Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities
MEETING OF THE
CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION CANADA –
FRANCOPHONE MINORITY COMMUNITIES
STEERING COMMITTEE
January 24, 2003
Sheraton Hotel
Ottawa, Ontario
Attended by:
Co-chairs:
For CIC: Rosaline Frith, Director General, Integration
For the Francophone minority communities: Marc C. Arnal
CIC Representatives:
Michel Smith, Director General, Refugees
Louise Gravel, Director General, Human Resources
Rob Vineberg, Director General, Prairies and Northwest
Territories Region
Robert Orr, Acting Director, International Region
Renald Dussault, Director General, Selection
Pierre Gaulin, Director, Ontario Settlement
Tony Marshall, Director General, Atlantic Region
Marilyn Viger, Director General, British Columbia/Yukon
Region
Community Representatives:
Renée Champagne, Ontario
Lise Ouellette, New Brunswick
Michelle Rakotonaivo, British Columbia
Léonie Tchatat, Ontario
Maxim Jean Louis, Ontario
Luketa M’Pindou, Alberta
Observers:
Carsten Quell, Representative, Office of the Commissioner
of Official Languages
Gérald Clément, Assistant Deputy Minister,
Government of Manitoba
Louise Sauvé Dubois, Program Officer, Canadian
Heritage, Multiculturalism
Michelle Hamelin, Representative, Human Resources Development
Canada
Jacqueline Frank, Representative, Government of Ontario
Edmond LaBossière, Coordinator/Facilitator, Intergovernmental
Francophone Affairs
Olivier Jacques, Strategic Operations Planning International
Region
Jean-François Hubert-Rouleau, Senior Policy Analyst,
Selection
Bill Burgers, Representative, Government of British Columbia
Mario Boisvert, Representative of New Brunswick
George Bogdan Itoafa, Representative of New Brunswick
Secretariat/Organization
Diane Côté, for the communities, Fédération
des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Roukya Abdi Aden, for the communities, Fédération
des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Micheline Doiron, Senior Adviser, Policy and Program
Development, Settlement, Integration, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Guy Routhier, Settlement Program Officer, Settlement,
Integration, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Minutes
Diane Côté, facilitator of this third working session of
the steering committee, welcomed all the committee members and invited
them to introduce themselves. A round table followed.
She then invited the two co-chairs to say a few words of welcome.
Marc Arnal, Co-chair for the communities on the committee, took the floor
and welcomed members of the steering committee to this third working session.
He pointed out that major progress had been achieved in inclusion and
awareness within Francophone communities. In support of that, he referred
to the conference on diversity and governance held in Montreal on January
23. He pointed out the action research approach the committee had chosen
to identify the issues that would allow an action plan to be developed.
He clarified that, in that regard, the consultation and co-operation phases
have been conducted in several provinces. He considered the agreements
signed with the provinces, such as Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia promising.
He also mentioned three major studies conducted in the immigration area.
He concluded by recalling the operating principles for the committee’s
meetings:
- Members are urged to work in partnership to achieve the objectives.
- Members are urged to first find solutions, then align them with regulations
and programs
- Members are urged to seek results based on reasonable, realistic and
measurable action, as stipulated in the committee’s mandate.
He wished everyone a good day of work.
Rosaline Frith, Co-chair for the government, then took the floor and
said she was very happy with the progress made since last year, despite
the complexity of the immigration issue. She explained that the issue
of financial resources is still on hold and that the department, Citizenship
and Immigration Canada, will have a better idea of the budget that could
be spent in the regions at the next meeting of the steering committee
in Edmonton in March.
She concluded by saying that the objective of this working session is
mainly, and most importantly, to proceed with the process of developing
an action plan. She explained that the action plan will be submitted jointly
by the department, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and the Francophone
and Acadian communities to Minister Denis Coderre. An activity report
will also be submitted to the Minister by the committee in April. She
emphasized the crucial involvement of the provinces on the committee and
thanked the provinces of Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and British
Columbia for their participation in the work of the steering committee.
She concluded by wishing all committee members a good working session.
There is a consensus for the adoption of the agenda.
There is a consensus for the adoption of the minutes of the September
26 and 27 meeting.
Diane Côté, then asked the regional representatives to give
a brief report on the action taken in their respective regions.
Regional Reports
Atlantic Region:
Tony Marshall, Director General, Atlantic Region, pointed out the partnership
that the province has developed with the community and the work currently
being done with the Université de Moncton and the Société
des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick (SAANB). He also reported
on the efforts made by the province to involve other federal partners,
such as the departments of Human Resources Development Canada and Canadian
Heritage. He explained that those departments were invited to take part
in a meeting in February.
Lise Ouellette, representative for the New Brunswick community, pointed
out the ever-increasing commitment of the province in the area of Francophone
immigration, a commitment that is shown, in particular, by the establishment
of a working team assigned to the Francophone immigration issue. She concluded
by stressing the importance of February’s meeting for the Francophone
communities in the province.
British Columbia
Marilyn Viger, Director General, British Columbia/Yukon Region, is pleased
with the partnership her department has established with the Francophone
community in British Columbia.
The provincial representative from British Columbia announced to committee
members the launch in April or May of a British Columbia guide for Francophone
newcomers.
Michelle Rakotanaivo, representative for the British Columbia community,
supported what was said by Marilyn Viger and emphasized the good partnership
that has been established between the province and the Francophone communities.
She added that the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
(FFCB) has assumed a leadership role in the immigration area and has designated
the immigration issue as a priority for the next fiscal period.
Prairies Region
Rob Vineberg, Director General, Prairies and Northwest Territories Region,
said that a number of activities have been undertaken in the prairies
region since the committee’s last meeting, in particular:
- In Alberta, two awareness meetings were organized in Edmonton and
Calgary for the purpose of bringing together the Francophone communities
and service and settlement suppliers to encourage them to develop common
projects.
- In Saskatchewan, a new agreement for provincial candidates, including
an official languages clause, has been signed.
- In Manitoba, the Francophone community held a one-day retreat in Winnipeg
on October 15, 2002, which enabled a number of avenues for action to
be identified, including the establishment of a Francophone reception
centre for Francophone newcomers.
Luketa M’Pindou, representative for the Alberta community, informed
committee members of the establishment of an Alberta steering sub-committee
and the development of two projects, respectively on the development of
integration tools for immigrant youth and the establishment of a Francophone
immigrant reception centre in Edmonton.
Gérald Clément, Assistant Deputy Minister, Government of
Manitoba, announced that a meeting of deputy ministers responsible for
immigration took place in December, on the topic of regionalization of
immigration.
Ontario Region
The members from Ontario announced the establishment of a regional steering
sub-committee with three representatives for the Ontario communities and
various provincial ministers. They presented a brief report on consultations
conducted in Ontario and the project concepts that emerged from the consultations.
Partners’ Reports
Diane Côté invited the other partners at the table to share
the action taken in their departments with committee members.
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL)
Carsten Quell said that the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
(OCOL) is continuing to hold awareness workshops on the issue of linguistic
duality. He added that the Commissioner of Official Languages, Dyane Adam,
has given a number of speeches on the topic. Citizenship ceremonies were
also organized throughout the country by the department of CIC and OCOL.
Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC)
Michelle Hamelin announced that the departments of Human Resources Development
Canada (HRDC) and Citizenship and Immigration Canada are currently working
in close co-operation on the issue of prior learning assessment and literacy.
Canadian Heritage - Multiculturalism
Louise Sauvé-Dubois told committee members about the awareness
activities undertaken with senior management of multiculturalism in the
department. She added that the department has been approached about a
number of projects.
Action Plan
Diane Côté then invited participants to confirm the major
strategic objectives proposed. She explained that minor changes had been
made to the objectives proposed initially in the action plan to reflect
the comments made by members for the community on the committee.
The committee members reviewed the proposed objectives and initiated
a discussion on the final wording of the strategic objectives in the action
plan.
The following objectives were proposed by committee members:
- Objective 1: To increase the number of Francophone immigrants in order
to increase the demographic strength of Francophone minority communities;
- Objective 2: To improve Francophone community reception capacity and
strengthen reception and settlement structures for Francophone newcomers;
- Objective 3: To ensure the economic integration of Francophone immigrants
in Canadian society and, in particular, in the Francophone and Acadian
communities;
- Objective 4: To ensure the social and cultural integration of Francophone
immigrants in Canadian society and, in particular, in the Francophone
and Acadian communities;
- Objective 5: To promote regionalization of Francophone immigration
outside the two large urban centres.
Committee members were invited to form five working groups to identify
measures and results for each of the strategic objectives. They were given
three hours for discussion. Diane Côté pointed out that a
media scrum would be held at 11:15 a.m. to launch the study “assessing
Francophone minority community reception capacity for newcomers (Phase
1).”
Workshop Results
Objective 1: To increase the number of Francophone immigrants in order
to increase the demographic strength of Francophone minority communities
Results
By 2008, 4% of the total number of immigrants to
Canada identify French as the language spoken at home and intend to settle
in Francophone communities
Methods
- Matching community and potential immigrants
- Programs for provincial candidates
- Carefully targetted recruitment missions, organised co-operatively
by Francophone communities, the provinces and CIC
- Targetting foreign students and temporary workers
- Promoting the idea of immigration among people who want to study or
work in Canada
- Co-operative promotion efforts
- Priority processing of the files of immigrants intending to settle
in Francophone communities
- Confirmed opportunities for permanent employment – identification
of needs among employers in the communities
- Training and integration agreement between provinces, communities
and other community partners
- Financial assistance to individuals who want to settle in Francophone
communities
- Developing information tools on official languages minority communities
Objective 2: To improve Francophone community reception capacity and
strengthen reception and settlement structures for Francophone newcomers
Results
Establishment in each province, territory and region
of a reception and settlement structure adapted to the community’s
sociodemographic reality
Methods
- Analysis in each province/territory/region of service delivery in
French and the Francophone community infrastructure
- Identification of more effective structures/mechanisms for:
- Reception in French
- Information on French reception and settlement services
- Use of / access to services in French
- Integration in the Francophone community
- Financial support for a consortium approach, where appropriate, among
participants from the Francophone community for the implementation of
the reception and integration structure/mechanism
- Evaluation after three years of progress in achieving the results
and adoption of the necessary adjustments, based on results
Objective 3: To ensure the economic integration of Francophone immigrants
in Canadian society and, in particular, in the Francophone and Acadian
communities
Results
More immigrants learn English in Francophone institutions
Increased rate of bilingualism among immigrants
Increased success rate in labour market entry among
Francophone immigrants
More foreign professionals are capable of working
in their area of specialization
More Francophone immigrants are members of professional
associations
Recognition of prior learning and experience of Francophone
immigrants authorized by Francophone institutions
Reduced labour market entry time for immigrants
Labour market participation is more representative
of the composition of Canada
Increased participation by employers in incentive
programs
Methods
- Financial support for Francophone institutions to provide language
training
- Financial support for immigrants to take language training
- Labour market training at two levels:
- International: Decentralized points of service, Web site, documents
- Domestic
- Incentives promotion of awareness among employers:
- Paid internships
- Canadian experience
- Completion of training
- Mentoring
- Skills assessment from country of origin
- Promotion of awareness among professional associations
- Support for the process of recognition of prior learning and experience
in Francophone institutions: experience, degrees
Objective 4: To ensure the social and cultural integration of Francophone
immigrants in Canadian society and, in particular, in the Francophone
and Acadian communities
Education
Results
More representative academic/instructional faculty
Participation of parents from diverse communities
in the decision-making process in various committees / associations /
school boards
Extracurricular activities reflect the composition
of the student body
The curriculum shows the cultural diversity of the
Canadian and international Francophonie
Methods
- Changing policies and practices in the recruitment, selection and
promotion of academic/instructional faculty
- Faculties of education recruit more students from immigrant communities
- Establishment of a mentoring program
- Adoption of tools and resources to increase the knowledge and abilities
of members of diverse communities to participate in various committees
/ associations / school boards
- Creation of programs for extracurricular activities
- Francophone community development plan includes a multicultural Francophone
youth component
- Associations/committees actively exert pressure at the provincial/national
level to adapt the school curriculum
Culture:
Results
Participation, consumption and programming reflect
the increasingly diverse demographic reality of Francophone communities
Methods
- Grant programs include an inclusiveness clause to increase the participation
of artists from all backgrounds
Early Childhood
Results
Daycares and early childhood programs and resources
are representative and reflect diversity
Methods
- Documentation and publication of best practices
- Promotion of Francophone daycares and early childhood programs among
Francophone immigrants
Media
Results
Adaptation of media programming and content to the multicultural reality
Methods
- Francophone community encounters with national media to raise awareness
of the existence of an underutilized audience (Francophone immigrants)
Objective 5: To promote regionalization of Francophone immigration outside
the three large urban centres
Results
Triple the number of Francophone immigrants in target
regions
Double the number of international students in Francophone
universities/colleges
At least 50 companies in each target region established
hiring programs for Francophone immigrants
At least 50 new Francophone immigrants per year employed
in each target region
Methods
- Targetting Francophone immigrants in refugee camps
- Focussing on multi-family and group immigration to facilitate retention
- Implementation of pilot projects
- Job creation partnerships in Francophone employment centres and economic
incubators
- Establishment of incentives to encourage immigrants to settle in a
region and incentives for the region’s employers
- Information tools on regions (assets, advantages, employment opportunities,
etc.)
- Attracting foreign investors to the regions and establishing a list
of critical factors that foster regionalization
Summing Up
Rosaline Frith announced that members for the community are invited to
participate in the Metropolis conference in Edmonton in March.
In conclusion, the two co-chairs thanked participants for the valuable
work they just accomplished.
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the steering committee will be held on March 23,
2003, in Edmonton.
The meeting was adjourned at 4:51 p.m.
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