CIMM Committee Report

NDP Supplementary Report on the CIMM Study on PROMOTING ECONOMIC PROSPERITY THROUGH SETTLEMENT SERVICES

Lysane Blanchette-Lamothe, MP for Pierrefonds-Dollard

Irene Mathyssen, MP for London-Fanshawe

Jasbir Sandhu, MP for Surrey North

The Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration (CIMM) has looked at ways to promote the economic integration of immigrants through the integration services available in Canada and abroad. According to the NPD, the CIMM’s report  does not reflect the entirety of the comments and recommendations made by the experts that testified before committee.

Services targeted to immigrant women

In answer to a question about whether access to better child care services at a low cost help immigrant women enter the labour market, Ms. Kristyn Frank, a research sociologist whose primary research interests relate to issues of immigrant integration in Canada, stated that: “Often that is one of the main things immigrant women cite when they talk about difficulties in accessing programs and services, so based on what immigrant women themselves have said, I would imagine that would be helpful. [A] lot of times with immigrant women what we see is that they have skills. They come to Canada with education and skills, but they aren't able to access the same kinds of services that others access due to their status often as family members, dependants. Some of what immigrant women have talked about in terms of accessing these services is quite different from what immigrant men would say. ”  [1]

RECOMMENDATION

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada improves access to affordable childcare services.

Better pairing of qualifications and employment

Ms. Kelly Pollack, Chief Executive Officer, Immigrant Employment Council of British Columbia, testified, before this committee that: “Mr. Allen spoke to the process of regulation and foreign qualification recognition. It is an extraordinarily complex one in this country. We have hundreds of regulators across Canada who are provincially regulated, who have different practices in terms of assessing qualifications. For newcomers, it is a challenge.”[2]

RECOMMENDATION

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada works closely with educational institutions, provinces and professional bodies to abolish obstacles to the recognition of newcomers' qualification; such as unpredictable funding for transition programs, the absence of national standards, or insufficient number of internships and residencies.

Access to  integration services

Mr. Sherman Chan, executive Committee Member of the Canadian Council for Refugees has testified that: “For immigrant women, we see that many of them may not access services in the beginning because they have many family responsibilities which they think are important for them to look after first. By the time they feel it's time to integrate, to become economically engaged in a job or language improvement, for example, they may be already at the end of their permanent resident status and they may become Canadian citizens. That means they are not eligible for many of the services that are provided by CIC.”[3]

RECOMMENDATION

The Committee recommends that the Government of Canada amends the restrictive criteria for access to settlement services, including the criteria for immigration status and time spent in Canada, in order to ensure better access to services for those in need.