Citizenship and Immigration Canada
www.cic.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTION 41 OF THE
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT
ACTION PLAN FOR 2006-2007, 2007-2008 AND 2008-2009
- General Information and Period Covered
- Summary of Main Results Targeted
- Methodology
- Detailed Action Plan for 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09
- Recurring/Ongoing CIC Activities That Foster Francophone Immigration
- Summary of Targeted Results by Category
- Distribution List
General Information and Period Covered
Department |
Citizenship and Immigration Canada |
||||||||
Address |
365 Laurier Avenue West, 14th Floor |
||||||||
Web site |
|||||||||
Minister responsible |
The Honourable Monte Solberg |
||||||||
Senior officials responsible for the implementation of Part VII of the Official Languages Act (OLA) |
|
||||||||
Departmental mandate |
Created in 1994, CIC brings together the government’s citizenship and immigration services in order to promote the specific ideals shared by all Canadians and help build a stronger Canada. CIC’s mandate is based on the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, enacted in 2002 as a result of major legislative reform, and on the Citizenship Act of 1977. Pursuant to the Constitution Act of 1867, immigration is an area of shared jurisdiction with the provinces and territories. |
||||||||
National Coordinator |
|
||||||||
Assistant National Coordinator |
|
||||||||
Regional Coordinators |
Maryse O’Neill Kathleen Greenway Lissette Bonilla Thérèse Vermette Lynne Belding |
||||||||
Period covered by Action Plan |
This Action Plan covers the 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 fiscal years. |
Summary of Main Results Targeted
Because of the type of work that CIC is engaged in, promoting linguistic duality is an integral part of its operations. Overall, the promotional activities are carried out on a recurring basis through contacts with departmental staff, the Department’s stakeholders and partners, and the Francophone minority communities (FMCs).
This action plan for the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA presents the main measures that the Department intends to take over the next three years (2006-2009) in fulfilling its commitment with respect to Canada’s linguistic duality. The plan is an extension of the actions taken by CIC in recent years to foster the development of FMCs and is subject to the continuation of funding.
The federal government’s Action Plan for Official Languages has supported the CIC‑Francophone Minority Communities Steering Committee in developing its Strategic Framework to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, made public in November 2003. This framework is the basis for the Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, which will be launched in the fall of 2006. This three-year action plan is derived from the Strategic Plan and is based on the following precepts[note 1]:
- All Francophones living in provinces and territories other than Quebec are considered part of the FMCs.
- Section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms grants these communities educational rights.
- Section 41 of the Official Languages Act confirms the federal government’s commitment to enhancing the vitality of these communities.
The main activities that CIC intends to carry out over the next three years to foster immigration to the FMCs are summarized below by category of activity.
Awareness
Activities to raise CIC staff’s awareness of Canada’s linguistic duality are carried out on an ongoing basis in light of the nature of CIC activities.
The Human Resources Branch, in collaboration with other branches, promotes Canada’s linguistic duality and encourages and supports all CIC employees in their efforts to learn their second language or upgrade their second-language skills.
In particular, awareness activities target employees working in programs related to the development of FMCs since they require such awareness to carry out their responsibilities.
Consultation
CIC consults with the FMCs on many of its initiatives in order to ensure that the planned activities are relevant. The work of the Steering Committee and its results attest to this.
Consultations are held during negotiations or when agreements with the provinces and territories are renewed.
Communications
CIC plans to continue its substantive work with the FMCs. Information on the FMCs will be updated regularly on the departmental Web site. Information, promotion and recruitment activities will be carried out in Canada and abroad. CIC will work to maintain and improve relations with the provinces and territories, encouraging them to use the Provincial Nominee Program to recruit French-speaking immigrants, among others.
In addition, CIC will continue to include official languages clauses in new and renewed agreements on immigration with the provinces and territories. Special attention will be paid to collecting data on Francophone immigration.
Coordination and liaison
Coordination and liaison activities will support the implementation of the Strategic Plan and this action plan. It is proposed that the mandate of the Steering Committee be renewed so that a number of federal departments, the provincial and territorial governments and community representatives work together on implementation.
Program funding and delivery
CIC plans to support the FMCs in their promotion of private sponsorship and increased intake of French-speaking refugees.
CIC will target its integration-support actions by paying special attention to the more vulnerable client groups-women and children. Settlement services will be available in French as provided for in the official languages clauses of contribution agreements.
CIC will conduct an ongoing review of language training programs and make changes to them in cases where improvements are required.
Accountability
Every year, CIC prepares a status report on achievements in implementing Section 41 of the OLA. It describes the progress achieved in developing the official languages minority communities during the preceding fiscal year. The report is based on instructions from Canadian Heritage and is usually submitted to that department in the spring.Taken from CIC’s Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, 2006.
Methodology
Few of the results targeted by the Action Plan on the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA cover only one category of activity[note 2]. Accordingly, most activities in the plan involve several categories at once.
To make the Action Plan easier to understand, we have highlighted the predominant category of activity for each targeted result in cases where the result involves more than one category. The categories are selected using the matrix of categories of activity, and the predominant one is identified by a larger symbol than the others. This form of graphic representation immediately shows the scope of the activity, by the number of categories involved, and the predominant category, by the size of the symbol.
We have chosen to use this m atrix to keep the document as short as possible, given that most activities in the Action Plan involve more than one category. In addition, grouping activities by predominant category ensures consistency.
We have also drawn up a list of recurring and ongoing activities that CIC carries out each year, even though the list is not part of our analysis of activities in the Action Plan. This approach brings out the range of the positive measures taken by the Department to promote Canada’s linguistic duality through the development of FMCs. All the items in the list have already been covered in specific activities in earlier versions of the Action Plan. Here too, applying the matrix of categories of activity shows the scope of each activity by the number of categories involved, and the predominant category, by the size of the symbol for each recurring or ongoing activity concerned. We have adopted this approach in order to provide a dynamic presentation of activities that foster FMC development and minimize the duplication of items in the various plans. The list appears after the detailed Action Plan.Canadian Heritage established these categories of activity to standardize the structure of departmental action plans and the results-based status reports. The categories are as follows: awareness, consultation, communications, coordination and liaison, program funding and delivery, and accountability.
Detailed Action Plan for 2006-07,
2007-08 and 2008-09
Communications activities
The purpose of the communications activities is to inform the FMCs about the Department’s programs and services. CIC plans to continue its substantive communications work with the FMCs. Information on the CIC Web site will be updated regularly. Information, promotion and recruitment activities will be carried out in Canada and abroad, and CIC will work to maintain and improve relations with the provinces and territories, encouraging them to use the Provincial Nominee Program to recruit French-speaking immigrants.
Matrix of categories of activity
|
|
| Communications (C) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Results Targeted | Main Activities Planned to Achieve Targeted Results | Results Measurement Indicators | ||||||||||||
1. Recruitment of skilled French-speaking workers is increased.
|
|
|
||||||||||||
2. The number of French-speaking international students is increased in order to increase the number of applications for permanent residence.
|
|
|
||||||||||||
3. FMC reception capacity is strengthened.
|
|
|
||||||||||||
Coordination and liaison activities
Coordination and liaison activities will support the implementation of the Strategic Plan and this action plan. It is proposed that the mandate of the Steering Committee be renewed so that a number of federal departments, the provincial and territorial governments and community representatives may work together on implementation.
Matrix of categories of activity
|
|
| Coordination and Liaison (D) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Results Targeted | Main Activities Planned to Achieve Targeted Results | Results Measurement Indicators | ||||||||||||
4. Mechanisms are set up for coordinating the implementation of the Strategic Plan.
|
|
|
||||||||||||
Program funding and delivery activities
CIC plans to support the FMCs in their promotion of private sponsorship and increased intake of French-speaking refugees. CIC will target its integration-support actions and pay special attention to the more vulnerable client groups-women and children. Settlement services will be available in French as provided for in the official languages clauses of contribution agreements. CIC will conduct an ongoing review of language-training programs and make changes to them in cases where improvements are required.
Matrix of categories of activity
|
|
| Program Funding and Delivery (E) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main Results Targeted | Main Activities Planned to Achieve Targeted Results | Results Measurement Indicators | ||||||||||||
5. The FMCs are supported in their efforts and activities to promote private sponsorship of French-speaking refugees.
|
|
|
||||||||||||
6. More French-speaking refugees are received.
|
|
|
||||||||||||
7. Language training (in French or English) is relevant to needs of French-speaking immigrants to the FMCs.
|
|
|
||||||||||||
8. Integration of new or already settled immigrants in FMCs is supported.
|
|
|
||||||||||||
Recurring/Ongoing CIC Activities That Foster Francophone Immigration
Below we present the list of recurring and ongoing activities that CIC carries out each year in order to bring out the range of the Department’s positive measures to promote Canada’s linguistic duality through development of the FMCs.
Matrix of categories of activity
|
|
| Recurring/Ongoing Activities at CIC That Foster Francophone Immigration | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Categories of Activity | Activities | ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
Summary of Targeted Results by Category
To help readers understand the range of activities that CIC intends to carry out during the period covered by the Action Plan, we present a summary of targeted results by category of activity.
Matrix of categories of activity
|
|
| Main Results Targeted | A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recruitment of skilled French-speaking workers is increased. | x | x | x | x | ||
| 2 | The number of French-speaking international students is increased in order to increase the number of applications for permanent residence. | x | x | x | x | ||
| 3 | FMC reception capacity is strengthened. | x | x | x | x | x | |
| 4 | Mechanisms are set up for coordinating the implementation of the Strategic Plan. | x | x | x | x | ||
| 5 | The FMCs are supported in their efforts and activities to promote private sponsorship of French-speaking refugees. | x | |||||
| 6 | More French-speaking refugees are received. | x | |||||
| 7 | Language training (in French or English) is relevant to the needs of French-speaking immigrants to FMCs. | x | x | x | x | ||
| 8 | Integration of new and already settled immigrants in FMCs is supported. | x | x | x | x | x |
Distribution List
- Richard B. Fadden, Deputy Minister, CIC
- Daniel Jean, Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations, and Champion for Official Languages
- Gina Rallis, Director General, Human Resources, and Co-Champion for Official Languages
- Malcolm Brown, Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic and Program Policy
- Liliane Binette, Assistant Deputy Minister, Client Service Modernization
- John McWhinnie, Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services
- Janet Siddall, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Operations
- Directors General, CIC
- CIC coordinators responsible for the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA
- Members, House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages
- Members, Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages
- Commissioner of Official Languages
- Groups and organizations from official languages minority communities
- Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
1. Taken from CIC’s Strategic Plan to Foster Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities, 2006.
2. Canadian Heritage established these categories of activity to standardize the structure of departmental action plans and the results-based status reports. The categories are as follows: awareness, consultation, communications, coordination and liaison, program funding and delivery, and accountability.