ARCHIVED – Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2007

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Section 5
Integrating Newcomers

The successful settlement and integration of new immigrants is an important objective under IRPA. In order to maximize the economic, social and cultural benefits of immigration, newcomers should be enabled to fully participate in Canadian society and have access to the same quality of life that Canadians enjoy.

Settlement Services for Newcomers

Each year, newcomers receive settlement services and programs to help facilitate their successful integration into Canada. CIC’s core settlement programming consists of the Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP), Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) and the Host Program. In all three programs, services are delivered by service providers such as community-based organizations through formal contribution agreements with CIC.

Through federal-provincial agreements, British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec assume direct responsibility for the design, administration and delivery of settlement programs and services to newcomers who settle in these provinces.

Several important initiatives were started in 2006. A prime example is the Government’s commitment to increase immigration settlement funding by $307 million over two years, announced in May 2006. Budget 2007 confirmed funding from Budget 2006 and announced funding for the remaining three years for a total of $1.3 billion over five years and $342 million per year ongoing. With this funding, CIC expects to enhance current settlement programs to help newcomers overcome the barriers and challenges faced during the settlement process. In addition to enhancing current programs, a part of the new funding was used for client-centred pilot initiatives across the country as one aspect of the development of a new approach to settlement programming.

Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program

The objective of ISAP is to help newcomers settle and integrate into Canadian society so that they can participate in Canadian life as soon as possible. This program funds the delivery of services, such as providing general information on life in Canada, translation and interpretation, referral to community resources, solution-focused counselling, and basic employment-related services. ISAP also provides funding to SPOs to undertake “service-bridging” activities with other community organizations, and special projects aimed at complementing and improving the delivery of settlement services.

ISAP services include the Canadian Orientation Abroad (COA) Initiative. COA is aimed at orienting future newcomers to life in Canada before their arrival. Different COA modules are designed to meet the needs of a diverse clientele. Topics include an introduction to Canada, the settling-in period, employment and education, rights and responsibilities, climate, finding a place to live, living in a multicultural society, the cost of living, family life, communications, and adapting to life in Canada. During 2006–2007, 13,831 people received COA training in approximately 24 countries overseas.

Along with COA, CIC’s strategy for the development and delivery of settlement information includes print publications, the Going to Canada Immigration Portal and a video called Canada Day to Day.

Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada

The LINC Program provides basic language training to adult newcomers in one of Canada’s official languages. Aimed at facilitating social, cultural and economic integration into Canada, LINC courses are provided, either on a full- or part-time basis, through school boards, colleges, community organizations, workplaces or community settings. The program also provides information that helps acquaint participants with the Canadian way of life.

CIC is committed to focusing on the French delivery of its program in order to raise the current level of service. In 2005–2006, CIC funded the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks to perform a review of the lexical semantics and syntax of the French version of the Canadian Language Benchmarks (Standards linguistiques canadiens 2002). The new document, entitled Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens 2006, was validated in 2006–2007.

Host Program

The Host Program is a volunteer-based program whereby newcomers are matched with Canadian volunteers who help them learn about available services in their community, practise their English or French, participate in community activities, understand the Canadian labour market, and find job contacts in their field. By connecting newcomers to Canadians, the program promotes inclusion and diversity, improves cross-cultural understanding, and helps reduce racial stereotyping. Over 4,988 clients received Host-related services in 2006.

Special Initiatives to Facilitate Integration into the Labour Market

Canada welcomes thousands of skilled immigrants every year who want to contribute to the country’s need for skilled workers. However, many newcomers are finding it challenging to enter the labour market due to issues such as the lack of recognition of foreign credentials and experience, and difficulties associated with language and literacy skills in one of the official languages.

HRSDC, working in close collaboration with CIC, led extensive interdepartmental and intergovernmental stakeholder consultations to develop the mandate, activities and governance structures for the creation of the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), which was announced as part of Budget 2007. Launched in May 2007, the FCRO is a new federal office located within CIC to help internationally trained individuals find the information and access the path-finding and referral services they need to put their skills to work when they arrive in Canada. The FCRO is also working closely with partners across jurisdictions and with employers and other stakeholders to strengthen foreign credential assessment and recognition processes in Canada.

The Enhanced Language Training (ELT) Initiative benefits newcomers and employers and has shown that it can facilitate the integration of newcomers into the Canadian labour market. The initiative has helped immigrants improve their language, pronunciation and workplace skills, as well as improve their self-confidence through a variety of bridge-to-work activities and services. Many employers have participated by providing mentors or opportunities for job placements; in return, many have benefited by successfully recruiting newcomers into their enterprise.

The Second National ELT Conference was held in November 2006, bringing together provincial and territorial representatives and service providers involved in delivering advanced language training to skilled newcomers in all jurisdictions (except Nunavut and the Northwest Territories), to share lessons learned and promising practices.

Also in 2006, the management and monitoring of ELT contribution agreements with service provider agencies was decentralized to further integrate the delivery of settlement and integration services in communities across Canada, and to provide ongoing local support to these service provider agencies.

Three years after the launch of ELT, over 246 projects are completed or underway, providing services to an estimated 9,000 skilled newcomers. Based on the data collected by SPOs, findings confirm that, on balance, ELT is reaching its target audience of skilled newcomers. And, most importantly, services are being provided that help these newcomers improve their language skills, become more familiar with the Canadian workplace and make contacts in their professional field.

The ELT Initiative has been undergoing its formative evaluation, and the evaluation report is expected in the fall of 2007.

The Going to Canada Immigration Portal, developed by CIC and HRSDC, offers comprehensive and integrated information to prospective and new immigrants to assist them in preparing to live, work and study in Canada. Work continues on the development of portal tools and content, and agreements have been put in place with provinces and territories.

Immigrants for Francophone Minority Communities

In the past year, CIC has made significant progress toward enhancing the vitality of Francophone minority communities (FMCs). To help achieve this objective, the Department works with partners to promote Francophone immigration and integration into Canadian communities outside of Quebec.

In 2006, the CIC-FMCs Steering Committee, co-chaired by CIC and a representative of the FMCs, launched its Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities. The plan will be carried out by the Implementation Committee, formed in January 2007, as well as by a variety of regional committees made up of representatives from various levels of government and FMC members. The Steering Committee’s mandate was also renewed for five years in 2007.

Activities that support FMCs take place both in Canada and in targeted French-speaking areas abroad. CIC undertakes numerous awareness-raising sessions and communications activities, providing potential French-speaking immigrants with relevant, up-to-date information. Examples of such activities include Destination Canada, held in Paris, Nice and Brussels; Promotion Canada, held in Rabat; and student promotion fairs in Tunis. CIC and the provinces have also worked with the Canadian education and employment sectors to target students and potential immigrants.

CIC has also supported activities for the referral of French-speaking refugees to Canada. A particularly successful project involved the referral of 149 refugees from East Africa’s Great Lakes region. These refugees will be arriving in Canada sometime this year. CIC also supports projects that build awareness and the capacity of FMCs to receive and welcome refugees.

To promote the integration of French-speaking newcomers into Canadian society, CIC has funded numerous projects through support to the provinces and territories, and through direct support to service providers. Such projects develop awareness and capacity in FMCs, and provide tools and support for French-speaking immigrants. For example, through CIC’s ELT Initiative, educational institutions in Ontario received funding to provide targeted labour market language training for French-speaking immigrants. Tools and services have also been developed to meet the specific needs of women and youth in FMCs.

In light of CIC’s mandate, awareness of the importance of linguistic duality and of FMC priorities is an integral part of the Department’s work. Events, discussions and publications continue to promote understanding throughout the Department. CIC is also incorporating the FMC perspective into many of its policy, program and reporting structures. For example, the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities provided a modified definition of French-speaking immigrants. This definition is intended to ensure that French-speaking immigrants who settle outside Quebec can integrate and contribute to the growth of FMCs. It makes attainment of the objective of increasing immigration to FMCs a more ambitious goal, but also a more significant one, and CIC will explore new ways to achieve it. CIC also continues to include linguistic clauses in all new and renewed federal-provincial/territorial agreements.

In many ways, CIC has led by example with respect to enhancing the vitality of FMCs and supporting linguistic duality. Under the amended Official Languages Act, [note 1] federal institutions now have the enforceable obligation to take “positive measures” to implement the Government’s commitment outlined in Part VII of the Act. In the 2006–2007 Annual Report of the Commissioner of Official Languages, CIC received an exemplary rating and was showcased as a success story for taking “positive measures.”

Canadian Citizenship

Obtaining citizenship is a significant step in the integration process for newcomers because it signifies full participation in Canadian life. In 2006, Canadian citizenship was granted to 259,802 individuals.

Immigrants to Canada with permanent residence status have a qualified right to apply for citizenship once they have lived here for three years. With high immigration levels from 2000 to 2006 – more than 225,000 per year – the number of people applying for citizenship has increased. Over the past couple of years, there has been an increase in the number of long-term permanent residents who have decided to apply for citizenship because of such factors as the need for a permanent resident card, the imposition by the U.S. of visa and border screening mechanisms for many of Canada’s permanent residents, and policy changes in some countries allowing their citizens to hold multiple nationalities.

With the increased demand for Canadian passports and the media attention given to citizenship, the CIC Web site has been updated to provide more information to persons who have concerns about their citizenship status. Publications are being created or updated to address these concerns. CIC has collaborated with Service Canada, Passport Canada and DFAIT in order to update partner Web sites.

Bill C-14, An Act to Amend the Citizenship Act (adoption), received Royal Assent in June 2007. It will allow a foreign-born child adopted by a Canadian citizen after February 14, 1977 to access citizenship without first having to become a permanent resident. CIC supported Bill C-14 through the House of Commons and is taking steps to prepare for implementation, including conducting consultations with the provinces and stakeholders on the proposed content of regulations.

More recently, operational policy and procedures were implemented following the Minister’s announcement in January 2007 to identify and facilitate applications for citizenship for individuals who have been residing most of their lives in Canada and had a reasonable but mistaken belief they were Canadian citizens. A Citizenship Fees Remission Order was approved in March 2007, providing the authority to remit citizenship fees for these individuals who are under consideration for, or granted, citizenship under section 5(4) of the Citizenship Act and who meet certain conditions provided in the Remission Order.

In addition, in March 2007, following a pilot launched in December 2006, CIC joined phase one of the RCMP Real Time Identification project, which allows for the transmission of electronic fingerprints. This will reduce processing times for citizenship applicants who are required to submit fingerprints.

Promotional Activities

Citizenship promotion activities are an important instrument for the continued integration of newcomers and new citizens into Canadian society. Several initiatives were started in 2006 in support of this objective. For example, CIC launched the Enhanced Citizenship Ceremonies Initiative in order to make ceremonies more meaningful and interactive for new and established Canadians, and to encourage community participation. Some of the activities implemented as part of this initiative include holding receptions after most ceremonies, encouraging candidates for citizenship to share their story during the ceremony, inviting members of the community to ceremonies held in CIC offices and not just to ceremonies held off site, and increasing the number of established Canadians who reaffirm their citizenship at ceremonies. A total of 2,999 citizenship ceremonies took place in 2006–2007.

Special events at the national level include the National 4-H Citizenship Seminar, held in partnership with the Canadian 4-H Council; the Rotary Club of Ottawa Adventure in Citizenship, held in partnership with the Rotary Club of Ottawa; special ceremonies held across the country on Canada Day and during Veterans’ Week; and a Sunset Ceremony, held in partnership with the RCMP. Canada’s Citizenship Week, which takes place in the third week of October, provides an opportunity for all Canadians to reflect on the value of citizenship, the meaning of being Canadian, and the rights, privileges and responsibilities of citizenship.

In 2006, planning and organizing continued for the 60th anniversary of the Canadian citizenship campaign, which was launched during a special citizenship ceremony at the Supreme Court of Canada on February 16, 2007. Seventeen families from across the country participated. This ceremony was broadcast live on national television and created a lot of interest in citizenship. Thirty youth reaffirmed their commitment to Canada during this ceremony, and the Governor General of Canada administered the oath of citizenship. The 60th anniversary campaign launched new promotional materials including a pin, logo, banners, ceremony program covers and other promotional products.

Canada’s Action Plan Against Racism

A key challenge in ensuring effective integration involves reaching out to community partners and engaging a broad spectrum of Canadians in facilitating the integration of newcomers. CIC is an active participant in A Canada for All: Canada’s Action Plan Against Racism. Led by the Department of Canadian Heritage, this plan provides an overarching approach across federal departments and agencies to build a society free from racism, and a partnership between governments and civil society. CIC’s contribution to this multi-departmental endeavor is the Welcoming Communities Initiative (WCI). The WCI supports a range of anti-racism activities intended to foster more inclusive and welcoming communities, and to promote the full participation of newcomers in Canadian society. Under the WCI, funding is allocated to provinces for anti-racism activities directed at youth and adult newcomers, their communities and community-serving organizations. Projects, therefore, will promote the empowerment of newcomers to effectively confront racism, and communities and organizations will be supported in combatting racism internally. In 2006, a national call for proposals was implemented to support national anti-racism activities over 2006–2008. As a result of this process, CIC entered into six national funding relationships, four of which represented new partnerships. Projects include:

• a tool kit for smaller centres to attract and retain newcomers to Canada, which includes ways to reduce racism and discrimination at the community level (Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria);
• discussion groups regarding the effects of internalized racism and an anti-racism tool kit designed to address internalized racism and to educate immigrant women about the laws against racist behaviour and the recourses available to help them stand up to instances of racism (Alberta Network of Immigrant Women);
• a partnership approach between the Settlement sector and the Family Resource Programs (FRP) sector to enhance family-related programming to ensure that newcomers can access programs that are respectful of cultural differences and respond to the unique needs of immigrant families; also included is the translation of parenting resources into six languages, and the development and translation of an FRP brochure (Canadian Association of Family Resource Programs);
• youth focus groups, workshops and multi-media tools to document racialized immigrant struggles and strategies related to racism and workplace conflict (Canadian Labour Congress);
• an anti-racism curriculum designed to support settlement workers and an anti-racism tool kit for newcomers designed to raise awareness of the realities of racism, highlight existing legal protection against discrimination based upon race, and identify ways to confront racism when it is encountered (National Anti-Racism Council of Canada); and
• a searchable on-line database and discussion paper on existing anti-racism resources and promising practices (Carleton University-Research Resource Division for Refugees).

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1. The Official Languages Act was amended on November 25, 2005. The amendment increases the accountability of federal institutions with respect to implementation of Part VII of the Act.

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