Since the formal enshrinement of Canada’s immigration objectives in the Immigration Act of 1976, Citizenship and Immigration Canada has been tasked with the responsibility of balancing the demands of the labour market and reuniting immigrant families. Policy changes in the 1990s suggest that neoliberal ideology, which promotes market economy principles, has become increasingly influential in the shaping of Canadian social policies and practices, and has had significant implications for immigration policy and admission trends (Arat-Koc, 1999). The prominence of neoliberal logic in immigration policy has resulted in the framing of immigrant value in terms of economic contributions. As a result, Family Class admissions have been the target of criticism, particularly sponsored parents and grandparents, who are absolved of meeting the point system criteria and are therefore perceived as having little ability to contribute to the economy (McLaren & Black, 2005). This paper explores the extent to which recent reforms to the parent and grandparent sponsorship program are a reflection of, and maintain, the prevailing neoliberal discourse that subordinates Family Class immigrants, especially parents and grandparents, conceiving of them as burdens to the state as opposed to contributing Economic Class entrants. This economic framework provides an incomplete picture of the contributions that sponsored parents and grandparents make to Canada. Furthermore, the insufficiency of empirical data supporting the claim that parents and grandparents are a potential burden on the state suggests that the recent reforms are an explicit expression of fear rather than fact (VanderPlaat, Ramos & Yoshida, 2011). This paper concludes with future research suggestions that lend themselves to redefining “contribution” to incorporate social, cultural, and indirect economic contributions, to provide a more nuanced conception of the value of sponsored parents and grandparents.

The province of Ontario continues to be the destination of more than 50 percent of all immigrants to Canada (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009). With a large visible minority population, as well as linguistic and faith-based diversity, there is increasing pressure on the education system to ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive academically and develop personally (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009; Canadian School Boards Association, 2007; Muj & Hamdan, 2013). This study uses classical content analysis to test the 1997 and 2006 versions of the Ontario language curriculum for Grades 3 and 6 against the James Banks’ model for ensuring racial, ethnic and cultural diversity is reflected in school programs. This model is essential for assessing the degree to which the curriculum document itself reflects the priorities set-out by the Ministry of Education in Ontario, and whether these priorities align with the principles of multicultural education. Keywords: Multiculturalism, education policy, multicultural education, language education, diversity

The province of Ontario continues to be the destination of more than 50 percent of all immigrants to Canada (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009). With a large visible minority population, as well as linguistic and faith-based diversity, there is increasing pressure on the education system to ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive academically and develop personally (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2009; Canadian School Boards Association, 2007; Muj & Hamdan, 2013). This study uses classical content analysis to test the 1997 and 2006 versions of the Ontario language curriculum for Grades 3 and 6 against the James Banks’ model for ensuring racial, ethnic and cultural diversity is reflected in school programs. This model is essential for assessing the degree to which the curriculum document itself reflects the priorities set-out by the Ministry of Education in Ontario, and whether these priorities align with the principles of multicultural education. Keywords: Multiculturalism, education policy, multicultural education, language education, diversity