Ottawa, April 12, 2012 — The Government of Canada is moving to strengthen national responsibility for the delivery of settlement services across Canada, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.
This change means that the Government of Canada is resuming the management of federally funded settlement programs in British Columbia and Manitoba, bringing these programs in line with every other province and territory outside Quebec.
“Our government is not only committed to ensuring that each region of Canada receives a fair share of funding, but also that immigrants have access to a more consistent level of services regardless of where they choose to settle in Canada,” said Minister Kenney.
The agreements with British Columbia and Manitoba were signed at a time when the federal government was reducing its investment in settlement services. However, since 2005–2006, the Government of Canada has tripled its investment in settlement services outside of Quebec, increasing them by three times in British Columbia and four times in Manitoba.
In keeping with the terms of each existing agreement, the change will happen in one year’s time in Manitoba and in two years’ time in British Columbia. The transition will ensure that services being provided to newcomers continue without disruption.
This change will not affect a single cent of basic settlement funding for either province. In fact, settlement funding for newcomers in British Columbia and Manitoba will increase significantly in 2012–2013 compared to the previous year. Increases in funding have allowed for a tremendous expansion in the availability and range of settlement services in both provinces.
Newcomers in both provinces will continue to receive access to language training and other settlement services they need to successfully integrate into Canada’s economy.
“The vast majority of Canadians agree that integration programs for newcomers are an essential part of nation building. While we look forward to working closely with the provinces in delivering these programs, we believe it is important to avoid the development of a patchwork approach to the important work of settling new Canadians,” said the Minister.
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For further information (media only), please contact:
Ana Curic
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
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