News Release

New settlement and language training services benefit immigrants in Ontario

TORONTO, December 15, 2006 — The Honourable Monte Solberg, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and the Honourable Mike Colle, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, visited Brampton Multicultural Community Centre today to highlight new services for immigrants provided under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement.

“When Canada’s new government released our national economic plan, Advantage Canada, last month, we committed to investing in partnerships with the provinces that contribute to economic growth,” said Minister Solberg. “This investment will help newcomers become full members of Canadian society, by giving them improved access to language training, orientation, referral to community resources, employment services, interpretation and translation.”

Over 50% of immigrants to Canada make Ontario their home every year. More than 100,000 newcomers a year will benefit from federally funded assistance, through over 200 immigrant-serving organizations across Ontario.

“Our government fought long and hard for the landmark Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, which provides an additional $920 million for Ontario newcomers,” said Minister Colle. “I am pleased that the promised funds, which are urgently needed, have started to flow.”

During their visit, Ministers Solberg and Colle also released a strategic plan that outlines how the increased federal funding for settlement and language training will be used. The plan is based on consultations this past summer with almost 700 people from across the province.

“Our ultimate goal is to welcome and successfully integrate immigrants so they can participate in all sectors of Ontario and Canadian society — economic, social, political and cultural,” said Minister Solberg.

“This action plan will lead to essential improvements in language training and settlement services for newcomers so they can succeed in Ontario,” said Colle. “When newcomers succeed, Ontario succeeds.”

Specific actions to expand programming and offer new services include:

• higher levels of language training equivalent to high school graduate levels as well as occupation-specific language training to improve newcomers’ access to the job market;
• improving access to settlement services by locating these services in areas already frequented by newcomers, such as libraries, faith institutions, employment centres and community colleges;
• more staff to provide orientation, counselling, translation and community referral services as well as job search workshops and other employment services;
• replacing obsolete computers to better equip organizations with computer-assisted language centres to help newcomers; and
• separate literacy classes to provide newcomers who have lower literacy levels with more personalized instruction and improved learning.

“The demand for services continues to grow,” said Ahmed Iqbal, Executive Director of Brampton Multicultural Community Centre. “This new funding allows us to expand our services and give newcomers the help they need to succeed.”

In the 2006 budget, Canada’s new government announced $307 million over two years in additional settlement funding to provinces outside Quebec (which operates under a separate agreement).

For more information, and to obtain a copy of the strategic plan, please visit www.cic.gc.ca/english/about/laws-policy/agreements/ontario/can-ont-index.asp

For further information (media only), please contact:

Pema Lhalungpa
Press Secretary
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
416-954-7868

Karen Shadd-Evelyn
Spokesperson, Media Relations
Ontario Region
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
416-954-7868

Rick Byun
Minister’s Office
Ontario Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration
416-325-3460

Backgrounder:

• Strategic plan and service improvements