News Release - Minister Finley celebrates Chinese new year, announces funding for the Chinese community in Ottawa

Ottawa, February 7, 2008 — The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced funding for the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre to deliver settlement and integration services to newcomers in the community. The Minister made the announcement during an event held at the Centre.

“Our government supports the Chinese community in Canada. This funding will benefit thousands of immigrants with help finding a job and building their new lives in Canada,” said Minister Finley. “When immigrants thrive, we all benefit.”

The funding of $2 million, to be spent over two and a half years, is expected to serve more than 7,000 people with settlement services such as language training, counseling, general information and employment-related support.

“In Ottawa, we benefit from the support from Citizenship and Immigration Canada to advance our work and expand our services,” said Sharon Kan, Executive Director of the Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre. “We expect to see increasing opportunities to build innovative programs in the language and employment areas so that immigrants are able to thrive in Canadian society.”

The Ottawa Chinese Community Service Centre is a community-based organization committed to advancing the social and economic integration of newcomers in the Ottawa-Carleton Region.

Newcomers can also look to the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), which can help internationally trained individuals find the information they need to get their credentials assessed and recognized more quickly. The FCRO was established in 2007 to provide information, path-finding and referral services to help internationally-trained individuals use their skills in Canada. There are now 320 Service Canada Centres across Canada offering in-person services to newcomers.

Settlement services are part of a successful immigration program. Through the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA), the Government of Canada has increased settlement funding for Ontario by a total of $920 million over five years. Under COIA, Citizenship and Immigration Canada works with the province and immigrant-serving agencies to make a real difference in the lives of immigrants.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada funds a number of programs that help newcomers settle, adapt and integrate into Canadian society. These programs are delivered in partnership with provinces, territories and service providers and include: the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program, which generally provides orientation, referral and counseling services; the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada Program, which provides basic English and French language training to adults; and the Host Program, which helps newcomers connect with volunteers who help them access services, establish contacts in their field of work and participate in the community.

For more information on CIC’s programs, consult our website at: www.cic.gc.ca.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Tim Vail
Press Secretary
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064

Lonny Kates
Spokesperson, Media Relations
Communications Branch Ontario
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
416-954-7868