Thank you very much.
Hello, members of Parliament. Thank you for inviting me to speak briefly to recommendations for the 2025 federal budget.
My name is Katie Crocker. I'm the chief executive officer of AMSSA, the Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of British Columbia. We are the provincial umbrella association for 94 organizations serving newcomers in British Columbia.
Today I'll be sharing three key recommendations with you that we strongly believe will support both the overall impact of Canada's non-profit sector and newcomers' ability to meaningfully engage with and contribute to the social fabric of our nation.
Our first recommendation is to develop an all-of-ministry approach to immigration that pulls support and funding from different federal ministries in addition to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
As the ministry responsible for supporting the settlement of newcomers to Canada, IRCC has developed strong relationships with the settlement sector and the non-profit sector. However, while the sector has certainly benefited from IRCC's specialized support over time, it has become clear that the full array of supports required for newcomers to be fully settled falls beyond the purview of what IRCC can offer on its own.
For example, securing safe, adequate and affordable housing continues to be a barrier for newcomers settling in Canada. Collaboration with Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada could benefit both newcomers and Canadians, as having newcomers fill construction job shortages can increase both housing affordability for newcomers and domestic housing supply.
Immigration plays a significant role in Canada's overall economic growth, with most immigrants arriving in Canada through the economic pathway. As immigration provides positive impacts to the country, proactive and meaningful collaboration between federal ministries benefits the whole country.
Our second recommendation is to have multiple funding sources for immigration through the all-of-ministry approach, which must be coupled with implementing a holistic, fluid and more flexible funding model for the settlement and integration sector.
The funding model needs to be fluid and flexible enough to allow organizations to change program delivery to respond to evolving unique client needs amid global events and Canada's social and economic changes. The current funding model does not allow organizations to adjust programming according to emerging short- and long-term needs without the additional administrative burdens of contract amendments. Certain types of support, such as housing supports, are not even part of the equation or of the eligible support types.
Additionally, the strict eligibility criteria for who can access IRCC-funded services impacts organizations' ability to serve the most vulnerable groups, such as asylum seekers, refugee claimants and others with precarious immigration statuses. A less restrictive model would allow for more robust compensation, attract and retain staff and help organizations better address emerging needs for their most vulnerable clients in alignment with IRCC's core principles to deliver the right service to the right client at the right time.
This model will also have an impact on collaboration and community engagement with indigenous communities. A large part of working with indigenous communities involves working and thinking creatively, relationally and reciprocally, which is not possible within a funding model that is fundamentally based on colonial practices and restrictive structures and time frames. A flexible model will allow for meaningful relationships to be built, based on reciprocity and co-creation from inception.
A more fluid funding model is also connected to calls from the non-profit sector more broadly to change Treasury Board funding structures to better account for the needs of non-profits.
This leads to recommendation number three, which is the implementation of a non-profit unit in federal government.
The non-profit sector is currently dealing with skyrocketing demands and rising costs amid stagnant funding and capacity issues that could be addressed through the establishment of a dedicated unit to provide long-term planning and champion the perspectives of non-profits within the federal Government of Canada.
In Canada, the charitable and non-profit sector contributes 8.3% to the GDP and provides 2.8 million jobs, which is greater than the GDP contribution and job creation of the fisheries and agriculture sectors, yet, unlike those sectors, non-profits do not currently have a place in government.
Building a dedicated non-profit unit in government would address current gaps in which the needs of the non-profit sector in policy, legislation and data collection can be overlooked. There is a long and well-researched history that backs this suggestion, which was recommended by the Special Senate Committee on the Charitable Sector and the advisory committee on the charitable sector in 2019 and 2021 respectively, after widespread sector consultation.
In March 2021, the Government of Canada supported the creation of a single window into government for the charitable sector, yet a dedicated unit has not emerged. A unit in the federal government could follow many other examples and models, including British Columbia's recent creation of a parliamentary secretary for community development and non-profits.
Thank you.