How will technological transformation change the future of migration to Canada?
- Date
- May 07, 2024
- Time
- 5:00 PM EDT - 6:30 PM EDT
- Location
- Sears Atrium, George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Open To
- Reception from 6:30-7:30 PM. Open to the public and free of charge
Canada's immigration policies and politics are at a crossroads. While Canadians remain highly supportive of immigration and while it continues to be a cornerstone of the Canadian labour market, an increasingly large share of the public is apprehensive about the pace of immigrant acceptance. Though immediate concerns need to be acknowledged and addressed, there is a need to look towards the future and examine how the global digital transformation may affect immigration to Canada.
For instance, if work can now be done remotely, will the highly coveted international talent still want to migrate to Canada? If immigrants and diasporas can remain connected to their homelands in real time, will this destabilize Canadian democracy? If algorithms are used to more efficiently process immigration or asylum applications, will this erode the fairness of those systems? And at the same time, can we imagine a future in which city services are more user-friendly to migrants thanks to digital technologies? Can we also imagine a future in which housing and health care are provided more efficiently and more equitably thanks to the use of ADTs in designing and delivering services and in engaging with our most vulnerable and underserved communities?
Our panel of experts in urban planning, education, finance and civil society are asked to imagine the future of the Canadian immigration paradigm in an increasingly digitalized and globalized world.
Panelists include: Raj Kothari, Retired Partner and Vice Chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada; Shamira Madhany, Managing Director Canada and Deputy Executive Director, World Education Services; Mary Rowe, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Urban Institute; and Anna Triandafyllidou, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration, Toronto Metropolitan University.
The roundtable features Nora Young as moderator. Nora Young is the host and creator of CBC's SPARK (external link) , a show that explores how technology, innovation and design is changing our relationships, our work, and our culture.
About the participants
Raj Kothari is a Chartered Accountant and former Vice Chair of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in Canada. He was also Managing Partner for the Greater Toronto Area and National Asset and Wealth Management Leader. His experience spans the areas of business assurance and advisory services, transaction support services, and valuation and related services to clients in a variety of businesses. Raj is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Toronto General and Western Hospital Foundation and also serves on the boards of the Soulpepper Theatre Company, the Aga Khan Museum, the University Health Network and the Ontario Arts Foundation.
Shamira Madhany joined World Education Services as Managing Director Canada and Deputy Executive Director after more than two decades of public service. She has extensive experience working with licensing bodies, settlement agencies and higher education and post-secondary sectors in Ontario. She served as the chief architect of several government programs that enable highly skilled immigrants to obtain employment in their fields. Shamira played a key role in the launch of World Education Services Canada in 2000 during her tenure at the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration as Provincial Lead, Access to Professions and Trades.
Mary W. Rowe is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Urban Institute, a national platform focused on Canadian city building. She served as Executive Vice President of the Municipal Art Society of New York and was President of the Canadian platform Ideas That Matter. Mary is a Senior Fellow with Shorefast and a frequent contributor to national and international city-building programs, including UN-Habitat, the Massey Cities Summit, The Art of City Building and the World Urban Forum.
Anna Triandafyllidou holds the Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration at Toronto Metropolitan University. In 2023, she took on the additional role of Scientific Director for a new $98.6 million project, Bridging Divides, awarded to Toronto Metropolitan University by the Government of Canada through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. Prior to joining the university, Anna was based at the European University Institute, where she held a Robert Schuman Chair on Global Pluralism. She is Editor of the Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies, Chair of the IMISCOE Editorial Committee and member of the IMISCOE Board of Directors.
