CIMM Committee Report

RECOMMENDATION 1

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should expand and enhance the Canadian Orientation Abroad Program and make it available to all classes of immigrants.

RECOMMENDATION 2

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should develop a program that would facilitate the exchange of information between visa officers overseas and settlement workers in Canada. The program should ensure that visa officers are aware of the settlement challenges in particular regions of the country and should provide information that will assist settlement agencies in planning for their future clients’ needs.

RECOMMENDATION 3

Visa officers and provincial representatives overseas should provide information to successful applicants for permanent residence so that the newcomers can contact settlement agencies and other organizations that assist immigrants in the regions in which they intend to settle. Provinces who do not have representatives overseas should be encouraged to promote themselves in this manner.

RECOMMENDATION 4

To address gaps in service, Citizenship and Immigration Canada should develop a better coordination strategy for the various federal and provincial departments involved in the provision of settlement services. Provinces without a settlement agreement with the federal government should be encouraged to pursue such an arrangement.

RECOMMENDATION 5

Overall funding for settlement programs should be augmented to reflect the increase in immigrant arrivals with a benchmark of $3,000 per newcomer being dedicated to settlement services.

RECOMMENDATION 6

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should participate in discussions with service provider organizations and the provinces to ascertain the most appropriate funding models for settlement services. In reviewing national funding formulae, Citizenship and Immigration Canada should consider a per capita model that would ensure that basic settlement services are available in all regions.

RECOMMENDATION 7

The funding of settlement services should be flexible enough to account for the needs of regions of low immigration and should ensure that the core operating costs for settlement agencies are addressed.

RECOMMENDATION 8

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should work towards multi-year funding agreements that provide stability to service providers and allow them to engage in long-term planning.

RECOMMENDATION 9

Citizenship and Immigration Canada must ensure that funds transferred to the provinces for settlement purposes are spent on specified settlement programs and that reporting requirements are in place to ensure that funds are not diverted to other provincial programs.

RECOMMENDATION 10

As a pilot project, Citizenship and Immigration Canada should contract with selected established settlement agencies to provide settlement and integration services, specifying the final outcomes and allowing the agencies significant flexibility in determining how to best serve their clientele. The results should be monitored to determine if there is an improvement in end results with less ongoing CIC administrative oversight, while maintaining overall financial accountability.

RECOMMENDATION 11

There should be greater flexibility in determining the length of time individuals are eligible for particular settlement services, with the determination of eligibility being primarily guided by the client needs assessment done by the service provider organization.

RECOMMENDATION 12

The Committee recommends that refugee claimants be eligible for settlement services that will enable them to better support themselves while awaiting determination of their claims.

RECOMMENDATION 13

The Committee recommends that live-in caregivers be eligible for settlement services.

RECOMMENDATION 14

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should ensure that higher levels of language instruction for newcomers are available throughout the country and should work towards implementing national standards.

RECOMMENDATION 15

The Committee recommends that LINC funding be provided for language training programs that are specifically geared towards finding employment.

RECOMMENDATION 16

The federal-provincial-territorial working group established to address the recognition of foreign credentials should move as quickly as possible in this endeavour.

RECOMMENDATION 17

The Committee recommends that Citizenship and Immigration Canada immediately establish an office to facilitate professional and trade assessments and accreditation for immigrants.

RECOMMENDATION 18

The Government of Canada should provide greater support and assistance to foreign-trained workers through loan and internship programs, as well as other means.

RECOMMENDATION 19

Settlement programming and client needs assessments should be sensitive to mental health issues and, in particular, the needs of refugees and other newcomers with stress-related disorders.

RECOMMENDATION 20

Citizenship and Immigration Canada must ensure that the Interim Federal Health Program addresses the mental health needs of those fleeing persecution or who are otherwise forced to leave their home country.

RECOMMENDATION 21

Funding should be provided to train local mental health professionals in the treatment of mental health issues that arise from the immigration and refugee experience, including post-traumatic stress disorder. Cultural sensitivity should be included as a component of this training.

RECOMMENDATION 22

To combat racism and xenophobia, and to promote inclusiveness and a sense of belonging, the federal government should launch a public education campaign to provide information about immigrants and refugees and their economic, social and cultural contributions to Canada. The federal government should also monitor hate crimes and prosecutions in Canada and report the findings to Parliament.

RECOMMENDATION 23

The Government of Canada should examine further incentives to encourage immigrants to settle in areas of low immigration, such as:

RECOMMENDATION 24

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should facilitate the active involvement of members of the local community in the settlement and integration process.

RECOMMENDATION 25

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should provide greater resources specifically designed to ensure that settlement services are available in the French language in areas that have been identified as having an immigrant Francophone minority.

RECOMMENDATION 26

The Committee recommends that Citizenship and Immigration Canada encourage settlement agencies to develop or augment programs directed at immigrant children and their families, and provide the necessary funding to do so.

RECOMMENDATION 27

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should work with service providers to develop settlement models that address the needs of newcomers from the initial assessment stage to full integration in Canadian society and the acquisition of citizenship.

RECOMMENDATION 28

Citizenship and Immigration Canada should conduct a review of salary and compensation packages in the settlement sector to ensure competitiveness with comparable positions in the labour market.