News Release - Promote Francophone immigration: CIC renews Steering Committee’s mandate

OTTAWA, April 2, 2004 — Judy Sgro, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced the renewal of the Citizenship and Immigration Canada-Francophone Minority Communities Steering Committee’s mandate for a two-year period, from April 2004 to March 2006.

“We have made great strides in recent years to enhance the vitality of Francophone minority communities,” said Minister Sgro. “In order to continue in this direction, the Steering Committee’s mandate must be renewed so that it can finish developing concrete action plans that encourage Francophones to immigrate and settle in Francophone minority communities in Canada.”

The Steering Committee was created in March 2002 with a mandate to facilitate the recruitment, selection, reception and integration of newcomers into Francophone minority communities, in partnership with various community, government and private sector stakeholders. In November 2003, the Steering Committee announced a strategic framework to enable Francophone minority communities to receive and integrate newcomers. The Committee is currently developing action plans that will be made public in 2004, and that will help meet the objectives set out in the strategic framework.

Together, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, federal and provincial departments, and Francophone minority communities have set up certain initiatives, including:

• a tour of South America and Eastern Europe to encourage potential immigrants to come to Francophone minority communities;
• information on the CIC website to promote Francophone minority communities and to facilitate the integration of immigrants into these communities; and
• a pamphlet to support efforts to recruit Canadian Francophone volunteers in order to help refugees better adapt to their new lives in Canada.

The Steering Committee is co-chaired by Marc Arnal, an educator, and Diane Vincent, Associate Deputy Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. The size of the committee will be increased in order to include new members from the community and to allow interested government partners to become full fledged members.

The report entitled Strategic Framework to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities is available on the CIC website at www.cic.gc.ca

For more information:

Simone Mac Andrew
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister
(613) 954-1064

Paul Giroux
Media Relations
Communications Branch
(613) 941-7042

Backgrounder:

• Members of Citizenship and Immigration Canada – Francophone Minority Communities Steering Committee

Report:

• Strategic Framework to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities