Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I move:
That the Committee recommend that the Minister and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration immediately reverse the $53 million in funding cuts to immigrant settlement and adaptation services, set to take effect March 30, 2011, and that this motion be reported to the House.
Mr. Chair, I'm a bit stunned about these cuts. There seems to be no analysis of the impact. If there is, it wasn't shared with us. We don't know how many people will be hurt, how many newcomers will be hurt, and we don't know how many staff will be eliminated. We just know there's a big number.
There seems to be no overall plan as to how to assist these agencies in their transitional period and how to make sure these newcomers will continue to get services. There seems to have been a set-up that elevated the hope of many of these agencies, only to dash them. I'm fearful of what's going to happen, not only to these newcomers but to the staff who would see their jobs eliminated, and in some ways, it impacts on the economy of the greater Toronto area. Having this large number of people lose their jobs and lose their services all in one shot, with no transition plan, is, in my mind, bad management practice.
I urge the committee to support this motion to reverse the funding cuts, and the urge is to both the minister and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.