Backgrounder - Citizenship

Canada’s new government has announced approximately $18.8 million in funding for several provinces and territories to enhance online information to help immigrants succeed with their new life in Canada.

Funding will be allocated annually until 2010.

The funding will go towards developing online content, tools and services that will promote provinces and territories as a destination and help immigrants succeed once they arrive, both socially and economically. The online information could include information about health care, education, job markets, and the services, opportunities and lifestyle in a particular city, for example.

The funds can also be used for consultation and outreach. Provinces and territories may also choose to provide funding to municipalities to help enhance information at the local level.

Contribution agreements have been signed with New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Under existing federal-provincial immigration agreements, British Columbia and Manitoba will also receive funding to help them improve the provision of online information for prospective immigrants and newcomers.

Funding Agreements with Provinces and Territories

Under the new agreements, provinces and territories outside Ontario will receive a base amount of $200,000 every year, plus a variable amount each year based on the average intake of immigrants in each province and territory over the last three-year period.  For Ontario, which receives more than half of Canada’s immigrants each year, funding is based on the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement.

In line with this allocation, the total amounts over four fiscal years would be approximately as follows:

• Newfoundland and Labrador: $820,000
• Nova Scotia: $870,000
• New Brunswick: $836,000
• Ontario*: $10,000,000
• Alberta**: $1,200,000
• Northwest Territories**: $603,000
• Yukon : $800,000
• Manitoba***: $1,100,000
• British Columbia***: $2,600,000

*Ontario’s portal funding allocation is based on the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement.

**Alberta and Northwest Territories allocations are for three fiscal years instead of four because agreements were not formally reached with these jurisdictions until the beginning of the 2007/2008 fiscal year.

***British Columbia and Manitoba receive portal funding under existing federal-provincial immigration agreements.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) hopes to have multi-year agreements in place with Saskatchewan and Nunavut later this year.

All settlement funding for Quebec, including online resources, is covered under the Canada-Quebec Accord, signed in 1991.

Going to Canada Immigration Portal

The provincial and territorial portals will link to the Government of Canada’s Going to Canada Immigration Portal (www.goingtocanada.gc.ca). This portal has been developed by CIC and Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC) to offer comprehensive and integrated information to prospective and new immigrants. Its goal is to assist these individuals in preparing to live, work and study in Canada.

The creation of the Going to Canada Immigration Portal responds to concerns raised by stakeholders during consultations regarding the lack of specific and relevant information available to prospective and new immigrants to assist them in integrating into Canada’s communities and labour market.

Research conducted abroad revealed that the Internet is the primary source of information for Canada’s international target audiences. Participants from a range of countries including India, United States, Japan and Australia noted that the Internet is the first and most frequent source of information, regardless of the reason for seeking information on Canada.

Partnerships are key to the portal’s success. Accordingly, CIC has encouraged provinces and territories to develop complementary immigration, settlement, employment, skills and learning information for their respective websites. Both CIC and HRSDC will work with non-governmental immigration stakeholders on the portal to ensure that it continues to be relevant and that it meets the needs of diverse client groups.