CBC News: Immigrant project highlights unfairness in Canadian hiring practices, newcomers say

Winston Szeto · CBC News · Posted: Mar 20, 2022 7:00 AM PT

Newcomer Cindy Chan graduated from Dalhousie University in the early ’90s and directed learning programs for three Hong Kong universities for 25 years before immigrating to Vancouver in January 2021.

But despite her Canadian degree and wealth of overseas work experience, she says she had a tough time finding a job in her field.

Chan says she believes all newcomer women deserve a job that reflects their overseas work experience. So in October, she started participating in a storytelling project with the non-profit Pacific Immigrant Resources Society (PIRS).

“Redefining Canadian Experience” publishes stories about immigrant women and their employment experiences in Canada. It received $2,100 in funding from the Vancouver Foundation and aims to highlight systemic discrimination in the job market, where many employers reject immigrant candidates for lacking Canadian work experience…