Government Responds to Report on Canada's Settlement and Integration Programs
OTTAWA, October 23, 2003 -- The Honourable Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today tabled the government's response to the report of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration entitled Settlement and Integration: A Sense of Belonging -- "Feeling at Home."
The standing committee report, issued on June 5, 2003, made 28 recommendations on how to improve the delivery of Canada's settlement and integration programs.
"Newcomers to Canada play a key role in our success as a nation," said Minister Coderre. "This is why it's so important that they get the assistance they may need to achieve their full potential as quickly as possible. While I'm pleased that the committee found our settlement programs to be sound, we will continue to work with other levels of government and the settlement sector to break down existing barriers and improve the delivery of these services to all regions of Canada."
The recommendations of the committee do not propose major changes to Canada's settlement and integration programs, but rather advocate an enhancement of current services, while emphasizing the need for a significant increase in settlement funding. Although Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), on behalf of the government, has responded positively to most of the committee's recommendations, funding restrictions for the coming year will limit any additional investments in the overall settlement program.
CIC recently completed extensive consultations with provincial and territorial government representatives on the development of a new model to share, as fairly as possible, existing settlement funds. A decision on the most appropriate funding model for settlement services, as well as the funding allocation for 2004-05, will be communicated shortly to all provinces and territories.
While CIC is the lead department in the government's response to the committee's report, certain recommendations also concern other departments. Consequently, CIC is working, in collaboration with Industry Canada, Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) and other departments, to develop an Internet portal that will allow potential immigrants and newcomers to prepare for living and working in Canada.
CIC is also working with HRDC on the recognition of foreign credentials, accreditation and immigrant loan programs, and with the provinces and territories on pilots to encourage people to move to areas where there are fewer newcomers. In addition, a strategic framework for Francophone minority language communities will be launched later this year.
"I want to thank the committee members for their valuable recommendations," said Minister Coderre. "Several new activities are already under way to help newcomers access the services they need, but we are always exploring with our partners and stakeholders additional means to ensure the full integration of newcomers into Canadian society."
The government's response to the standing committee's report is available on the CIC Web site at http://www.cic.gc.ca
