Canada's Minister of Immigration Announces Aid

Canada's Minister of Immigration has announced a number of programs recently, which are intended to facilitate the integration of new Canadians:

- The Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia will receive more than $1.3 million to assist up to 800 refugees with temporary accommodations, food and incidentals, orientation sessions and counselling and referral services.

- In the Yukon, new funding of over $341,000 is expected to help one hundred or more newcomers access language training programs and referrals to community resources for assistance in settling into their new communities and finding a job. At the same time, the government has announced a new initiative to attract newcomers to this Territory.

- The Government of Canada will invest more than $1.3 million in the Multicultural Association of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA). Funding will help newcomers access orientation and other services, including referrals to community resources and assistance, language training in both French and English, and help establishing contacts in their field of work.

Canada's Government Advised to Increase Immigration

A Canadian Government Committee has been advised that raising immigration targets to approximately 1% of the population, or between 300,000 and 330,000, is the best solution to reducing backlogs in the system. Current backlogs of between 240,000 to 265,000 are insufficient according to the Chinese Canadian National Council. "We cannot reduce the backlog unless we increase the immigration target range," he advised the Commons' committee. The sentiment was reinforced by Status Now, a second group present at the hearings.

Both groups were critical of the governments plans to introduce amendments to the Act and Regulations, which they feel give too much power to the Minister of Immigration. Conservative MPs attending the hearings were unreceptive to the recommendations of these groups, suggesting that their own modifications to the current system are a preferable way to reduce the backlogs and tackle shortages which exist in Canada's Labour Market.

Canadian Immigration Job Services

The province of Ontario is investing over $27 million into forty provincial programs that will help new immigrants find employment in their field of training and experience. These programs are an expansion of previous efforts by the province, and will cover numerous regions including Toronto, Ottawa, London, Hamilton, the Niagara Region, and the Kitchener-Waterloo Region.

The programs include services in the sectors of education, engineering, finance, health care, research and innovation, social work and trades. In accordance with the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, the government of Canada will contribute $8.1 million to the effort. Since 2003, Ontario has devoted over $85 million in funding to help an estimated 20,000 newcomers.

Canadian Government Funds Immigration Support Services

Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister has announced $950,000 in funding to provide new immigrants in the city of Hamilton, Ontario settlement services. These will include a variety of services, including language training, job search assistance, and help locating day-care for children.

"We want more immigrants to come to Canada and we are committed to helping immigrants begin their new lives in our country,' said the Haldimand-Norfolk MP. 'Their success is good for Hamilton and good for Canada as a whole."

Government Leaders Opposed Canadian Immigration Changes

Jack Layton, the opposition leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP), has stated that the proposed changes to Canada's immigration legislation will be opposed "every step of the way." The changes, which the Minister of Immigration is seeking to help reduce backlogs for applicants worldwide, also contain some provisions which Layton feels is contrary to Canada's history of multi-culturalism.

Layton, promising cross country consultations with community leaders, feels that the issue is significant enough to force an election. His party opposes the principle of encouraging temporary foreign workers over permanent immigrants, and will likely introduce legislation which will annul the changes sought in the present amendments.