Details on Transfer Payment Programs of $5 Million or More
Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)
Name of transfer payment program:
Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP)
Start date:
1951 as the Adjustment Assistance Program (AAP), Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) in its current form implemented in 1998.
End date:
Ongoing
Type of transfer payment:
Contributions
Type of appropriation:
Main Estimates (Vote 10)
Fiscal year for terms and conditions:
2018–19
Link to the department’s Program Inventory:
Settlement
Description:
The Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) is available in all provinces with the exception of Quebec. The province of Quebec receives a separate funding allocation as part of the 1991 Canada-Québec Accord relating to the Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens and provides similar services to eligible refugees destined to that province.
RAP primarily supports government-assisted refugees (GARs) and other eligible clients (such as persons admitted to Canada as permanent residents under public policy) when they first arrive in Canada by providing direct financial support and funding the provision of immediate and essential services delivered by third-party service providers. This program included payment to provinces and municipalities for interim housing for asylum seekers in 2018-19.
Financial support for RAP clients is provided in the form of a one-time start-up allowance and monthly income support, which is typically provided for up to one year or until the client becomes self-sufficient, whichever occurs first. Income support levels are designed to align with prevailing basic social assistance rates in the client’s province of residence.
RAP funds service provider organizations (SPOs) in 33 communities across the country outside of Quebec to deliver immediate and essential services to GARs and other eligible clients. These services include:
- Port of entry and reception services;
- Temporary accommodation and assistance to help locate permanent accommodation;
- Needs assessment and referrals to other settlement programs and community-based services;
- Information and orientation on financial and non-financial information as well as life skills training; and
- Links to essential federal and provincial programs.
Results achieved:
The expected results for RAP include meeting the immediate and essential needs of RAP clients and ensuring that RAP services are timely, useful and accessible.
IRCC continues to meet the immediate and essential needs of RAP clients. In 2018–19, a total of 26,020 clients received RAP services (outside Quebec). In 2018, a full 73.9% of GARs who participated in IRCC’s survey of newcomers regarding their resettlement and settlement experience reported that most or all of their immediate needs were met, and 67.7% indicated that the financial support they received met most or all of their needs.
Findings of audits completed in 2018–19:
There were no audits completed in 2018–19.
An internal audit on RAP income support will be released in 2019–20.
Findings of evaluations completed in 2018–19:
There were no evaluations completed in 2018–19.
The next evaluation of RAP is planned to start in 2020–21.
Engagement of applicants and recipients in 2018–19:
RAP targets three types of recipients: (1) refugee clients, (2) service providers that provide immediate and essential services to eligible clients, and (3) service providers engaged in activities that support the Refugee Resettlement Program more broadly (for instance, funding to international organizations to facilitate the overseas processing of refugees and to the Refugee Sponsorship Training Program to support private sponsors in Canada).
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 a call for proposals to award contribution agreements to SPOs to deliver immediate and essential services to refugees and other clients. A national call for proposals launched in early 2019 will see five-year contribution agreements implemented effective April 2020.
| Type of transfer payment | 2016–17 Actual spending | 2017–18 Actual spending | 2018–19 Planned spending | 2018–19 Total authorities available for use | 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) | Variance (2018–19 actual minus 2018–19 planned) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total grants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total contributions | 156,173,024 | 95,175,437 | 84,048,842 | 245,650,602 | 115,731,047 | 31,682,205 |
| Total other types of transfer payments | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total program | 156,173,024 | 95,175,437 | 84,048,842 | 245,650,602 | 115,731,047 | 31,682,205 |
Explanation of variances
Funding in relation to the 2018 Levels Plan and the Government of Canada’s Budget 2018 initiatives, along with supplementary funding for the extraordinary costs related to the provision of temporary housing for asylum claimants, was not included in 2018–19 Planned Spending.
Incremental funding was partially offset by lapses identified in the Income Support Program stemming at year-end from lower or later landings than anticipated for GARs combined with other demographic variances such as family size and composition.
Settlement Program
Name of transfer payment program:
Settlement Program: Voted
Start date:
May 15, 2008
End date:
Ongoing
Type of transfer payment:
Contributions
Type of appropriation:
Main Estimates (Vote 10)
Fiscal year for terms and conditions:
2018–19
Link to the 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, such as a lack of official language skills, limited knowledge of Canada and the recognition of foreign credentials. The program provides language learning services for newcomers, community connections and employment-related services, settlement information, and support services that facilitate access to settlement programming. Most services are delivered by service provider organizations (SPOs) funded by IRCC, however, certain services (such as information provision) are delivered directly by IRCC 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.
Results achieved:
In 2018–19, a total of 519,490 unique clients received at least one settlement service provided by over 500 organizations funded by IRCC. Of those, 422,542 clients received information and orientation services such as information to support their settlement and developing connections in the community. Furthermore, 102,647 clients received IRCC-funded language training at various Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels. CLB levels are used to measure client progress on each of the four skills taught in language classes. In addition, 88,371 clients received community connection services and 50,901 clients received employment-related services to meet short-term needs (such as networking to support finding a job, individual employment counselling) as well as long-term needs (developing work linkages through internships or mentoring, etc.).
Findings of audits completed in 2018–19:
An audit was not completed in 2018–19.
Findings of evaluations completed in 2018–19:
An evaluation of the pre-arrival component of the Settlement Program was completed in April 2018. The evaluation found that pre-arrival services are needed and useful but that there is a lack of awareness of the services and there is room for improvement in how the program is governed.
An evaluation of the language component of the Settlement Program is currently under way and planned for completion in 2019–20.
Engagement of applicants and recipients in 2018–19:
An open and fair call for proposals process, to establish contribution agreements with service providers to deliver on IRCC programming priorities, is the principal approach the Department uses to engage applicants. A national call for proposals was put on hold in 2015 due to the government’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis. Initial results from the 2015 call for proposals were reassessed in May 2016 to take into consideration the unique demographic of the Syrian refugee population and to respond to emerging priorities. New contribution agreements were negotiated for the reassessed proposals, and projects were implemented starting in April 2017. The majority of these agreements are set to expire in 2019–20. A new call for proposals process is under way to fund a new set of agreements that will begin in April 2020.
The Department also used a streamlined expression of interest process to solicit proposals for several initiatives: the Government of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–23, Service Delivery Improvement, Francophone Port of Entry Services at Pearson International Airport, Pre-Arrival Services, and Francophone Settlement Services in Northern and Central Alberta. These proposal intakes allowed the Department to address governmental priorities and emerging needs through smaller targeted processes.
Communication continued with the National Settlement Council with two meetings held in 2018–19 that focused on priorities for the 2019 call for proposals, the new pre-arrival service model, programming to support visible minority newcomer women, and the renewal of the Welcome to Canada guide. The National Settlement Council membership includes provincial and territorial governments, settlement SPOs, umbrella organizations that represent SPOs’ interests and other settlement stakeholders.
The terms and conditions for the Settlement Program describe eligible recipients of contribution funding. Eligible recipients (often referred to as service providers) for settlement services include:
- provincial, territorial or municipal governments;
- international organizations (providing pre-arrival settlement services);
- not-for-profit organizations including non-governmental organizations, non-profit corporations, community groups and umbrella organizations, and regulatory 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.
| Type of transfer payment | 2016–17 Actual spending | 2017–18 Actual spending | 2018–19 Planned spending | 2018–19 Total authorities available for use | 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) | Variance (2018–19 actual minus 2018–19 planned) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total grants | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total contributions | 649,218,270 | 714,482,559 | 770,944,559 | 777,266,109 | 758,117,359 | (12,827,199) |
| Total other types of transfer payments | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total program | 649,218,270 | 714,482,559 | 770,944,559 | 777,266,109 | 758,117,359 | (12,827,199) |
Explanation of variances
Funding in relation to the 2018 Levels Plan and the Government of Canada’s Budget 2018 initiatives was not included in 2018–19 Planned Spending.
In addition, a reprofile of funding up to 2019–20 for the Syrian Refugee Initiative was approved to ensure that successful and gradual settlement services are available to Syrian refugees.
Funds from the Settlement Program to the International Organization for Migration for payment of the annual assessed contribution for membership was internally reallocated. Settlement funding was permanently transferred to IRCC’s Migration Policy Development Program in order to meet the rising demand for Canadian expertise in international migration and refugee policy development and implementation. The unexpended balance identified at year-end is mainly due to spending or activities not materializing as planned by the service providers.
Canada-Quebec Accord Grant
Name of transfer payment program:
Canada-Quebec Accord Grant/Subvention versée en vertu de l’Accord Canada-Québec
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:
Ongoing
Type of transfer payment:
Grant
Type of appropriation:
The program uses transfer payment funding from the grant for the Canada-Quebec Accord.
Fiscal year for terms and conditions:
1991–92
Link to the 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 compensation to Quebec covers reception services and linguistic, cultural and economic integration services, provided that they are equivalent to similar federal services in other parts of the country. An objective of the Accord is, among other things, 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 asylum seekers 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 asylum seekers in Canada, and citizenship. This program uses transfer payment funding from the grant for the Canada-Quebec Accord.
Quebec has responsibility for the selection of immigrants and their reception to and integration into Quebec. In accordance with Section 26 and Annex B of the Canada-Quebec Accord, Canada is required to pay 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.
Results achieved:
The Government of Quebec is responsible for developing and publishing its own expected results related to immigration and integration, and is accountable to the provincial National Assembly with respect to spending under the grant.
Under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the Comité mixte is mandated to “study, at least once a year, reception and integration services provided by Canada and Quebec” and to “re-examine, as often as it wishes but no less than once a year, the list of services set out in Annex ‘B’”. The comparison of services therefore fulfils the obligation under the Accord requiring reception and integration services offered to immigrants in Canada and Quebec to be comparable across the country.
This has been an effective tool for examining and comparing the settlement and integration services offered to immigrants in Canada and Quebec, as mandated by the Accord. Given the consistent similarity between services offered in Quebec and in Canada compared to the previous year, at the November 2017 Comité mixte meeting, the assistant deputy minister co-chairs advised changing the frequency of the comparative study to every two years, with the next one to be tabled in fall 2019.
The IRCC-Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) working group will prepare a status update on the comparative study for the next Comité mixte annual meeting in 2019.
Findings of audits completed in 2018–19:
An audit was not completed this year.
Findings of evaluations completed in 2018–19:
An evaluation of the grant to Quebec is scheduled to be completed in 2019–20.
Engagement of applicants and recipients in 2018–19:
To fulfil the obligations under the Accord, the Comité mixte, co-chaired by assistant deputy ministers of IRCC and Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion, convenes an annual face-to-face meeting. The Comité has an overall mandate to promote harmonization of immigration and integration objectives and coordinate policies between the two levels of government. More specifically in the area of integration services, the Comité mixte ensures that reception and integration services offered by Canada and Quebec are comparable. The assistant deputy ministers approve the scope, key areas of examination and schedule for the comparison and the Comité mixte delegates the development of the comparison to the director-level joint working group.
| Type of transfer payment | 2016–17 Actual spending | 2017–18 Actual spending | 2018–19 Planned spending | 2018–19 Total authorities available for use | 2018–19 Actual spending (authorities used) | Variance (2018–19 actual minus 2018–19 planned) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total grants | 378,213,000 | 490,253,000 | 490,253,000 | 559,449,000 | 559,449,000 | 69,196,000 |
| Total contributions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total other types of transfer payments | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total program | 378,213,000 | 490,253,000 | 490,253,000 | 559,449,000 | 559,449,000 | 69,196,000 |
Explanation of variances
Actual spending was higher than planned due to adjustment in the final payment. The final payment is based on a formula established in the Canada-Quebec Accord.
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