Grant, Contribution or Other Financial Benefit

• Discussions with Employment and Social Development Canada concerning international student mobility and internship programs.

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution

• Discussions concerning federal budget priorities with regard to the federal government's university research granting agencies concerning increased funding for the direct and institutional costs of university research, additional support for young graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, changes to the Canada Research Chairs program, digital research infrastructure, university infrastructure, investments in an international student recruitment strategy including targeted marketing activities, investments in outbound mobility program for Canadian students and expanding university education opportunities for Indigenous Canadians.
• Engaging with reviews of existing legislation covering charities to clarify how they apply to educational institutions.
• Lobbying for an explicit exception for charities, not-for-profits and/or educational institutions to Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL).
• Lobbying to maintain current regulations included in the Lobbying Act.
• Lobbying to maintain fair dealing for education in anticipation of and during the 5-year legislative review of Canada’s Copyright Act.

Policies or Program

• Discuss effective strategies and programs to support student transition to the work place with Employment and Social Development Canada, including the Student Work-Integrated Learning Program (SWILP)
• Discussions concerning language teaching and revitalization programming in collaboration with Indigenous communities and partner institutions.
• Engage with Department of Status of Women and Statistics Canada regarding data collection and policies/frameworks regarding student safety on campus.
• Engage with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada regarding the role of universities in supporting innovation through the full suite of innovation initiatives (eg. Superclusters, economic sector tables, Innovation Canada etc.)
• Engage with Statistics Canada regarding postsecondary education and research data collection and analysis with particular attention to the University and College Academic Staff System survey and labour market information.
• Harmonization of immigration policies with regard to the improvement of study and work permit processing to identify areas where policies and procedures could be strengthened.
• Increased supports for Indigenous students seeking to access post-secondary education.

Regulation

• Working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to improve visa processing times and lower refusal rates for international students accepted to Canadian universities.
• Working with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to increase flexibility in the Post-Graduate Work Permit Program (PGWPP)to ensure that more international students can participate in the program, which is a pathway to permanent residency.