Policies Research Internship Insights Series

Canada increasingly relies on international students and immigrants to address labour shortages and support economic growth. However, many newcomers face significant barriers when transitioning from temporary status to permanent residency (PR). Challenges such as inconsistent credential recognition, the “Canadian experience” requirement, overqualification, and fragmented support systems limit equitable access to employment and long-term settlement opportunities.

How Canada’s Most Influential Psychiatric Medication Trials Record Race, Ethnicity, Sex, Gender, and Indigenous Identity, and What Policy Can Do to Close the Gap.

Three factors shape Canada's mental-health treatment evidence base: who enrolls in clinical trials, how researchers record participant backgrounds, and who governs the resulting data. In Canada, 26.5% of the population identifies as a visible minority, and the Constitution recognizes Indigenous self-determination (1). When Canadian trials report equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility (EDIA) inconsistently, the evidence may not fully reflect the populations these treatments are intended to serve.

Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs) play a critical role in sustaining Canada’s economy, particularly in sectors experiencing persistentlabourshortages such as agriculture, food processing, construction, and healthcare. Since the establishment of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) in 1973, Canada has increasingly relied on migrantlabourto support essential industries across the country (House of Commons, 2016). In recent years, TFWs have contributedsubstantially tothe Canadian economy, including significant participation in rural industries wherelabourshortagesremainacute.

Alberta’s Rural Renewal Stream was developed to support rural immigration by helping communities recruit skilled newcomers to addresslabourshortages and stimulate local economic growth. While the program has improved recruitment opportunities, it gives limited attention to the social conditions that influence whether immigrantsremainin rural communities over the long term. Racism, social exclusion, inadequate settlement infrastructure, and limited access to ethnocultural and religious supports continue to weaken newcomers’ sense of belonging and contribute tooutmigration towardurbancentres.