or the phosphorylation of targets that have a metabolic role in skeletal muscle (rps6, 4EBP1 and p70S6K). Treatment with MSV increased the abundance of Smad 3, Myf5, 4EBP1 and stimulated AKTS⁴⁷³and 4EBP1 phosphorylation. These data provided the foundation for confirmation of these pathways targeted by MSV in C₂C₁₂ myoblasts that stably expressed MSV. C₂C₁₂ cells expressing MSV had an increased proliferative capacity and showed increased mitochondrial activity (EZ4U assay) as compared to controls. These cells showed an increased abundance of the MRFs MyoD, MRF4 and Myogenin and an increased abundance or phosphorylation of signalling targets involved in canonical TGF-β, MAPK and PI3K/AKT signalling cascades. In addition, cells expressing MSV had an increased abundance and phosphorylation of acetyl co-enzyme A carboxylase (ACC) and 4EBP1, which have established roles in regulating metabolism and the synthesis of protein. The significant overlap of processes influenced by the Na⁺ , K⁺ ATPase complex and Mstn prompted an investigation on how Mstn regulates the β1 subunit of the Na⁺ , K⁺ ATPase. This transcriptional response was found to be dependent on the Smad pathway. In addition, these studies also show that Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase activity plays a role in proliferation and differentiation of ovine myoblasts and suggest that Mstn inhibits ion flow controlled through the function of this enzyme complex. In conclusion, these studies show that Mstn and MSV share a number of common signalling targets. In contrast to previous studies of Mstn, the stable expression MSV increases the activation of AKT signalling and increases the abundance of key myogenic transcription factors. In addition, MSV increases the abundance and phosphorylation of ACC and 4EBP1, molecules involved regulating the synthesis of protein and fatty acids. In addition, the β1 subunit of the Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase, was identified as a novel transcriptional target of Mstn, with this regulation controlled through a Smad dependant mechanism. These data confirm the postulate that Mstn and MSV have divergent signalling functions and suggest a role for MSV in the control of oxidative metabolism

Migrant Rights are Human Rights

Although it is the case that a rights discourse has become part of everyday language, the discourse remains relatively weak when it comes to migrant workers in Canada and around the world. Most certainly, the rights discourse has not been translated into everyday practices that protect the rights of migrant workers and their families worldwide. In fact, although we have the language of rights clearly articulated in the 1990 UN International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (ICMW) which offers significant protections for migrant workers, Canada and most other receiving countries have yet to ratify this agreement. Similarly, Canada has not ratified the two International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions that pertain to the rights of migrant workers, C97 Migration for Employment Convention (Revised) (1949) and C143 Migrant Workers (Supplementary Provisions) Conventions (1975). By ratifying these agreements, receiving countries would send a signal that the rights discourse applies to migrants as well as citizens, and it would also indicate a commitment to taking concrete steps towards protecting migrant rights. striking feature of contemporary patterns in international migration is the rising number of migrant workers leaving their homes in the global South for jobs in high‐income countries. Many high income states have turned to immigration policy to meet employer labour needs through temporary migration, creating new programs or increasing the volume of older versions. The United States, for example, now has over 80 types of temporary visas. In the UK, the liberalization of labour mobility has led to an estimated one million migrant workers arriving from EU accession countries in three short years. While some of these managed migration schemes provide a stepping stone for permanent residence, which is particularly the case with skilled workers, those in so‐called low‐skilled or unskilled occupations are generally designed to prevent settlement and restrict mobility. However, as evidenced by the history of temporary migration schemes in Europe and the U.S., temporary migration schemes are never temporary and tend to lead to long term settlement and a growth in undocumented migration. Since the significant demand for workers often exceeds the capacities of legal programs, and there are limited permanent migration channels for many migrants from developing countries (particularly those living in poverty), means that there is significant growth in undocumented migration as well

The economic resilience of Irish counties for subsequent recessions and the impact of population distribution on resilience

Relevance. Much research was undertaken on regional economic resilience after the financial crisis of 2008. The current crisis caused by Covid19 provides an opportunity to understand further the nature of regional economic resilience. It also provides an opportunity to analyse the urban-rural divide of economic resilience for two recessions.Research objective. There are two main objectives of this study Firstly, to understand if resilience to one recession provides a good indication of resilience to a subsequent recession. The second aim is to understand the urban-rural differences in regional economic resilience in Ireland.Data and methods. This is a quantitative study which uses data from the Irish Central Statistics Office regarding unemployment and population distribution. To understand economic resilience a sensitivity index is used and to check for correlation the Pearson coefficient is used.Results. Results show that there is no correlation between resilience to the financial crisis and resilience to the Covid19 crisis. Population distribution was not a determinant of resilience to the financial crisis. However, population distribution was a determinant of resilience to the Covid19 crisis. Counties with high population in ‘independent urban towns’ or ‘rural areas with moderate urban influence’ were more resilient while counties with high population in ‘satellite urban towns’ or ‘rural areas with high urban influence’ were more vulnerable.Conclusions. Economic resilience to one recession is not a good indication of resilience to future recessions. Counties with population in urban centres or more reliant on urban areas were less resilient to the Covid19 crisis

Indirect Pathways Into Practice: A Comparative Examination of Indian and Philippine Internationally Educated Nurses and Their Entry Into Ontario’s Nursing Profession

In Canada half of all internationally educated nurses (IENs) are employed in Ontario, and in 2010 the top three countries where new IENs had received their training were the Philippines, India and China. This presentation reports on preliminary results from an ongoing research project examining the experiences of IENs from the Philippines and India who intend to enter Ontario’s nursing profession indirectly via temporary migration streams. The preliminary survey results will be presented, including differences in the characteristics and experiences of the two groups as they follow migration and occupational pathways to enter Canada and the nursing profession in Ontario. The preliminary findings will highlight some of the issues the data reveal in terms of specific settlement experiences, issues of effective conversion of pre-migration training into professional practice post-migration, and how policy shifts toward temporary and two-step migration may be shaping the nature of IENs’ indirect pathways into practice