Charlottetown, June 13, 2008 — The Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, today announced that four area organizations will receive funding to help newcomers successfully settle and integrate in communities across Prince Edward Island.
The funding, totalling more than $2.6 million over a three-year period, will go to the P.E.I. Association for Newcomers to Canada, Carrefour d’immigration rurale Évangéline, Holland College and Study Abroad Canada.
The funding will help deliver settlement services such as language training, translation and interpretation, job search support and resettlement assistance for refugees. It will also go toward culture-bridging activities and anti-racism programs.
“We are committed to helping newcomers succeed, and this funding will help their transition into their new lives in Canada,” said Minister Finley. “Their success will help communities across the province grow and thrive, which in turn will strengthen Canada as a whole.”
The P.E.I. Association for Newcomers to Canada is receiving more than $1.1 million to deliver language assessment and settlement services to newcomers, including connecting them with volunteers who will help them access services, establish contacts in their field of work and participate in the community. The funding will also assist refugees with temporary accommodations, food and incidentals, orientation sessions and counselling and referral services.
Holland College is receiving more than $1.2 million to deliver English-language training, including enhanced language training for professionals. Study Abroad Canada is getting $84,922 to deliver language training, while Carrefour d’immigration is receiving $76,327 to deliver settlement services to Francophone minority communities and anti-racism programs. Funding for Carrefour d’immigration rurale Évangéline will also go toward connecting newcomers with volunteers who will help them access services, establish contacts in their field of work and participate in the community.
Settlement services are an essential part of the Government of Canada’s immigration program. For 2008–2009, Prince Edward Island is receiving almost $1.4 million in settlement funding, an increase of more than $239,475 over the previous year. In 2006, the Government of Canada began investing an additional $1.4 billion over five years in settlement funding to provinces and territories outside of Quebec, which receives annual funding through a separate agreement.
The 2008 budget also proposes changes to modernize the immigration system and shorten the time it takes to bring newcomers and their families to Canada. Under this proposed system, newcomers would arrive with the skills required to integrate more quickly into the economy. In this way, newcomers will have more opportunities to find work sooner in the fields for which they have been trained and to benefit more from life in Canada for themselves and their families.
Newcomers can also turn to the Foreign Credentials Referral Office (FCRO), which helps internationally trained individuals find the information they need to get their credentials assessed and recognized more quickly. Established in 2007, the FCRO provides information, path-finding and referral services to help internationally trained individuals use their skills in Canada. There are now 320 Service Canada centres across the country offering in-person services to newcomers.
For more information on CIC’s programs, consult our website at www.cic.gc.ca.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Tim Vail
Press Secretary
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Jon Stone
Director, Communications – Atlantic Region
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
902-426-1419
