I'm far enough away, you can't hurt me!
Thank you for this opportunity.
I'm Bridget Foster, and I am the executive director of the Association for New Canadians in Newfoundland and Labrador. I've been doing the job for 30 years, so I think I'm just here for historical reasons. Thank God you can't see me.
We are the main settlement service providers for immigrants and refugees in the province. Our services range from the delivery of the resettlement assistance program and settlement and orientation services to support integration such as ESL, volunteer programs, and labour market support. Furthermore, the organization works extensively in the area of public education in order to promote the value of immigration, to increase cross-cultural awareness, and to combat barriers to access.
Like other settlement agencies across the country, we do our utmost to provide a comprehensive array of programs and services on limited budgets and to provide high levels of support for immigrants and refugees.
As the only federally funded settlement agency in the province, our situation is somewhat unique when compared to some other provinces in Canada. We have long worked under an integrated service delivery model. This, I believe, has proven to be quite effective and efficient, allowing us to ensure that maximum resources are dedicated to service delivery.
We like to believe we were ahead of CIC when it comes to modernized settlement programming, as we have long been delivering a continuum of integrated services. Of course, I'm wondering if our approach may have been born more out of a need for survival than a talent for ingenious planning.
The settlement service provider organizations have a crucial role to play in ensuring a positive settlement experience for newcomers. I believe it is critical for agencies to be able to maintain infrastructure and qualified staff despite fluctuations in numbers of newcomers coming to the area's provinces.
This leads me to address some of the challenges associated with the sector in general. In a nutshell, we are increasingly challenged by administrative caps, funding reductions, and funding uncertainty. As a result, it is becoming much more difficult for organizations to cover administrative and operational expenses. This affects the ability of organizations to meet growing accountability and reporting requirements. In addition, it becomes more difficult to recruit and retain qualified administrative staff and to produce solid plans for the future.
The bottom line is that agencies are spending a tremendous amount of time on reporting and other related paperwork. It is time for these funding processes to be streamlined, as was recommended by the report of the blue ribbon panel on grant and contribution programs.
Beyond concerns related to infrastructure and staff retention, there are other issues that I believe influence effective program delivery.
The settlement of immigrants and refugees can be a complex and lengthy process requiring extensive follow-up and support for many years. Some individuals adapt and integrate quite quickly, while others require more time than is allotted under the resettlement assistance program (RAP).
One option that needs to be given serious consideration is to increase the funding under the resettlement assistance program and to extend support beyond the initial period of four to six weeks. I believe this would result in more positive outcomes for government-assisted refugees. I believe that increased funding for the RAP program is long overdue.
In looking at the 2011-12 allocations, I think we have fared better than some provinces. Nonetheless, we too have had lean years. Last year, we had to reduce our budget by 15%. For a small agency like ours, this reduction has had a significant impact, resulting in the elimination of key positions and reductions in administrative and operational expenditures. The bottom line is that there is never enough funding, so we must draw on our creative talents and work in cooperation with our federal and provincial partners and funders to sustain key programming.
I think we have recognized the importance of working in partnership at all levels of government. This province, in 1998, established the Coordinating Committee on Newcomer Integration (CCNI), and this committee has taken a leadership role in engaging stakeholders to address immigration and inclusion, as well as integration policies, issues, and practices. Thirteen years into its mandate, the CCNI has established itself as a credible and influential working group of people. We believe it's really of great value.
Another key alliance is the Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Alliance, CISSA-ACSEI. This is a pan-Canadian organization that has worked to advance public policy and programs. In fact, in 2010, with support from CIC, we spearheaded a piece of research called “Reconfiguring Settlement and Integration: A Service Provider Strategy for Innovation and Results”. This was done by the Meyer Burstein consulting group. It's actually a very interesting piece of work and I think a valuable first step.
Another valuable alliance is the SIJPPC. This is a working group. It's the Settlement and Integration Joint Policy and Program Council. This is a group that has representatives from both the federal and provincial organizations and governments. It's supported by CIC, and we do have the opportunity to have face-to-face meetings twice a year with the SIJPPC.
I believe these organizations, which have umbrella representatives, are of vital importance to development planning and innovation. Indeed, I think networking opportunities, such as those afforded by the national settlement conference—