Projection

NetImmigration

Natural Increase

1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001

2006 2011 2016 2021 2026

Estimate

Year

*

Major integrationchallenges

Changing source countriesculture and language

Labour Market Accesscredential recognitionforeign experience recognitionskill bridging

Language Barriersjob huntingcommunity involvementeconomic performance

Dispersion/Absorptive Capacityeconomic reality of communitiessettlement capacity and broader based community supportconcentrations of newcomers in large cities where services are overtaxed or a few newcomers in small communities where little in the way of settlement and/or mainstream services exist, can both hinder the rate of integration

Partnershipsprovincesnon-governmental organizationsemployerspublic

*

Changing source countries

Pre-1961 less than 3% of immigrants came from Asia, while in the 1990s 58% came from Asian Pacific countries.

Chart1

3

33

47

58

Years

Percentage of Immigrants

Percentage of Immigrants from Asia

Sheet1

Pre-19611970s1980s1990s

3334758

Sheet2

Sheet3

*

Lack of foreign credential and work experience recognitionStatistics Canada, Census 2001

%Employment Rates for Canadian-born and Recent Immigrants by Level of EducationCanadian born are employed at disproportionately higher rates than recent immigrants with the same credentials. The differential is worse for women than men. Canadian menImmigrant menCanadian womenImmigrant women

*

Lack of adult officiallanguage skills significantLanguage Ability TrendsImmigration by Language Ability, Principal Applicants and Dependants (15 Years Or Older)

The number of immigrants with neither English nor French has also risen steadily over the last 3 years, climbing to approximately 38% in 2002.CIC, Facts and Figures 2002

*

Immigrant children toohave language needs

The number of immigrant children under 15 years of age who cannot speak an official language at arrival in Canada is growing:

In 1991, 62 percent (27,324) did not speak an official language.

In 2001, 70 percent (40,258) spoke neither English nor French.

Number of immigrant children under 15 years of age by language ability

*

Most immigrants concentratein a few major urban centresIn 2001, 94% of immigrants who arrived during the 1990s were living in Canada's metropolitan areas, compared with 64% of the total population who lived in these areas. 75% of immigrants live in 3 major urban centres.

CIC, Facts and Figures 2002

*

Shared responsibilityPartnerships are vitalGovernment of Canada:Responsible for entry, processing and removal Targeted funding and infrastructure for settlement

Provinces/Territories:Varying bilateral agreements to design, deliver and administer immigrant selection and settlement programs with federal compensation

All Provinces:Provide health, education, social and other services Provide social assistance for refugee claimants

Voluntary Sector:Deliver settlement programs and want to be included in the policy developmentRegulatory/Licensing Bodies:Responsible for certification/ recognition of foreign credentials - provincially mandatedEmployers:Employers face labour shortages but favour North American training and experienceMunicipalities:Some want more - some lessGeneral Public:Respect and acceptance builds social cohesion and minimizes risk of exclusion

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Canadas integrationmodel

INTEGRATION, not segregation or assimilation A two-way process Enables newcomers to adapt, settle and integrate into Canadian societyCreates a welcoming environment open to change

The ultimate goal is citizenship

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The Canadian integration model

1- Canadian Orientation Abroad

Services Abroad3- SettlementImmigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program(ISAP)Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC)Host ProgramResettlement Assistance Program (RAP)Private SponsorshipPartnerships with other government departments, othergovernments, international/national and local organizations

4- CitizenshipCitizenship PreparationGrant of Canadian CitizenshipFull Participation in Canadian SocietyIntegration Programs Partnership DeliveryCommunity Capacity Building2- Reception in Canada Welcome to Canada at Ports of EntryRefugee Reception at Ports of EntryServices In CanadaABCCitizenship ServicesDIs a Canadian citizen under theprovisions of the Citizenship Actand, as such, is entitled to all the rights and privileges and is subjectto all the duties and responsibilitiesof a Canadian citizenest citoyen canadien aux termesde la Loi sur la citoyennet et, cetitre, jouit de tous les droits etprivilges et est assujetti(e) tousles devoirs et responsabilits d'uncitoyen canadien.MINISTER - MINISTREJohn DoeCertificateofCanadian CitizenshipCertificat deCitoyennet Canadienne

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Settlement programsImmigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program - provides realistic view of life in Canada before arrival and follows with social and economic bridging services in Canada.

Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada - Language instruction for adult newcomers in English or French.

Host Program - Buddy-type program which matches newcomers with an in-Canada host to support settlement and integration.

Resettlement Assistance Program - Income support, reception, temporary accommodation and basic orientation services for government assisted refugees.

Private Sponsorship - Groups in Canada take on responsibility for resettling refugees from abroad by providing necessary financial and emotional support . Includes Joint Assistance Sponsorship in which private sponsors and government share responsibilities.

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Canadian citizenshipCitizenship values: freedom, equality, fairness, respect and rule of law

Citizenship Preparation:need sufficient knowledge of English or Frenchlearn about rights and responsibilities, voting procedures, the political system and Canada as a nation

Grant of Citizenship:must be 18 and a permanent residentmust have lived in Canada for at least three years

Participation in Canadian Society:creates a sense of belonging among Canadians and newcomerspromotes and celebrates citizenship activities eg. Over 2500 citizenship ceremonies annually, Canadas Citizenship Week

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Looking to the future Citizenship and Immigration Canada looking to the future: ongoing program review more information abroad upgrade language abroad and in Canada improve gap assessment match numbers and needs promote citizenship

Thank you for giving me the opportunity today to share with you Canadas approach to immigration and citizenship, our challenges and successes.Acceptance of our immigration and refugee program is dependant on Canadians believing that the program is well managed:that we select immigrants who will be able to quickly integrate and contribute to the nations productivity,that we respect the value of families and allow for family reunification, andthat our refugee program truly responds to those in need of protection.If Canadians do not believe that the program is functioning well, then support for immigration drops as it did for a short period after September 11, 2001 and has fallen somewhat again recently.I shall take the next few minutes to speak about our managed program from selection through to citizenship. I would like to stress that a well managed program includes measures to ensure that immigrants and refugees have a level playing field with native-born Canadians in terms of economic and social integration. This has been more difficult to achieve since the early 1990s.

Since World War II, Canada has accepted about 8 million immigrants and resettled about 750,000 refugees. Initially, most came from European countries. Until the late 1980s, most settled fairly rapidly and attained comparable salary levels with native-born Canadians with similar education levels.In the later half of the 1980s, the mix of immigrants changed from family class predomination to more people being admitted under the economic category. For the last ten years about 60% of all immigrants have been admitted under the economic category. This was expected to result in even better economic integration results.However, this is not what happened. During the 1990s, annual immigration levels peaked at the same time Canada went through a recession. This was also a period when larger numbers of Canadian-born graduated from post-secondary institutions making it more difficult for immigrants to compete for employment.Immigration levels have decreased since 2001 to about 225 000 immigrants annually.The new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act came into force in June 2002 and is designed to provide the flexibility to link immigration to labour market needs. It allows for foreign temporary workers and foreign students under certain conditions to become permanent residents and supports close collaboration with the other levels of jurisdiction. Immigration levels will continue to be constantly reviewed in terms of the countrys needs.Immigration is an increasingly important component of population growth in Canada.Immigration now accounts for more than 50% of total population growth and is predicted to account for 100% of net population growth by 2026.Between 1996 and 2001, Canada experienced one of the lowest census to census growth rates ever (4%); natural increases will continue to decline given our extremely low birth rate of 1.5. Our labour force is also aging. In 1996, immigrants comprised 19% of the labour force. Between 1991 and 1996, immigrants accounted for 71% of the labour force growth in Canada. Between 2011 and 2016, net labour force growth will depend entirely on immigration.Immigrants have had and continue to play a major role in building Canada. However, it is important to note that the fertility rates of immigrant women tend to mirror that of Canadian born women the longer they live in Canada. Within 10 to 14 years, especially those who came to Canada before age 15, have the same rate of 1.5.

Every person must contribute. Immigrants must be integrated both economically and socially as quickly as possible. We know that, since the 1990s, integration is not happening as effectively as we would like. The question is why.

Is it due to systemic or structural barriers is it linked to discrimination? Is it because of poor language skills or is it just a result of economic changes, new needs of a knowledge economy and a period of recession? No matter what the cause, there is broad consensus that certain barriers to integration must be addressed in order for immigrants to make the transition to full participation. There is also broad consensus that this can only happen when all stakeholders work together.

Changing source countries, lack of recognition of foreign credentials and work experience, growing percentage of immigrants settling with no knowledge of either of our official languages, increasing urban concentration of immigrants, and growing disparities in economic outcomes of immigrants are our major challenges with regard to successful integration.On the next slides I will provide more information about each of these challenges.

Clearly, our source countries have changed:In 1957, the top 10 immigrant source countries were European.By 1987, 8 of the 10 top immigrant source countries were non-European. During the 1990s, some 58% of immigrants came from Asian Pacific countries.In 2002, the top 5 source countries were the Peoples Republic of China (15%), India (12.6%), Pakistan (6.2%), the Philippines (4.8%), and Iran (3.4%).In 2001, 5.4 million, or 18.4% of Canadas population of 31 million were foreign-born. 70% of our visible minorities are foreign-born. It is projected that "visible minorities" will constitute 20% of the Canadian population by 2016.As you can see the majority of our immigrants today are visible minorities from countries with which most employers have little knowledge.Public and employer attitudes to these immigrants are key to promoting rapid inclusion and integration into our society and economy. When employers have insufficient knowledge of a culture it often results in rejection or fear of the unknown and lost job opportunities for the immigrant.Skilled human capital is essential in todays knowledge-based economy. Between 1991 and 2001, almost half of the labour force growth in Canada occurred in highly skilled occupations requiring a university degree or college diploma. By 2004, over 70% of new jobs created are expected to require at least some post-secondary education.Since the mid-1990s, immigrants overall are better educated than Canadian-born. In 2001, 53% of the Canadian working age population (ages 25-64) had post-secondary level education while 61% of working age immigrants had post-secondary qualifications.In spite of the high level of qualifications, in the 1990s, immigrant employment opportunities and earnings began to decline:By 2001, Canadian born men with university education were employed at a rate of 82%, as compared with recent immigrant men with the same credentials, at only 74%. Immigrant women with university education were employed at a rate of only 57% as compared with Canadian born women (77%) with the same credentials.It was taking 9 to 10 years for university educated immigrants to catch up to the earnings of comparably educated Canadian-born.Overall, the percentage of recent immigrant families falling below the low-income cut-off in Canada increased significantly from 1981 to 2001, from 24.6% to 35.8%, which is 2.5 times that for Canadian-born families in 2001.This decline can be contributed to many factors including the economic conditions of the 1990s, the higher numbers of Canadian-born university graduates, the poorer language skills of newcomers, the lack of credential recognition and discrimination.

As I said, part of poor performance is linked to low levels of language skills. Current integration programs provide basic language skills to newcomers. In todays knowledge economy, occupationally specific language training and higher levels of language fluency are essential to maximum performance both in the labour market and in ones community.

The lack of language skills varies by class of immigrant. In 2002 some 62 percent of skilled worker principal applicants and their dependents, older than 15 years of age, could speak French or English compared to 44 % of their counterparts in the family class and 49% in the refugee class.

From 2000 to 2002, the number overall of these immigrants arriving in Canada with neither English or French has risen steadily, climbing to approximately 38% in 2002.

This is of concern as newcomers with lower human capital run the highest risk of social exclusion. They tend to have limited access to income for longer periods of time. They are at risk of entering into a difficult cycle where poverty, lack of opportunities, concentration in low-income neighbourhoods and discrimination create conditions for long-term exclusion, even for the second generation.

This chart highlights the challenge of meeting the needs of immigrant children.In 1991, 62 percent of immigrant children under 15 years of age did not speak an official language of Canada, By 2001, 70 percent required language training in English or French..

Most of these children live in major cities where some school systems are having difficulty meeting their needs. Without effective second language training, many of these children will be at a disadvantage vis a vis their peers, because language ability is so important for all aspects of learning in school.The increasing needs of immigrant children mirror the case of adults and reflect the changing source countries over the last decade.Immigrants are free to settle anywhere in Canada. And clearly, Canadas immigrant and refugee populations prefer large urban centres. Canadas immigrant population in cities increased in the 1990s to almost double the population that had settled over the 1980s. By 2001, 94% of immigrants who arrived during the 1990s were living in Canadas metropolitan areas, compared with 64% of the total population who lived in these areas.

Nearly three-quarters (73%) of the immigrants who came in the 1990s lived in just three of the largest metropolitan areas: Toronto, Vancouver and Montral.

Patterns of exclusion in Canadian cities are beginning to emerge. Some have suggested that this can be linked to a decline in public infrastructure and public services in Canadian cities. This is worrisome at a time when trends in certain neighbourhoods in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal indicate that urban poverty and immigration are increasingly interconnected.

Integration in Canada is managed in partnership with all jurisdictions, non-governmental associations and the public. Each of these has a role to play and only through close cooperation can all issues be addressed. What is most important is ensuring that those who are closest to the immigrants in their communities have the opportunities to assist in their integration.

Resources are often an issue of discussion. Provinces must address the cost associated with second language training of children and social assistance to refugee claimants. And municipalities must deal with immigration and refugee levels that impact on their infrastructure, especially housing, health and community services.

The challenge is to address all the varied interests of stakeholders in a coordinated fashion. Canadians have risen to the challenge.

Our deep regional, cultural and linguistic diversity have forced us to be deliberate about intercultural dialogue and accommodating diverse perspectives. As a result, we have built laws, institutions and policies that have been designed pragmatically to balance often-competing voices.

This balance calls for celebrating diversity, promoting social inclusion, and living in respect and peace. I believe that in Canada the simple fact is - that it is not in any individual groups best interests to be disrespectful of another group. To one extent or another we are all minorities. The Canadian Way is to seek peaceful compromise. We use integration as a tool to achieve this.

The term integration is defined as a two-way process of accommodation between newcomers and Canadians. It encourages newcomers to adapt to Canadian society without requiring them to abandon their cultures or to conform to the values and practices of the dominant group, as long as adherence to their cultures does not contravene Canadian laws. While at the same time, Canadian society and its institutions are expected to change over time to reflect the new Canada that is constantly in evolution.

Canadian integration policy promotes the acquisition of citizenship. It consciously welcomes all immigrants into the Canadian family and strives to ensure their full participation across the important economic, social, political and cultural dimensions of our country.

The integration model is a continuum beginning with information provided to immigrants overseas, orientation and adaptation services in Canada, to the acquisition of citizenship after a relatively short period of time.

All three categories of immigrants economic, family class and refugees - are eligible for settlement services. Skilled immigrants integrate more quickly and are seen as immediately helping to build the nation. Immigrants who come under family reunification criteria take longer to integrate economically but form the core needed for social integration. Refugees are admitted for protection and it is accepted that they may need additional assistance to settle and integrate. Refugee claimants are not eligible for settlement programs while their claims are pending. They are nevertheless able to work legally, have access to medical coverage and social assistance. As long as the public feels that the immigration program is well managed, the cost of integration is viewed positively.

Some immigrants and refugees receive information on life in Canada before they come to Canada. Information on topics such as education, climate, housing, cost of living, and employment. All receive a Welcome to Canada Kit , upon arrival in Canada. This puts the immigrants in touch with services and resources in local communities.

All immigrants and refugees are eligible for programs that include: social and economic bridging to local community services; trauma counseling; job hunting clubs; translation and interpretation services; language instruction for adult newcomers in English or French; transportation and child-minding assistance to those participating in language courses; and a Buddy-type program which matches newcomers with an in-Canada host to support settlement and integration. This Host program exemplifies the two-way exchange to build respect and trust that is at the core of integration.

Refugees, selected abroad, get special attention when they first arrive and after a short period are integrated into the common settlement programs.Whether immigrant or refugee, the ultimate Canadian policy objective is full citizenship within an officially bilingual and multicultural nation. Canada encourages newcomers to adopt Canadian citizenship as an official symbolic act of allegiance and attachment. About 85% of immigrants take this step. A stable multicultural society depends upon the cultivation of a common sense of belonging among all citizens, not just those who govern. This sense of belonging cannot be ethnically based since Canada is such a diverse society. Instead it must be political and based on a shared commitment to the political community. Such a commitment to Canadas continuing existence and well being, implies that one cares enough for our country and its system of government not to harm its interests or undermine its integrity.

The sense of belonging must be fostered by according equal citizenship to both newcomers and the Canadian-born. This means that all citizens must know that there is a real chance that they can influence the evolution of Canadian society; in a sense, they must feel not only that they belong to Canada, but that Canada belongs to them.

So what are we doing to ensure that immigrants feel that Canada is truly their country? Canada constantly reviews its selection and integration programs. We are improving access to information for potential immigrants to help them prepare for the journey. We want immigrants to increase their chances of integrating quickly, both economically and socially.

This means providing more testing tools and stressing the importance of better language skills pre-arrival as well as providing language training at higher levels in Canada post-arrival. Canada must improve our foreign credential recognition systems, provide better gap analysis so immigrants can fill their education requirements in order to meet Canadian standards. We must make employers more aware of the value of immigrants. We must encourage communities across Canada to develop local initiatives to attract and to retain immigrants.

Governments must work to share the benefits of migration more evenly across Canada by being more open to local needs.

And most importantly, we must continue to promote respect of all Canadians, native-born and those by choice.