The Metropolis Project The Metropolis Project is an international cooperative research project designed to stimulate multi-disciplinary research on the effects of international migration on cities. The project's main objectives are: to provide decision-makers at all levels of government, and business and community leaders, with solid information on which to base their ideas, thus making it possible to integrate research into the policy process in a more systematic fashion; to identify the "best international practices", that is, to note the solutions that best meet the challenges faced by all countries in which the major urban centres contain a large number of immigrants; and to help academic institutions develop the capacity to conduct research on all aspects of public policy, with a particular focus on immigration, the metropolis and urban systems.

Key Policy Issues From Status of Women Canada's Perspective Status of Women Canada (SWC) works closely with other federal government departments to ensure that women's equality is integrated in all legislation, policies, programs and initiatives. SWC expects that the Metropolis research will contribute to a better understanding of a broad range of immigration issues from a gender perspective. As well, SWC anticipates that the acquired knowledge base will assist Canadian policy-makers in developing and implementing gender-sensitive policies in areas pertaining to immigration. More specifically, SWC is looking to the Centres of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration as a potential source of research related to issues such as: the factors affecting the integration of immigrant women into the paid labour market, and the policies that contribute to making this integration 'successful', including employment equity policies and the policies relating to the recognition of educational and work credentials acquired outside Canada; the 'best policy practices' that enable immigrant women to acquire English and/or French language skills; the dynamics underlying changing family relationships between generations of immigrants, including how definitions of 'the family' may be affected; the impact of changing immigration laws and regulations on women immigrants; the situation of older immigrants, particularly women, and the effect of government policies on their financial security; the 'best policies' related to integration that enable immigrant women to live in non-violent families, and policies that enable violence-related services to respond to the needs of immigrant women.

Related Events From Status of Women Canada's Perspective Workshop on 'Gendering Immigration Policy Research'. Sponsored by Status of Women Canada's Research Directorate, this workshop was held in Edmonton on March 7, 1997 as part of the first national conference of the four Centres of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration. The objectives of the workshop were to: define approaches and strategies that will result in gendered immigration research; identify current policy research questions; identify knowledge and suggest priorities; and contribute to the future work of the four Centres of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Integration and Status of Women Canada's Policy Research Fund.

Interesting Background Papers From Status of Women Canada's Perspective Sylvia Novac, A Place to Call One's Own: New Voices of Dislocation and Dispossession, Status of Women Canada, February 1996. Sylvia Novac, Un toit bien à soi : les nouvelles voix du déracinement et de la dépossession, Condition féminine Canada, février 1996. In progress: Reviews of the French and English literature on gender-related policy research pertaining to immigration and integration. Statistics Canada Data Sources on Immigrant Women

Departmental Branches to Contact Within Status of Women Canada Name: Research Directorate tel: (613) 995-3995 fax: (613) 957-3359 e-mail: research@swc-cfc.gc.ca

For more information about the Metropolis Project: