Evidence of meeting #143 for Citizenship and Immigration in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was newcomers.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Rob Oliphant
Luckily Brandon, Kitchener and Vancouver all have very good MPs who happen to be sitting at the table. I'm sure they are very helpful to your organizations.
The member for Brandon is next.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Thank you very much for that promotion, Mr. Chair.
Hi to all of you witnesses, and thanks for your presentations today, particularly Angela and Joy. It was a pleasure to have you here as well and to hear your concerns.
I know each of your organizations has federal government contact, particularly through the funding, as well as other resources that can be used.
Angela and Joy, whoever wants to answer, do you think there's enough flexibility in financing and resources in that agreement? If you think there could be some improvement, what suggestions would you put forward?
4:10 p.m.
Acting Manager, Language Program, Westman Immigrant Services
I'll talk a little about the language part. Currently in the agreement, we know there are high targets for enrolment and attendance, and that's often really difficult for clients. Most of our clients have at least one job, some of them have two. Most of them have children to care for, so the regular attendance targets that we know are in place are often difficult to meet. I know that we feel pressure about that.
It's a different type of relationship in that, unless we talk to each other about it, we don't have guidance or support in how we could better serve those people. Often we'll seek other organizations doing similar work to ask about the kinds of things they're doing.
It's not really the funding that's the issue, but maybe there are some flexibility issues for us in communicating our needs and our challenges. Even though they're understood, they're not necessarily taken into account when it comes to funding our programs.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
With regard to employers, would you welcome the possibility where employers bringing individuals into Canada through the temporary foreign worker program, for example, be eligible for settlement services? Would making the employer financially responsible for that training help you as well?
4:15 p.m.
Manager, Settlement Program, Westman Immigrant Services
If they are to be eligible for settlement services that would really contribute to the economic growth of our country.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
And make it much easier for you to be able to offer more accessibility to the training for others, particularly in the language levels that you were talking about.
4:15 p.m.
Manager, Settlement Program, Westman Immigrant Services
Of course. Definitely.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
In smaller communities as well, you've mentioned transportation within the city and the region. Is it an impediment to the training that's required in the smaller communities? I know many of the immigrants who have come to some smaller communities in the region as well, and I'm assuming that this is the same in Kitchener or other areas. What could be done to help that? Is it a major impediment, or could we be using the Internet and phone services in a much more appropriate manner?
4:15 p.m.
Manager, Settlement Program, Westman Immigrant Services
Especially for Brandon, where buses run every 30 minutes to an hour, it's not ideal for clients who use public transportation. Once they miss the bus, they have to stand there for another 30 minutes or an hour in this cold weather. If you're a newcomer, you don't have any idea of how cold it is when it's minus 40, and there are health and safety risks there.
Technology is another way of providing services to newcomers, but then not all our newcomers have the capacity to use it. As Angela mentioned, we have some refugees who have low literacy levels; they don't even know what a keyboard is, or won't even be able to recognize the characters on the computer, so it won't help that much. The human one-on-one, face-to-face interaction is still the best way to help our newcomers.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Can I just get a response as well from you, Sabrina, and Katie as well?
4:15 p.m.
Executive Director, Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC
Online technology is great. We're working with organizations that have been funded through SDI funding to develop apps. There is online English language programming. Our clients still need to have face-to-face with the settlement organization, but also, for us as the umbrella organization, it's critical that we have face-to-face opportunities with our membership. Those who are providing the services need to be able to come together. They need to be able to talk about what's going on in their organization, share best practices, make those connections, so that when it comes time to engage in partnerships, those relationships are already developed.
I think at every level we can use technology to supplement, but we cannot use technology to replace.
4:15 p.m.
Settlement and Integration Manager, Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC
When using technology to supplement, it's also important to think about the community and infrastructure. There are many settlement organizations in smaller centres that want to support newcomers using technology, but they don't have the infrastructure themselves, or they don't have the knowledge of how to use it themselves. They're not understanding utilizing technology. It's challenging for them to explain that to the newcomer within their community and to pass that on as well.
4:15 p.m.
Conservative
Larry Maguire Conservative Brandon—Souris, MB
Thank you.
I have one final question. It's to Angela or anyone else who wants to answer here.
In regard to the smaller communities, I know you're helping through Westman Immigrant Services. Can you provide us with some information as to what would be helpful in retention rates in smaller communities? Many will come and settle in the smaller communities but once they get trained or find jobs they leave. Do you have any suggestions as to how we could retain them in some of those smaller communities?
4:20 p.m.
Acting Manager, Language Program, Westman Immigrant Services
I think there are a few things. One is definitely employment opportunities for people. People often have high expectations when they come that maybe they're going to work in the field that either they worked in before they came or the field they would like to work in, and that's going to happen immediately, and it doesn't. That can be very difficult for people. Just having employment opportunities for people within smaller communities is a really critical piece of their settling in Canada.
The other really important thing is the connections you make in a community. If you have children, it's the connection you make with the school, the teachers and the parent-teacher council, things like that. I also think a lot of it is about the education of the people who grew up in Canada on how to interact with newcomers in a way whereby they're comfortable and feel like they're a part of things. I do know, in some of the smaller communities around Brandon, they've had trouble, for instance, having newcomers on boards and things like that. Just a simple thing like giving people notes beforehand, that they can read over and feel like they already know what's going to be talked about, would be really helpful.
4:20 p.m.
Liberal
4:20 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, and thank you to all of our witnesses.
I want to first touch on the language training issue. I believe it was Joy who mentioned that, for example, the interpretation or translation services provided a challenge, whereby you have children providing translation for their parents in medical appointments and so on. This was an issue that was brought up at a committee meeting with officials who responded to say that the government funded NGOs to provide that service so we don't have to worry about it. I quite worry about it. You touched on this. I wonder whether or not you can expand on that. What is your specific recommendation to government to address this very important issue?
4:20 p.m.
Manager, Settlement Program, Westman Immigrant Services
We are given some funding for interpretation, to provide interpretation, for us to provide services. The funding is for the settlement agency. But if they are to access services outside of our agency, it is beyond what we have or what is available for funding.
For example, in our local hospital, I know they provide interpretation for free for our newcomer clients, but if clients go to a private clinic, for instance, or their family doctor, it is the choice of the doctor to provide for that language support or not.
As for recommendations, this has to do also with the retention we were talking about earlier. If we want to retain people in our communities, we would like them to feel they are part of our community and they can actually access services. One of the barriers is language. I don't know who is responsible for providing what, but that is a need. It's not just in the medical field, even in the court system and banks, in all agencies they would access, language support is important.
4:20 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
The government provides funding to you as an NGO. Is this sufficient to do the work that you do?
4:20 p.m.
Manager, Settlement Program, Westman Immigrant Services
It is sufficient to the work we do. We use interpretation in our office when we are providing one-on-one settlement appointments. When we have family and youth programs, we use the funding we get from the government to deliver those programs.
4:20 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Do you accompany family members to go see the physician? For example, if they come and request someone to interpret at a medical appointment, do you accompany them?
4:20 p.m.
Manager, Settlement Program, Westman Immigrant Services
No. Unfortunately our funding doesn't allow it.
4:20 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you.
That is exactly the point. To suggest somehow that this service is provided for by the NGO is false, because you don't have the capacity as an organization to send a translator or interpreter with the family to those medical appointments.
4:20 p.m.
NDP
Jenny Kwan NDP Vancouver East, BC
Thank you. I'm going to go to AMSSA with the same question, if I may, please.
First, thank you for your work as an umbrella agency.
With all the agencies that are members of AMSSA, I'm sure this issue has popped up. I've heard it numerous times. Can you also address this issue and provide recommendations?
4:25 p.m.
Executive Director, Affiliation of Multicultural Societies and Service Agencies of BC
Absolutely, Ms. Kwan. Thank you for your continued support of AMSSA and the work we do.
This is definitely Sabrina's area of expertise, so I will defer to her on this one.