Dear Editor:
Re: Funding changes underway, Burnaby NOW, June 7.
We would like to address concerns raised by some in the settlement sector that the Government of Canada is eliminating funding for programs that help newcomers integrate and successfully participate in our communities. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The fact is, the Government of Canada has actually tripled settlement funding across Canada since 2005/06, from less than $200 million to approximately $600 million in 2013/14. This includes an increase from $39.5 million in 2005/06 to $100.6 million in 2013/14 for immigrants in British Columbia.
In 2014/15, the Government of Canada will begin administering federal funding for settlement services in British Columbia as we do for every other province in the country. To help immigrants succeed, the Government of Canada wants to ensure that a similar level of settlement services is available regardless of where newcomers choose to settle. Newcomers will continue to have access to important federally-funded settlement services including language classes, employment assistance, information and orientation sessions, among many other services.
The Government of British Columbia will, of course, continue to administer provincial settlement funding however it sees fit.
The Government of Canada is committed to improving outcomes for newcomers and, as evidenced by increases in federal settlement funding, we remain committed to helping newcomers succeed.
Catrina Tapley, Dawn Edlund and Patrick MacKenzie, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
