News Release - The Government of Canada invests in Saskatoon to help newcomers settle and integrate

Saskatoon, March 28, 2008 — Parliamentary Secretary Ed Komarnicki, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced funding to help Saskatoon promote and coordinate early settlement and integration support for immigrants and refugees moving to the city.

Funding of $74,000 will support the development of mutual awareness, understanding and appreciation among racial, religious and ethnocultural groups. The funding will also help provide newcomers with meaningful employment and entrepreneurial opportunities; coordinate and promote existing services for newcomers; and help newcomers integrate into the community.

“The Government of Canada is committed to helping newcomers succeed in Canada,” said Mr. Komarnicki. “This funding will help make Saskatoon a destination of choice by supporting the city’s efforts to create a more welcoming community.”

The City of Saskatoon is striving to provide significant recognition for this important issue by providing an expanded opportunity for public awareness and community participation. This funding will also help meet the recommendations of the report entitled Building Saskatoon to Become a Global City: A Framework for an Immigration Plan. This report provides the City of Saskatoon with a framework for developing and implementing an immigration action plan. It also provides guidance on what the city can do on its own and what it needs to do in partnership with other governments and stakeholders.

Settlement services are an essential part of the federal government’s immigration program. Since 2006, the Government of Canada has begun investing an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding to provinces and territories outside of Quebec, which receives annual funding through a separate agreement. For 2008–09, Saskatchewan will be receiving more than $5.5 million in basic settlement funding, an increase of more than $1.5 million over the previous year.

Newcomers can also look to the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), which helps 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 the country offering in-person services to newcomers.

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-providing organizations and include the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program, which provides orientation, referral and paraprofessional counselling services; Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada, which provides basic language training for 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 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

Ann Lawler
Director, Communications
Prairies and Northern Territories Region
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
204-984-7814