School of Policy Studies - Policy Matters: Beyond the Brief Speakers Series

Much has been said about diminishing support for immigration in Canada. In this talk, Mireille Paquet will argue that this might not be the most important story about immigration policy and politics in Canada right now. Instead of focusing on attitudes, she will highlight several policy trends that should receive more attention, including growing administrative backlogs, poor regulation of migration industries, and the aging technological infrastructure of the immigration department. While scholars have yet to decide whether attitudinal changes will be long-lasting or determine their consequences for immigration politics, Mireille believes these structural issues in Canada's immigration system are likely to shape our future in ways that are not discussed enough.

Mireille Paquet is professor and Concordia research Chair on the politics of immigration at Concordia. An expert in Canadian immigration politics, she is also the author of several books and articles on comparative migration politics. She is the Concordia lead for the pan-Canadian Bridging Divides project and a lead for the Réseau de recherche Québécois de la recherche sur l’immigration, l’intégration et les relations interculturelles.