Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Dec. 8th, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Thank you.

Ms. Grewal has the final question.

[Nina Grewal, Conservative, Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC]

Thank you, Chair.

I would like to thank you for the excellent job you are doing in the community. As you know, my time is limited, but my question is short, so that gives you an opportunity to answer it.

How do you go about teaching new Canadians English?

[Paul Mulangu]

On teaching English in British Columbia, let me say that large families come here. There can be a single mom with seven kids. Now, if there is no child-minding at the site, for those moms it becomes difficult to go to school, because there is no child-minding and they don't have day care for those kids. That's where we are trying to encourage the best practice of having sports things, where the mom is learning English and the child also is learning something. There, you are encouraging the mom to integrate. If there is none of this, that's where there are difficulties for a lot of people in going to English classes.

Also, in British Columbia a lot of jobs are ethnic jobs. It's like, okay, I'm learning Chinese so it can be easy to work in my community, but it becomes difficult for me to go and learn English.

As well, a lot of courses in British Columbia, like where I went, to VCC, put people in the same class. There are immigrants from Africa who speak French and can decode very well how to speak English, but they don't understand it. They can speak it and they decode their English, mais they can't understand it. The Chinese who come here and who have Ph.Ds can write it, but they can't speak it.

But they put all those people in the same class, and after that, they say, “Oh, you pass”. There are a lot of Africans who they say have passed, but they can't decode and they can't understand. This is where you're trying to make up the best way for this, to ask for this, and to put people in those classes who are at the same level.

Also, there's a problem in that the ELSA classes go to level four, and there are people who come to Canada and we know they are speaking at level four, but they don't have writing at level four. They're not able to get into those classes.

[Moussa Guene]

What you say also applies somewhat to the area of technology. With regard to francization in Quebec, we now have Web-based courses. People are in contact with teachers from the Department of Education. They can begin learning, even before leaving their country of origin. The same is also done in Nova Scotia. That is an example of globalized services. Rather than have people travel long distances, courses are offered by teleconference or Web conference. Those are new technologies that we are implementing in order to reduce expenses, so that we can squeeze twice the value out of a single dollar and give people access to personalized services. Those are new approaches that are being taken and which will become increasingly widespread.

Thank you. I did want to add that piece of information.

[Sister Andrée Ménard]

I also have something that I would like to add. In Quebec, people from different nationalities and cultures are all evaluated at the same level, within classes of the same level. That is important and makes a real difference. We also work within a network. For example, in our neighbourhood, the people who give French-language courses make sure that they are not all offering the same course level, but are meeting people's needs. We are filling the needs, coming together at each session and offering courses, all of which is coordinated with someone from the department. The difference is that we are part of a network, we can locate the resources in order to meet the needs, and all of the people we help are evaluated. They come from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures, but they are at the same level.

[Moussa Guene]

In the regions, classes may at times include several levels.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Very briefly, Ms. Majtenyi.

[Anne Marie Majtenyi]

Very briefly. The language instruction for newcomers program, which is a CIC program, is a very structured program. There's a LINC assessor in each city or each region who establishes the level of the student coming in.

There are seven levels of LINC and there's a set curriculum. There are benchmarks for passing from one level to the next. Testing is done regularly. Citizenship and Immigration Canada's LINC program is a very effective and structured program. I just wanted to make that point.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Very briefly, sir.

[Salvatore Sorrento]

We also have a relationship with the local school board. They teach ESL at our centre and in our host and youth host programs. Newcomers get a chance to practise their English with other newcomers and a volunteer. That's another method for how it's done.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

I want to thank you all for coming today. You've made an excellent contribution to the committee as we're studying this subject.

That concludes this part of the meeting. You've done very well.

Ms. Chow, you have a couple of motions that you want to deal with. We're going to start right in with them, so could you move your first motion, please?

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Mr. Chair, I'll just move these two motions to save you some time.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Sure.

Ms. Chow has the floor.

Go ahead, Ms. Chow.

We'll do our best.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

All right. I'll just go through them.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

If they're not here, you'll get them passed--

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

That's okay. They've been on the agenda for a little while--

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

You've done very well. You've been very patient.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

That's right.

The first one is basically an action plan for all the general reports. We could just proceed with that one.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

All those in favour?

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Next motion, please.

[Olivia Chow, NDP, Trinity—Spadina, ON]

Thank you.

On the second motion, it's a given that we are looking at wait times.

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

It's moved. All those in favour?

(Motion agreed to [See Minutes of Proceedings])

[The Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Well done, Ms. Chow.

The meeting is adjourned.