ARCHIVED – Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2005

This Web page has been archived on the Web

Message from the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

I am pleased to present the 2005 edition of my department’s Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration.

For almost a century and a half, immigration has been an engine for the economic and social development of our country. Since 1967, the employees of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC)—whether they worked in this country or in our offices abroad—have played a crucial role in welcoming newcomers to join our work force and participate as community leaders. Each year unveils new programs and activities—as well as successes and areas for improvement—and 2004 was one of the most demanding our department has ever seen.

The year under review was characterized in large part by organizational renewal and an increasingly challenging mandate, one tailored toward making ours an ever more accommodating host nation for the talent we need. We take pride in the fact that our department met its immigration target for the fifth year in a row: Canada became home to 235,824 new permanent residents in 2004. CIC facilitated 2,000 international adoptions, and reunited 6,000 spouses and children of Convention refugees with their families in Canada (a 50% increase over 2003).

The number of provincial/territorial nominees rose by 41% in 2004, a tangible result of our joint efforts with various partners to spread more widely the benefits of immigration across the country. As well, 179,501 permanent residents took the oath of citizenship, celebrating this important milestone toward full participation in Canadian civil society.

We also took time to observe an important milestone in the nation’s immigration history: the 25th anniversary of CIC’s Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program, which enjoys worldwide renown for increasing Canada’s capacity to offer protection and for its track record in offering settlement assistance to refugees during their initial period of integration into community life.

The Department continued to strengthen its partnerships with other federal bodies and with the provinces and territories in such matters as language training, labour market integration, and opportunities for international students to study and work. We also furthered our commitment to cooperate with global agencies involved in migration, family reunification, migrant health, and the integrity of the refugee determination system.

The year concluded with an undertaking that involved almost every division of CIC in Canada and our missions in South Asia. When the tsunami struck, CIC mobilized the first stage of disaster relief within hours. Many employees offered up Christmas holiday time to expedite applications from homeless tsunami victims seeking to join relatives here, and emergency operations lasted well into 2005. I have never witnessed such a widespread mission of hope in the wake of tragedy. CIC staff truly reflects the “human face” of public service.

Building on the commitment of the men and women who work for CIC and the Department’s achievements to date, I am confident we can realize even more. The government has a vision for our country and the role CIC can play in supporting the vision—one that sees us grow as a nation and expand our capacity to welcome newcomers. Our continued economic prosperity depends on it; enhancing our unique model of multiculturalism and diversity is central to it; and our ability to be engaged global citizens is supported by it.

To succeed, we must make the system work better; it is not enough to have people come to our country. Equally important, we need them to be successful once they are here to ensure that both immigrants and Canada fully benefit from the skills and talents newcomers bring.

A first step in moving forward is to have more effective, long-term planning to set the direction for the future while providing the Department with the time to make the necessary adjustments to get there. In partnership with provinces, territories and stakeholders, we will take steps to achieve this nation-building vision. We will work together to better identify the nation’s human resource needs, attract immigrants, promote Canada as a destination of choice, and ensure the systems and supports are in place to welcome and successfully integrate newcomers.

Let the nations of the world hear our call—while Wilfrid Laurier said the 20th century would belong to Canada, we now extend that promise to this 21st century. We are building a stronger Canada, and I dedicate the launch of this Annual Report to my employees at the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, at home and overseas. I thank them for their efforts during the past year and I am proud to be their Minister.

This year will test us again, but we will be stronger for the effort.

The Honourable Joe Volpe, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

<< Contents | Next >>