Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities
MINUTES OF THE MEETING
OF THE CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION CANADA –
FRANCOPHONE MINORITY
COMMUNITIES
STEERING COMMITTEE
Held on March 26, 2004
Sheraton Hotel
Montreal, Quebec
Attended by:
Co-chairs:
For CIC: Diane Vincent
For the Francophone minority communities: Marc C. Arnal
CIC Representatives:
Rosaline Frith, Director General, Integration
Louise Gravel, Director General, Human Resources
Renald Dussault, Director General, Selection
Rick Herringer, Director, Refugee
Beverly Davis, Director General, Strategic Policy
Richard Lecours, Operations Manager, Ontario Region
Tony Marshall, Director General, Atlantic Region
Rob Vineberg, Director General, Prairies and Northwest
Territories Region
Robert Godfrey, Admission, British Columbia and Yukon
Region
Partners:
Aldean Anderson, Director, Official Language Communities
Support Bureau, Health Canada
Louise Trahan, Director, Interdepartmental Coordination,
Canadian Heritage
Michelle Hamelin, Director and Secretary General, Human
Resources Development Canada
Monique Rose, Policy Analyst, Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada
Lyne Labrèche, Privy Council Office
Nathalie Dubois, National Coordinator, Francophone Intergovernmental
Affairs
Jo-Ann Gagnon, Manager, Section 41 and Francophonie,
Industry Canada
Bogdan George Itoafa, Project Officer, Immigration, New
Brunswick
Community Representatives:
Renée Champagne, Ontario
Michelle Rakotonaivo, British Columbia
Léonie Tchatat, Ontario
Maxim Jean Louis, Ontario
Luketa M’Pindou, Alberta
Michel Chartier, Manitoba
Keith Coughland, Nova Scotia
Zain Essenghaïer, Prince Edward Island
Observers:
Barbara Leung, Representative of Alberta
Jane Veneranda, Analyst, Selection Branch
Johanne Deslauriers, Director, Selection Branch
Marc Béland, Analyst, Refugees Branch
Lyne Deschênes, Policy Analyst, Strategic Policy
Marc Wills, Policy Analyst, Strategic Policy
Suzanne Riberdy, Human Resources Development Canada
Nicky Norris, Senior Analyst, Interdepartmental Coordination,
Canadian Heritage
Yseult Friolet, Director General, Fédération
des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
Daniel Jean, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Program
Development, CIC
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
Jean Séguin, Director, Special Initiatives and
Outreach, Integration Branch
Micheline Doiron, Senior Advisor, Policy and Program
Development, Settlement Division, Integration Directorate, Citizenship
and Immigration Canada
Diane Vincent, Committee co-chair for the government, welcomed all
members of the Committee and thanked them for their participation.
Marc Arnal, Committee co-chair for the communities, also welcomed all
Committee members. He pointed to important progress milestones achieved
in recent years by Francophone and Acadian communities in terms of openness
and cultural diversity. In support of his opinion, he cited a number of
projects implemented in Alberta and Manitoba. He expressed satisfaction
with the composition of this interdepartmental/community consultation
committee. He encouraged Committee members to continue working in the
same spirit of partnership and co-operation.
1. Adoption of Agenda
Motion by Maxim Jean-Louis, community representative from Ontario
Seconded by Louise Trahan, representative of the Department of Canadian
Heritage.
The agenda was adopted unanimously.
2. Adoption of Minutes of February 9 Videoconference
Motion by Diane Vincent, Committee co-chair for the government
That the minutes of the February videoconference be adopted with the
following amendments: The following names are to be added to the list
of attendees: Michelle Hamelin, Suzanne Riberdy, Nathalie Dubois, Barbara
Leung, Rick Herringer. Joanne Lamothe, who did not attend, should be added
to the list of absent members. Under British Columbia, it should be stated
that a steering sub-committee will be struck.
3. Inventory
Rosaline Frith, representative of CIC, said that a draft of the inventory
of government programs was distributed to Committee members for the February
9 videoconference.
She added that the inventory will be continuously updated. She thanked
partners for their valuable co-operation and invited them to submit any
additional information to the Integration Branch team.
Diane Vincent, Committee co-chair for the government, underscored the
importance of the inventory for the development of national and provincial
action plans.
Marc Arnal, Committee co-chair for the communities, pointed out that
the inventory does not include all the actions taken by Francophone communities.
He urged Committee members to submit information on ongoing projects in
their respective provinces to Roukya Abdi Aden, representative of the
FCFA du Canada. He then stated that the purpose of drawing up the inventory
of government programs was to promote awareness of available resources
that could be used to support the initiatives set out in the two-year
action plans. However, priority areas that cannot be funded under existing
programs could be addressed in the five-year action plans.
4. Communities' Comments on the List of Pilot Cities
Marc Arnal, Committee co-chair for the communities, stated that the list
of cities is a start and that some other cities are emerging.
Maxim Jean-Louis, community representative from Ontario, inquired about
the criteria used for selecting the pilot cities.
Micheline Doiron, representative of CIC, told Committee members about
the three criteria used to select the cities:
- The number of immigrants that have settled there in the last three
years;
- Existence of viable Francophone communities that are prepared to receive
immigrants;
- Existence of reception capacity.
Diane Vincent, Committee co-chair for the government, stated that the
point of compiling a list of pilot cities was to focus efforts on these
cities in the next two years.
Marc Arnal, Committee co-chair for the communities, said that an initial
consensus had been reached on the list of cities proposed (Ottawa, Toronto,
Vancouver, Moncton, Hamilton, Windsor, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and
Sudbury) by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. He added that this choice
was in no way intended to exclude emerging cities such as Kitchener, Regina
and/or Saskatoon, Halifax and Victoria.
Michel Chartier, community representative from Manitoba, recommended
that the choice of pilot cities be consistent with the regionalization
objective.
5. Report on Integration-Net Web Site
Diane Vincent invited Jean Seguin, representative of Citizenship and
Immigration Canada, to report on the Integration-Net Web site.
Jean Seguin reported that information on official language communities
and Steering Committee initiatives can now be found on the Citizenship
and Immigration Canada Web site.
Rosaline Frith, representative of Citizenship and Immigration Canada,
Integration Branch, added that the site should remain interactive in order
to attract Internet users. She also suggested updating the site as often
as possible and stated that community participation is needed to keep
it up to date.
Michelle Hamelin, representative of HRSDC, proposed including links to
other Department sites. Michelle Rakotanaivo, community representative
from British Columbia, also suggested including links to Francophone community
sites.
Committee members expressed the view that the site should be just one
of several promotional aids and suggested that other promotion tools be
developed concurrently.
6. Committee Mandate
Diane Vincent, Committee co-chair for the government, reported that the
Minister of Immigration, the Honourable Judy Sgro, had agreed to expand
the Steering Committee's membership and extend its two-year mandate. She
also announced that the minister has invited her Quebec counterpart to
delegate a representative to the Steering Committee.
7. International Tour
Renée Champagne, community representative on the tour of Central
Europe, thanked CIC, the FCFA du Canada, DFA and PCH for the opportunity.
She reported that the presentations drew a larger-than-expected audience
of Francophones interested in emigrating to or studying in Canada. She
added that the people who attended were highly educated. She indicated
that, in subsequent promotional missions, they will have to better target
their audience and prioritize recruitment. Finally, she said she would
draw up a list of recommendations and share them with the group.
Renald Dussault, representative of CIC, gave a brief report on his attendance
at the meeting of the immigration program directors of all CIC European
missions, held in Warsaw. At the meeting, the various missions were sensitized
to the importance of supporting the promotion of Francophone communities
in their promotion and recruitment efforts. He concluded by saying that
foreign missions have a number of priorities and that the Committee's
work will support these missions in better defining their priorities.
Diane Côté, representative of the Fédération
des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, gave a brief
report on Edmond Labossière's tour of Latin America. She reported
that presentations there also attracted a larger-than-expected audience
of Francophones interested in emigrating to or studying in Canada. She
added that, for logistical reasons, it had been impossible to conduct
the African tour and planning for that tour had been postponed to a later
date.
Diane Vincent, Committee co-chair for the government, stated that promotion
efforts abroad must be centred upon the needs of the Canadian market.
This strategy would serve to better meet immigrants' expectations.
8. Report on Reception Capacity
Committee members received a copy of the final report. Diane Côté,
representative of the Fédération des communautés
francophones et acadienne du Canada, stated that the final report contains
Phase I, Phase II and the Calgary report.
9. Guidelines
Rosaline Frith, representative of CIC, Integration, explained that the
Guidelines for Implementing the Strategic Framework to Foster Immigration
to Francophone Minority Communities are an initiative of Citizenship and
Immigration Canada designed to ensure the transparency of the Steering
Committee's activities and to more clearly define its framework. She explained
that the guidelines dealing with conflict of interest reiterate the provisions
in the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service. The Guidelines also
contain other obligations, including provisions on confidentiality and
intellectual property derived from federal statutes, and partner recognition
from Citizenship and Immigration Canada contribution agreements. She told
Committee members that the Guidelines would be posted on the Department's
Web site.
Michelle Hamelin, representative of HRSDC, suggested that partners be
listed in the document. She also recommended that the Committee carry
out is activities according to Action plan for Official Languages timeframes.
Motion by Maxim Jean-Louis, community representative from Ontario
Seconded by Nathalie Dubois, National Coordinator of Francophone Intergovernmental
Affairs:
That the Guidelines for Implementing the Strategic Framework to Foster
Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities be adopted, with the two
additions suggested by Michelle Hamelin, representative of HRSDC.
10. Examination of Draft Action Plans
Marc Arnal, Committee co-chair for the communities, invited the co-champions
for the regional working groups to present their respective draft action
plans.
Atlantic
Tony Marshall, government representative from CIC-Atlantic Region, summarized
the situation. He reported that a staff person has been hired to support
the development of a consultation mechanism in New Brunswick and to work
with Francophone communities. He announced that the CIC Minister, the
Honourable Judy Sgro, had signed an agreement with the province to allow
foreign students to work off-campus. Also, a project is underway with
New Brunswick to try to increase the number of Francophone immigrants
through the Provincial Nominee Program. He added that the Minister, the
Honourable Judy Sgro, and her New Brunswick counterpart had met with the
mayors of a number of urban centres in the region.
Bogdan George Itoafa, representative from New Brunswick, reported that
the province is actively working on the Francophone immigration file.
In particular, the province is working proactively with the communities
to give them more responsibility in the selection process for the Provincial
Nominee Program. He also stated that New Brunswick is continuing with
its promotion tours abroad. He underscored the importance of sharing with
members experiences related to international promotion initiatives.
Representatives of Nova Scotia told members of the Committee that an
initial dialogue has been established with the Fédération
acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse (FANE), which representes Francophones.
Representatives of Prince Edward Island told members of the Committee
that a family of refugees from Burundi has been sponsored by the Francophone
community in the Evangeline Region.
Ontario
Léonie Tchatat, community representative from Ontario, thanked
members of the Committee and announced that a first draft of the Ontario
action plan had been submitted. She added that the action plan would be
adapted in the next few months.
Richard Lecours, representative of the CIC-Ontario, said that the list
of pilot cities drawn up by the Committee would help Ontario target its
efforts in those cities.
Jacqueline Frank, representative of the Office of Francophone Affairs,
informed Committee members that the new Minister of Francophone Affairs,
Madeleine Meilleur, was touring Ontario and meeting with representatives
from various sections of the Franco-Ontarian community. She also announced
that the Office of Francophone Affairs had sponsored a qualitative study
of 30 Francophone cultural organizations. The information collected will
be distributed to all ministries, school boards and Francophone municipalities
in Ontario.
Alberta
The co-champions told members of the Committee about the opening of a
settlement centre in Edmonton. They added that Alberta's action plan is
the product of a number of focus workshops held in Calgary and Edmonton.
The provincial action plan has five objectives. They expressed satisfaction
at having seen a number of key players around the provincial consultation
table.
Manitoba
Representatives told Committee members that Manitoba's action plan contains
three key priorities: 1) employment assistance; 2) housing; and 3) language
instruction. They also announced the opening of a bilingual reception
centre in Winnipeg. The centre provides reception services from the three
levels of government.
Saskatchewan
Representatives told Committee members that the province did not have
an action plan but that preliminary discussions had begun with the Assemblée
communautaire fransaskoise (ACF), the organization that represents Francophones.
British Columbia
Representatives told Committee members that a staff person had been hired
to co-ordinate the activities of the provincial subcommittee. They presented
several initiatives from the action plan, including the need to set up
a reception structure before receiving new arrivals, the need to identify
job shortages, information sessions on immigration programs at Francophone
organizations and the importance for immigrants to integrate into Francophone
decision-making bodies.
National Action Plan
Rosaline Frith, representative of CIC, told members that the national
two-year plan emphasizes objectives 1, 2 and 3. She stated that the outcomes
of actions conducted under objectives 4 and 5 of the plan will not be
measurable for three or four years. She also expressed the belief that
these two objectives will be addressed to a greater extent in the five-year
plan.
In terms of selection, the national action plan emphasizes the orientation
that immigrants should be given prior to their departure. With respect
to receiving immigrants, the actions set out in the plan will help build
reception structures. However, it will be necessary to ensure that immigrants
receive the same services across the country. With respect to awareness-raising,
the actions in the plan will be directed at both receiving communities
and immigrants. They will give Francophone immigrants the opportunity
to share their successes and experiences in community centres, schools
and with employers. Finally, with respect to immigrants' economic integration,
the action plan emphasizes actions to expand the mentoring project for
immigrant youth nationwide.
Rosaline Frith concluded by announcing that Citizenship and Immigration
Canada has received an additional budget of $15 million per year to provide
higher-level language instruction to immigrants to help them integrate
the labour market.
11. Comments from Members
Diane Vincent, Committee co-chair for the government, commended the members
of the Committee for their work. She then invited members' comments on
the draft action plans.
Marc Arnal, Committee co-chair, said it would not be possible to include
some of the actions taken by the regions in the national action plan because
they are not part of any national strategy, particularly with respect
to objective 4. He recommended appending the regional plans to the national
action plan. He also expressed the view that there are three areas of
employment opportunities for immigrants: 1) jobs within Francophone communities;
2) jobs in which both English and French are necessary; 3) jobs where
only English is used. In the third case, immigrants could nonetheless
settle in Francophone communities. He explained that all three areas must
be taken into consideration in the job shortage study.
Finally, community members proposed that they meet on May 14 and 15 to
receive the draft action plans. They will share the results of their planning
session with the co-chairs and the champions for the objectives.
12. Work Schedule for Finalizing Two-Year and Five-Year Plans
Diane Vincent proposed the following work schedule for finalizing the
two-year and five-year plans:
March to August 2004
Prepare a communication plan and promotion tools
September 2004
Launch two-year plans
In-person meeting of the Steering Committee
January 2005
Videoconference meeting of the Steering Committee
May 2005
Submit draft five-year action plans (2004-2005 to
2008-2009)
June 2005
In-person meeting of the Steering Committee to discuss
the draft five-year plans
September 2005
Videoconference meeting of the Steering Committee
to approve the five-year action plans
December 2005
Launch five-year plans
In-person meeting of the Steering Committee
Members concurred with this work schedule for finalizing the two-year
and five-year plans.
The two co-chairs thanked Committee members for their excellent work.
The meeting adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
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