News Release - Government of Canada announces new funding for research on immigration and diversity

Ottawa, January 7, 2008 — The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and Dr. Chad Gaffield, President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), today announced funding of $7.5 million over five years for the national Metropolis Project for research on globalization, migration and diversity.

The funding includes $3.1 million from SSHRC and $4.4 million from a consortium of federal departments and agencies led by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). The Metropolis Project was established in 1995 as an SSHRC and CIC joint initiative and has grown into a unique partnership of policy makers, researchers and practitioners that is both national and international in scope.

“The successful integration of immigrants is crucial to Canada’s social and economic well-being,” said Minister Finley. “We have much to gain from exploring the effects of migration on the strength of our economy, the security of our nation, and the relationships between different cultures living side by side within our borders.”

“The Metropolis Project is addressing urgent societal issues as we attempt to build a more inclusive society and to understand the connections between immigration and globalization. Metropolis also provides invaluable training for students who assist in this research, thus building future capacity,” said Dr. Gaffield. “This effort clearly shows the benefits of investing in knowledge and talent, as set out in the Government of Canada’s new Science and Technology Strategy.”

The funding will ensure the continued operation of five regional research centres based in Halifax/Moncton, Montreal, Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver. The centres bring together universities, governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector to form one of the largest networks of policy makers and scholars in the world in the field of migration and diversity.

Since 1995, the national Metropolis Project has supported research, public policy development and knowledge mobilization on migration, diversity and immigrant integration in cities in Canada and around the world.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Riley Denver
Communications Advisor
Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
613-947-4629

Media Relations Unit
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Backgrounder

• New funding for research on immigration and diversity