Get out there and vote

A short but important reminder that with a federal election coming up on Monday, May 2nd it is the responsibility of every Canadian citizen to vote.

Voting is always important, participating in the process is what makes democracy an open, fair and effective thing but it may be even more important this time around. With a minority government previously, and possibly another one coming after this election every race and ever vote counts more than ever.

Canada is a place we all like to call home, even if (or sometimes especially because) it wasn't the first place we called home. With the changing demographics of Canada's population it's vital for all Canadians, but especially new Canadians to make sure they vote and make their voice heard when it comes to the political landscape. Our government, like our country, should be a reflection of the culture and values of the people who live in it, but that only happens if every participates.

So make sure you get out and vote on Monday May 2nd. If you will be unable to vote on that day do note that advance polling will be available on th 22nd, 23rd and 25th of April. For more information on advance polling or other election information (including how to participate) visit the Elections Canada website at http://www.elections.ca/. Elections Canada is an independent (not associated with any political party) agency responsible for conducting elections in Canada and making sure that are conducted fairly and legally.

If you are interested in knowing more about diversity issues in this election please visit TalentOyster Connect and read some related news items like the effect of current government policy on immigrant families, First Nations issues and Guidy Mamann's opinion on the Government's immigration record.

Why the French ban on burqas is bad for everyone (including Canada)

As of today it is no longer legal for women in France to wear full (face covering) burquas. While some may try and argue that this measure is needed for security (which is laughable in itself) the fact that the penalties for being convicted of the "crime" include mandatory citizenship classes point to a different reason, namely forced assimilation of a minority through religious persecution.

Currently the total Muslim population of 6 million in France makes up slightly less than 10% of the population and the number of women this will actually affect will be only a small percentage of that, estimates as low as a couple of thousand have been made. In fact some have claimed that most of the women that this law will affect are tourists and visitors from other countries shopping and visiting France. So the direct effect that this law is most likely to have for France is a hit to GDP.

On the plus side it's not clear how much enforcement of this law is going to really happen. While some protestors have been arrested there is concern among police officers that trying to enforce the law would lead to civil unrest. Patrice Ribeiro, head of the Synergie (national) police union said "The law will be very difficult to apply on certain estates, I can't see police going to book dozens of veiled women doing their shopping in Venissieux or in Trappes."

All the same persecution of religious minorities (and that is what this is), is shameful. I personally don't understand, or agree with, a culture, religion or set of beliefs that feels women should be covered in public but, I do believe people should be free to live their lives in accordance with their religious beliefs. That is why, preventing freedom of religious expression, especially in a "Western" democratic country is a bad thing for all of us. If the standards of an open democracy include laws that discriminate against a minority then there is one less moral barrier to other countries, including Canada, having laws that also discriminate against their own minorities.

Besides the "slippery slope" problem there is an additional threat to Canada and other countries as a result of this action and it concerns France's involvement in foreign affairs including Afghanistan and Libya. France has a presence of 4,000 soldiers in Afghanistan (more than Canada) and led efforts to establish no-fly zones over Libya. In both of these cases, Canada and other involved nations have been involved in the name of establishing (hopefully) peaceful democracies rather than militaristic-pseudo religious dictatorships.

Whether this effort is working or not or will eventually be effective or not the idea of being involved in these actions to bring peace and freedoms to the peoples of these countries is a moral high ground that one can argue from against those who might claim that these efforts are really about western "Christian" countries engaged in a modern crusade against Islam. This French law damages the moral high ground around these actions because it call into question the very nature of why western countries are in these countries.

In what should not be a great surprise Al-Queda has already threatened action against France for the passing and enforcement of this law. While this group is certainly the epitome of extremist views it wouldn't be surprising, or even difficult to understand if Muslim citizens in France, Afghanistan or Libya questioned what the real purpose of western involvement in these countries is. Like the law itself it's a shame and worse may expose Canadian soldiers and citizens to greater risks because of it.

If there is one thing that the global age has taught us so far it's that we are all, for better or worse, in this together. What happens in one country will affect us when we go abroad and more importantly sometimes here in our country as well. As a fellow member of a group of countries that claim to stand for freedom, peace and liberty Canada should implore France to remove this odious law as quickly as possible. For the good of France, for the good of Canada, for the good of everyone.

Recognizing Committed Employers

At TalentOyster we think that recognizing when companies are making real commitments to diversity is a good thing. Positive reinforcement is always a good thing but more it sets a good example and high bar for what companies should and can be doing.

In this light we're pleased to note that on Wednesday March 30th COSTI Immigrant Services (a TalentOyster partner) will be holding a recognition breakfast in Vaughan for some of the employee participants of their enhanced language training program.

COSTI's enhanced language training program is a program, funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, that is aimed at internationally trained professionals who have previous experience in Accounting, Administration, Customer service or Childcare fields.

The program helps newcomers overcome two common barriers to employment: English language training at the higher levels needed to achieve the language proficiency required in order to fully participate in their community and work environment, industry and occupational field; and labour market orientation and opportunities to acquire some Canadian work experience through job placements, internships and mentoring.

So on Wednesday March 30th at 8am at the Novotel Toronto Vaughan Centre in Vaughan COSTI will be recognizing some of the employer participants in this program and we applaud both COSTI and the employers who will be recognized at this event.

There's still a lot of work to be done when it comes to breaking down barriers and making all of our organizations as diverse as our country, but sometimes it is good to stop and recognize those who do "get it" and are making real efforts to integrate diversity into their workforce culture.

Introducing OCEAN, the TalentOyster API

We're pretty excited today to be launching OCEAN a REST based API for TalentOyster. TalentOyster OCEAN lets you embed job search functionality and content from TalentOyster right into your website.

Here is an example of OCEAN in action on another site.


Our API supports both our jobs and our Connect content. That means you can add job searching functionality and display teasers of TalentOyster Connect content right from your site. The API is fairly simple, using simple HTTP GET requests and returning XML (custom or RSS) in response.

To make OCEAN even easier to use there is a PHP library available as well. This PHP class handles the connectivity and response handling aspects of the API so that you can easily add some TalentOyster functionality to your own site.

Check it out and let us know what you think. If you want to get started just request your free application key by emailing us here.

Introducing Correo Jobs

We are pleased today to introduce another site in the TalentOyster white label network, Correo Jobs, or alternatively Empleos Correo.

This white label operates in English and Spanish and is associated with Correo Canadiense the leading Spanish language newspaper in Canada for Hispanic and Latino news from Canada and around the world.

The site features jobs from TalentOyster as well as jobs unique to Correo Jobs. If you know someone looking for a job who could use this site be sure to let them know. Additionally if you are looking to post a single job ad specifically at the Hispanic Canadian community you can purchase posts online on the site.

We continue to develop additional white labels for other cultural communities but if you, or your organization would be interested in exploring white label opportunities with TalentOyster then get in touch with us.

TalentOyster employers named "Best for Diversity"

This past week four different TalentOyster employers (three of them original TalentOyster employers) were named as one of Canada's top 45 "Best Employers for Diversity" by Mediacorp Canada. Loblaw Companies Limited, Mount Sinai Hospital, Xerox Canada and Telus all made this exclusive list for 2011.

Congratulations to all these organizations for winning recognition for their efforts to improve the diversity of their workforces in the past year and commitment to continuing in the year ahead.

Recognition of organizations making a real effort on diversity is a good thing, if, for no other reason then it helps get the message on the importance of diversity into the mainstream media and consciousness. But positive recognition is also good because it encourages all companies to evaluate their own efforts in order to compete with others.

With our countries demographics being what they are, and with the economy continuing to rebound, expanding the diversity of your workforce becomes less about doing the "right thing" and more about doing what must be done. Progressive employers, like the ones on TalentOyster, know that if they want to actually hire the best candidates available they must include diversity groups as part of their candidate search. Those companies, like the ones listed as Canada's best diversity employers are well positioned to continue to be successful because they are simply more committed to diversity, the only real source of future labour force growth in Canada.

To read more about "Canada's Best Diversity Employers" check out the story in the Globe and Mails Report on Business here

Big year for Canadian Immigration but...

Some big news this past week with the announcement that in 2010 Canada took in more immigrants, over 280 thousand, than in any other year since 1960. Good news which was made even better by the stated government position on immigration as given by Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

"Canada's post-recession economy demands a high level of economic immigration to keep our economy strong."

As RBC president Gord Nixon said last November newcomers are "one of Canada's great competitive advantages". So it's good to see the government getting on board with what various business leaders and think-tank groups have been saying for years.

But will the immigrants who do come, be happy enough to stay?

Coming on the heels of December's slashing of grants to some settlement agencies it appears as if the quota of reunification visas (visas issued to family members of those currently in Canada) will be cut from 15,000 to 11,000 for 2011 and that's a policy that concerns more than a few people. Liberal immigration critic Justin Trudeau has accused the government of not being "up front with new Canadians", saying

"They enticed skilled workers to come to Canada with a promise their parents and grandparents will soon be able to follow. They’ve cut funding for the settlement services that provide supports, and now they’re cutting the family support system along with it."

These are serious and valid concernns because as implied, immigrants who don't stay in Canada won't be contributing to our labour force or helping our companies stay diverse and vibrant. In fact, immigrants who leave after a couple of years are the very worst case scenario because the sunk costs of settlement and integration into the social and employment fabric have already been spent.

Increasing immigration is one the key ways for Canada to continue to avoid the economic meltdown that has spread across Europe these past few years, shrinking and stagnant economies exactly the kinds of problems that increased immigration prevents. 2010 was overall a good year for immigration to Canada, the numbers don't lie but we need to be doing more to make sure new immigrants to Canada make this their permanent home. And it seems on that front there is still plenty of room for improvement.