National Initiatives

National Settlement Conference 2
(Calgary - October 2-5, 2003)

Settlement Accord

Discussion paper developed for
National Settlement Conference II
Calgary – October 2-5, 2003

Prepared for:
National VSI working Group III
on the application of the Accord between the
Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector,
the Code of Good Practice on Funding and
the Code of Good Practice on Policy Dialogue to the Settlement Sector

By:
Penny Handford & Khim Tan
Changeworks Consulting

A collaboration of the Settlement Sector and Governments in association with the Voluntary Sector Initiative Project

The summaries of opinions and interpretations expressed in the VSI working group discussion papers are those of the working group members, either individually or collectively, and do not necessarily reflect the views of CIC, nor do we guarantee the accuracy of the information provided.

Table Of Contents

Executive Summary

Section One: Background

Section Two: Research Methodology

Section Three: Defining The Settlement Sector

• Definition of Settlement
• Definition of the Settlement Service Sector

Section Four: The History of The Settlement Sector

Section Five: The State and The Voluntary Sector

Section Six: The Settlement Sector and The Accord and Codes

• Principles of the Accord
  • Independence
  • Interdependence
  • Dialogue
  • Cooperation and Collaboration
  • Accounting to Canadians
• Principles of the Code of Good Practice on Funding
  • Voluntary Sector’s Value
  • Strengthened Sustainable Capacity
  • Cooperation and Collaboration
  • Innovation
  • Diversity and Equitable Access
  • Accountability
  • Transparency and Consistency
  • Efficiency and Effectiveness
• Code of Good Practice on Policy Dialogue
• Emerging Themes

Section Seven: Suggested Models

• Current Practices
• Some suggestions for models
  • Dialogue
  • A multilevel approach
  • Participants in the dialogue
• Possible Dispute Resolution Models
  • 1. Negotiation
    • What is negotiation?
    • Has it been tried?
    • Conclusion
  • 2. Mediation
    • What is mediation?
    • Has it been tried?
    • Conclusion
  • 3. An Ombudsman
    • What is an ombudsman?
    • Has it been tried?
    • Conclusion

Appendices

• The Accord
• The Code of Good Practice on Funding
• The Code of Good Practice on Policy Dialogue

A list of the Working Group III Members:

Co-Chairs:

Reza Shahbazi (The New Canadian Centre of Excellence, Windsor ON)

Camille Papanek (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Ottawa ON)

Members:

Edmundo Pavon (Centre Prisme, Montreal QC)

Marilyn Ziedenberg (OASIS, Toronto ON)

Jamila Aman (Northwood Neighbourhood Services, Toronto ON)

Roger Manning (Catholic Community Services of York Regional, Richmond Hill ON)

Marty Dolin (Welcome Place, Winnipeg MB)

Rob Bray (Calgary Catholic Immigration Society Calgary AB)

Manpreet Grewal (Abbotsford Community Services, Abbotsford BC)

Mary Beth Small (Cowichan Valley Intercultural & Immigrant Aid Society, Victoria BC)

Executive Summary

The Working Group on the Settlement Accord is interested in how the Accord between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector and the Codes of Good Practice on Funding and Policy Dialogue can be applied to the settlement sector. The Working Group originally considered developing a separate Accord for the settlement sector, but upon consideration felt that it would be more useful to write a document on the application of the Accord to the settlement sector.

The original intention was to base this document on significant input from government officials and representatives of the settlement sector. However, limited time and resources challenged the project. As well, the project was carried out in March, a notoriously busy time for both the government and the settlement sector. Compounding this situation was the fact that many of the key stakeholders were effectively unavailable to the consultant as they were attending a national Metropolis Conference and a meeting to select the papers for the NSCII.

Some interviews were held and a small teleconference focus group was conducted with three CIC managers, (one national and two regional). Significantly, it was not possible to interview anyone from Ontario.

An additional challenge to this project was that very few key informants were familiar with the contents of the Accord and Codes. Most had only a general notion of what they contain. As a result, the Accord and Codes have been summarized and are attached as appendices.

With the challenges to the creation of this document, parts of it are quite theoretical. However, the consultant has been able to generate this discussion document by adding his over ten years’experience as executive director of a settlement agency to the wisdom of the Working Group.

The paper opens with a series of definitions of the settlement sector. This is followed by a brief history of settlement services and their relationship with CIC.

This is followed by an examination of Shields’ (2002) analysis of the voluntary sector and the control exerted over it by the government through service contracts. Some of the issues raised by Shields provide a useful context in which to discuss the application of the Accord and Codes to the settlement sector.

Next, there is an examination of the challenges of applying the principles of the Accord and Codes to the settlement sector. As far as possible, the information is drawn from the experience of a few key informants, plus Shields’ analysis. Each principle of the Accord and Codes is examined in light of the experience of the settlement sector. Discussion Points are clearly identified to conclude the discussion of each principle.

A number of themes arise from this examination, and many of the issues could be addressed with the establishment of a satisfactory feedback and dialogue process and a dispute mechanism.

A model for dialogue is outlined.

Negotiation, mediation and an ombudsman are examined as possible mechanisms for handling disputes. The engagement of an ombudsman appears to be the best solution.

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