Evaluation of the Grant to Quebec – Management response

• Encourage Quebec’s active participation in the Pan-Canadian framework to discuss settlement outcomes and indicators

• Continue engaging the government of Quebec in its capacity as observer through the ongoing FPT Settlement Working group on information sharing, providing input on policy, programs, research and other settlement and integration issues for immigrants in Canada.

• Enhance contribution of Quebec’s provincial government in its observer capacity and Quebec regional associations (la Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes) at the Settlement and Integration Joint Policy and Program Council (SIJPPC), which is a mechanism for collaboration, consultation and planning between the federal government, PT governments and the settlement sector.

• In 2012/13, the Settlement Outcomes Survey will be administered to collect the data from 20,000 newcomers nationwide. The results of the survey will inform a comprehensive, nation-wide roadmap for improved outcomes across jurisdictions.

• Quebec officials and stakeholders have been consulted on the scope and content of the Settlement Outcomes Survey. Given their responsibility under the Canada-Quebec Accord, the province of Quebec cannot be bound by the Pan-Canadian Framework for Settlement Outcomes. However, CIC will continue to include Quebec officials and newcomers in the plans for the survey.

2. In order to help confirm that the reception and integration services provided by Quebec correspond, when considered in their entirety, with those provided by Canada elsewhere in the country, it is recommended that CIC:

• re-examine and update the list of services set out in Annex B of the Accord; and
• undertake an annual study of reception and integration services provided by Canada and Quebec.

CIC agrees that an annual review of services as mandated in the Canada-Quebec Accord clearly requires the Joint Committee (Comité mixte) to study/re-examine, on an annual basis, the reception and integration services provided by Canada and Quebec (Annex A, art.3.g and 23.b).

Such an annual review would ensure that services offered by Quebec, and compensated by the grant (a) correspond to the services offered by Canada in the rest of the country, when considered in their entirety; b) continue to be reasonable; and (c) are offered without discrimination to any permanent resident of Quebec, whether or not that permanent resident has been selected by Quebec.

• Communicate to the MICC through existing bilateral governance mechanisms, advising of CIC’s intention to engage Quebec in an annual review of reception and integration services, as agreed in the Accord.

• The review will be led by the Joint Committee and will report the findings and recommendations to both orders of government for approval.

• Based on the information provided in Recommendation #2, CIC will compare the settlement services and federal funding provided in Quebec with the rest of Canada, and assess whether compensation provided to Quebec continues to be reasonable, as indicated in Art. 26, Sect. III of the Accord, and paragraph 24(a) of Annex A.

CIC and the MICC have established an enduring bilateral collaboration in a number of key program areas

• Existing cooperation and consultation between CIC and Quebec on key language portfolios, including development of NCLCs (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens) and a standardized French test (NCLC Milestones Test) to measure newcomers learning outcomes and FPT Language Training Forum (Forum sur la formation linguistique) will continue. As a first step, CIC and MICC co-funded a study of the alignment of the NCLC and the Échelle québécoise (final report May 31, 2012).

• CIC continues to support the Anglophone communities in Quebec, in line with federal government responsibility under the Official Languages Act and section 3 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. CIC will continue to provide funding for research and advancing knowledge on immigrants in Quebec’s Anglophone communities.

Integration Branch

Eastern Region

• Collaboration and information sharing on integration and preparation to citizenship services offered by both governments will continue.

CIC agrees with this recommendation.

There are considerable challenges in collecting information on settlement and integration outcomes both in Quebec and the rest of Canada that cannot be underestimated.

The Financial Administration Act (FAA) requires federal government departments to review all grants and contributions for which they are responsible. CIC cannot fully meet the FAA requirement, since there is no formal accountability mechanism built into the Canada-Quebec Accord for Quebec to report on settlement and integration outcomes resulting from federal funding.

According to art. 6.7.4 of the Directive on Transfer Payments, the government needs to ensure “that accountability mechanisms are appropriately limited when transfer payments to other levels of government are to be unconditional”.

However, CIC may explore existing collaborative forums to encourage further sharing of information with the province of Quebec.

• CIC will communicate with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to assess how to apply the requirements of the FAA to the Quebec grant.

• Approach Quebec to establish more formal information sharing on settlement and integration outcomes and on the requirements of the FAA at high-level bilateral meetings (e.g. ADM and DM level meeting between CIC and MICC).

• In addition to continuing multilateral collaboration (FPT Settlement Working Group, SIJPPC) CIC will engage Quebec through the Joint Committee and other collaborative forums (e.g. CIC regional collaboration, citizenship and integration working group) to share information on settlement and integration outcomes.

IIR

Eastern region