OTTAWA: The federal government is taking steps to ensure that newcomers to Canada settling in small towns and rural communities have access to essential services during their first year in Canada.
Immigrants play a crucial role in the future of our country and contribute in important ways to our society and economic recovery from the pandemic, an official statement said, as b Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced an investment of more than $35 million to expand resettlement capacity and settlement services across Canada.
These services have never been more critical for newcomers, as the ongoing pandemic has added to the already challenging process of building a new life in a new country.
Following the Resettlement Assistance Program and Case Management Services call for proposals, 23 projects were selected to provide greater services to help refugees and vulnerable newcomers settle and adapt to life in Canada.
This investment includes $21 million to add 9 new Resettlement Assistance Program service providers in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and New Brunswick. These organizations will help reduce pressure on the 32 existing Resettlement Assistance Program service providers across Canada and provide refugees with an opportunity to settle in small- and medium-sized towns and rural communities where affordable housing is more readily available.
Settlement services help refugees and vulnerable newcomers learn the language, gain employment and contribute to their communities, so they can reach their full potential quicker as Canada moves towards economic recovery.
In addition, $14 million will be invested in case management services for 14 existing service providers, so that they can assist more vulnerable newcomers with support and referrals to successfully settle into their new communities.
This includes a pilot project aimed at bolstering Francophone case management in the Prairies. Canada’s success as an international leader in settlement and integration is a result of the extraordinary efforts of our service provider organizations across Canada.
They work tirelessly to deliver support services to newcomers in communities, which are critical during the global COVID-19 pandemic and as we welcome more newcomers than ever before. Newcomers often face many changes as they adjust to life in Canada: finding a home, starting a new job and learning a new language.
Minister Sean Frasser said: “Newcomers and refugees have long been the motor of Canada’s society and economy, and our country has a proud tradition of being an international leader in resettlement and integration. This success could not be achieved without the help of vital settlement service organizations that help newcomers learn Canada’s official languages, find jobs and build successful lives in their new communities.”
• The Resettlement Assistance Program is a funding program operating in all provinces outside Quebec that supports government-assisted refugees and other eligible clients upon arrival in Canada. The program provides newcomers with direct financial support and funds service provider organizations to deliver immediate and essential services.
• Financial support includes a one-time start up allowance and monthly income support typically provided for up to 1 year or until clients can support themselves, whichever comes first. Resettlement Assistance Program service provider organizations deliver immediate and essential services to clients generally within 4 to 6 weeks of arrival in Canada.
Meanwhile, Sean Fraser announced that over 200 Afghan refugees landed in Vancouver on Wednesday nights. This marks the largest flight to date of Afghan nationals arriving in BC. Approximately 161 of them will start their new lives in Vancouver, while the other 48 will settle elsewhere in the country, where they have family ties. This brings the total number of Afghan refugees who have arrived in Canada to over 7,000.
Passengers on the charter flight, which departed from Islamabad, Pakistan, are primarily individuals whose employment involved a significant relationship with the Government of Canada, as well as their families. The new arrivals were greeted at the Vancouver International Airport by Community Airport Newcomers Network, a RAP SPO program provided by S.U.C.C.E.S.S, a non-profit organization. This program provides winter clothing, arranges transportation and offers initial orientation to newcomers and their families.