Details on Transfer Payment Programs of $5 Million or More

Settlement Program

General information

• Name of transfer payment program: Settlement Program: Voted
• Start date: May 15, 2008
• End date: Ongoing
• Type of transfer payment: Grants and Contributions
• Type of appropriation: The program is appropriated annually through Government of Canada Estimates.
• Fiscal year for terms and conditions: 2018–19
• Link to department’s Program Inventory: Settlement

Description

Settlement refers to a period of settlement and adaptation by newcomers during which the government provides support and services. Services are provided until newcomers become Canadian citizens. Ultimately, the goal of integration is for newcomers to be fully engaged in Canada’s economic, social, political and cultural life. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Settlement Program assists immigrants and refugees to overcome barriers specific to the newcomer experience. The program provides assessments of needs and referrals, information and orientation, language training services, employment-related services, community connections and support services that facilitate access to settlement programming. Most services are delivered by service provider organizations (SPOs) funded by IRCC; however, certain services are delivered directly by the Department in Canada and overseas. At the same time, IRCC works with mainstream organizations, municipalities, employer associations and Francophone organizations to involve them in the provision of other services to newcomers and ensure that both Canadians and newcomers are engaged.

Expected results

The Settlement Program’s ultimate outcome is:

• Successfully integrated and settled clients benefit Canada.

Intermediate results of the Settlement Program include:

• Clients access services that meet their needs;
• Clients make informed decisions about life in Canada;
• Clients use official languages to function in Canadian society;
• Clients participate in the Canadian labour market;
• Clients are connected to broader communities and institutions; and
• Communities foster a welcoming environment for immigrants.

Immediate results of the Settlement Program include:

• Settlement program delivery is consistent and responsive;
• Access to IRCC-funded services is facilitated;
• Increased understanding of client settlement needs and appropriate linkages to other services;
• Clients increase knowledge of life in Canada;
• Clients improve official language skills;
• Clients acquire knowledge, skills and connections to prepare for the Canadian labour market;
• Clients increase participation in communities and social networks; and
• Partners deliver responsive and coordinated settlement and community services.

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

2017–18

Decision following the results of last evaluation

The completion of Management Response and Action Plan items is required to conduct a self-assessment and report on the status of the items’ implementation. The results are assessed and reported to senior IRCC officials, citing any recommendations that are delayed or at risk of delay in being addressed.

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation

2021–22 (timing of next evaluation is subject to change given the implementation of the Policy on Results)

General targeted recipient groups

To fulfil IRCC’s objective of promoting the successful integration of permanent residents into Canada, grant and contribution agreements may be signed with the following eligible recipients for settlement services:

• provincial, territorial or municipal governments;
• international organizations;
• not-for-profit organizations including non-governmental organizations, non-profit corporations, community groups, umbrella organizations, regulatory bodies and apprenticeship authorities;
• businesses, including those that provide indirect services (such as employers hiring newcomers, private language schools, conference organizers, Web or production firms for tool development);
• educational institutions (including school boards, districts and divisions); and
• individuals.

Restrictions:

• Unless specifically allowed in the grant and contribution agreement, no user fees can be charged to clients for services funded by IRCC.
• For-profit organizations may be eligible for funding provided that the nature and the intent of the activity is non-commercial, not intended to generate profit, and supports program priorities and objectives.

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

Ongoing consultations with provinces, territories, municipalities, service providers and umbrella organizations are conducted to gather their input for settlement program priority-setting activities.

Ongoing communications continue with the National Settlement Council, whose membership includes provincial and territorial governments, settlement service providers, umbrella organizations that represent SPO interests, and other settlement stakeholders. The Newcomer Language Advisory Body is also engaged in ongoing communications.

The Department uses an open and fair Call for Proposals process as its main approach for engaging applicants. The next Call for Proposals (CFP) process will be launched in early 2019 to solicit proposals for new grants and contribution agreements. The process will include assessing new proposals, recommending the proposals for approval and negotiating the new grant and contribution agreements to be in place by April 1, 2020.

An Expression of Interest (EOI) process was undertaken to seek service delivery improvement proposals, which resulted in a number of agreements being put in place. The EOI is a two-stage process intended to minimize the time and effort required to submit a proposal. In Stage 1, preliminary information is submitted via a Letter of Interest. Only applicants whose Stage 1 submissions pass the assessment will be invited to submit a full detailed proposal. Further EOI processes may be used to solicit interest for priority funding areas and experimental approaches.

Canada-Quebec Accord Grant/Subvention versée en vertu de l’Accord Canada-Québec

General information

• Name of transfer payment program: Canada-Québec Accord Grant/Subvention versée en vertu de l’Accord Canada-Québec: Voted
• Start date: Financial compensation to the province (in the form of a grant) is based on the Canada-Québec Accord relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens, which came into force on April 1, 1991.
• End date: The Accord does not have an expiry date.
• Type of transfer payment: Grant
• Type of appropriation: The program is appropriated annually through Government of Canada Estimates.
• Fiscal year for terms and conditions: Ongoing
• Link to department’s Program Inventory: Settlement

Description

Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, signed in 1991, Canada has devolved settlement and resettlement responsibility to Quebec, with a grant that includes reasonable compensation for costs. The grant to Quebec covers reception services and linguistic, cultural and economic integration services, provided that they are comparable to federally funded services in other parts of the country. One objective of the Accord is the preservation of Quebec’s demographic importance within Canada and the integration of immigrants into that province in a manner that respects the distinct identity of Quebec. The Accord provides Quebec with exclusive responsibility for the selection of immigrants destined to the province (except for family reunification and protected persons in Canada) as well as the reception and linguistic and cultural integration of these immigrants (including resettlement of refugees). Under the Accord, Canada is responsible for defining overall immigration objectives, national levels, admissibility, selecting family category and protected persons in Canada, and citizenship. This program uses transfer payment funding from the grant for the Canada-Quebec Accord on Immigration.

Activities: Quebec has responsibility for the selection of immigrants and their reception to and integration into the province. In accordance with section 26 and Annex B of the Canada-Quebec Accord, Canada is required to pay a compensation to Quebec for reception and integration services, where it is established that:

• the reception and integration services (referred to in sections 24 and 25 of the Accord) offered by Quebec correspond, when considered in their entirety, to those offered by Canada in the rest of the country; and
• those services are offered without discrimination to any permanent resident in the province, whether or not that permanent resident has been selected by Quebec.

Expected results

The Government of Quebec is responsible for developing and publishing its own immigration legislation and policies. It reports to the provincial National Assembly on its own expected results related to immigration.

While Quebec has jurisdiction over reception and integration of immigrants destined to the province, the Accord specifies that the services covered by the grant must correspond to services offered by Canada in the rest of the country. To that end, an annual comparison of services between Canada and Quebec is carried out by the Joint Committee (Comité mixte) (Annex A, section 23(b)) to examine the suite of reception and integration services provided by both jurisdictions and to ensure that comparable services continue to be offered to newcomers across the country.

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

Previous evaluation was completed in 2012.

Decision following the results of last evaluation

The annual comparison of reception and integration services between Canada and Quebec was one of the recommendations of the Evaluation of the Grant to Quebec. As part of the management response, the decision was made to carry out the comparison annually going forward. Since 2012 there have been four comparisons of services (FY: 2013–14; 2014–15; 2015–16; 2016–17). The next evaluation is scheduled for completion in 2019–20.

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation

Evaluation of the Grant to Quebec is currently under way with expected completion in 2019–20 (timing of next evaluation is subject to change given the implementation of the Policy on Results).

General targeted recipient groups

The Government of Quebec is the only recipient of the grant.

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

IRCC and the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) meet on an annual basis, through the Joint Committee, to coordinate the implementation of Canada’s and Quebec’s policies related to their immigration and integration objectives outlined in the Accord. IRCC and MIDI also meet biannually, through the Implementation Committee (Comité d’application), to coordinate the implementation of the Accord and develop the necessary terms and conditions of operation.

Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)

General information

• Name of transfer payment program: Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP): Voted
• Start date: 1951 (as the Adjustment Assistance Program; RAP in its current form implemented in 1998)
• End date: Ongoing
• Type of transfer payment: Contribution
• Type of appropriation: The program is appropriated annually through Government of Canada Estimates.
• Fiscal year for terms and conditions: 2018–19
• Link to department’s Program Inventory: Refugee Resettlement

Description

The RAP’s primary objective is to meet the resettlement needs of clients following their arrival in Canada by providing direct financial support and funding the delivery of immediate and essential services. Eligible clients include government-assisted refugees (GARs) and certain persons in refugee-like situations admitted to Canada under a public policy consideration. The province of Quebec receives a separate funding allocation as part of the Canada-Quebec Accord to provide similar services to eligible refugees destined to that province. Income support is administered directly by IRCC and can be provided for up to 12 months if the RAP client’s income is insufficient to meet their own needs and the needs of any accompanying dependants. In most cases, RAP clients also receive start-up allowances for expenses related to furniture and other household supplies.

Immediate and essential services are delivered through contribution agreements with SPOs. RAP services include, but are not limited to port of entry services; temporary accommodation and assistance in securing permanent accommodation; assistance opening a bank account; life skills training; orientation sessions; and links to settlement programming and mandatory federal and provincial programs.

Limited services (port of entry services) are provided under the RAP to all resettled refugees, and refugees resettled under the Blended Visa Office-Referred Program may receive up to six months of RAP income support.

The RAP also funds certain in-Canada activities to support the private sponsorship of refugees (such as the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program), as well as activities overseas (for instance, with the International Organization for Migration) to support resettlement and RAP objectives.

Expected results

The RAP is an element of the overarching Refugee Resettlement Program. The immediate outcomes for the broader Refugee Resettlement Program are resettled refugees receive timely protection and their immediate and essential needs are met. The intermediate outcome is resettled refugees have the tools to live independently in Canadian society. The ultimate outcome is resettled refugees live independently in Canadian society.

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

An evaluation of the RAP, as part of the Resettlement Programs evaluation, was completed in June 2016.

Decision following the results of last evaluation

Not applicable

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation

2020–21 (timing of the next evaluation is subject to change given the implementation of the Policy on Results)

General targeted recipient groups

The RAP targets GARs and other eligible clients, including certain persons in refugee-like situations admitted under a public policy. All recipients must live outside the province of Quebec.

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

Refugee recipients undergo an intake assessment upon arrival in Canada to determine the level of support they need and the types of services they require. IRCC uses calls for proposals to award contribution agreements to SPOs.

Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP)

General information

• Name of transfer payment program: Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP)
• Start date: March 21, 2019
• End date: June 2020
• Type of transfer payment: Grants
• Type of appropriation: The program is appropriated annually through Estimates.
• Fiscal year for terms and conditions: 2019–20
• Link to department’s Program Inventory: Asylum

Description

Since 2017, Canada has experienced an increase in asylum claims, both with respect to arrivals through ports of entry and at locations that were not designated land ports of entry but where irregular migrants were intercepted crossing the border. Provinces have called for support in managing the downstream impact of asylum flows, including interim housing pressures. The Government of Canada has committed to provide funding to help alleviate the pressures provinces are facing in providing services to asylum claimants.

IHAP will contribute to honouring the government’s commitment as its main purpose will be to provide financial support to provinces and, if necessary, to municipal governments. This will address extraordinary interim housing pressures resulting from increased volumes of asylum claimants entering Canada.

It is anticipated that grants provided through the program will enable provinces and municipal governments to continue delivering effective interim housing solutions for asylum claimants, strengthen their interim housing capacities, and limit the need for the federal government to directly provide interim housing services.

Expected results

The intermediate result of the IHAP is provincial and municipal capacity to adjust to new pressures is supported through grants provided by IRCC. Indicators to measure this include:

• Number of grants provided
• Number of provinces and municipalities that receive grants
• Average grant amount, per province/municipality

The immediate result of the IHAP is funding allocations to eligible provinces and municipalities. Indicators to measure this include:

• Number of written requests received
• Number of claimants, broken down by provinces that have requested compensation

Fiscal year of last completed evaluation

Not applicable, new program

Decision following the results of last evaluation

Not applicable

Fiscal year of planned completion of next evaluation

The achievement of expected results for this submission will be tracked as part of IRCC’s ongoing departmental performance monitoring and reporting exercises. An evaluation of this initiative will be considered as part of IRCC’s annual departmental evaluation planning exercise. The timing and scope of any planned evaluation being considered for this initiative would be assessed against departmental and program risks, government and departmental priorities, and the needs of senior management and major stakeholders.

General targeted recipient groups

Provincial and municipal governments that have experienced extraordinary costs as a result of the recent influx of asylum claimants.

Initiatives to engage applicants and recipients

Following a written request by provinces (and municipalities, if necessary) demonstrating that they have incurred interim housing costs as a result of increased asylum claim volumes, departmental officials will engage applicants to assess the claim and support negotiations on the final amount and duration of the funding relief.