Thank you, Madam Chair.
As you said, my name is Corinne Prince. I'm the director general of settlement and integration policy at Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada.
I’m here today with my colleagues Stephanie Kirkland, director general of the Settlement Network, which is responsible for the operations of the settlement and resettlement program; and David Cashaback, director of the Temporary Resident Policy and Programs.
We are very pleased to appear before the committee this morning, and we hope that our testimony will help you as you undertake your study on the economic security of women in Canada.
Let me begin by saying that my department takes the issue of economic participation and empowerment of immigrant and refugee women very seriously. We recognize the tremendous contributions that immigrant women make to the Canadian economy, and both the human and social capital that women bring to this country.
Despite our best efforts, the reality is that some immigrant and refugee women continue to face challenges achieving economic security. We're working in partnership with all three levels of government and with settlement service provider organizations to ensure that the needs of immigrants, including women, are being addressed.
For the past 10 years, Canada has welcomed approximately 255,000 new permanent residents each year. In 2017, with increased levels, we will reach 300,000, and over half of all immigrants who arrived in Canada in 2016 as permanent residents were women. As you can see, women represent a large immigrant population to Canada and because of this, we want to ensure that they are afforded the opportunities and supports they need to succeed.
Immigrants come to Canada for different purposes: some to join family members, some to escape war or persecution, and some to improve their economic outcomes, all with different backgrounds and at different stages of their lives. The research tells us that the labour market participation rate and employment rate of immigrant women are lower than those of immigrant men and Canadian-born women, and that they are more likely to be living in a low-income situation than Canadian-born women.
Immigration can bring opportunities for immigrant and refugee women. However, we know that many women continue to face settlement and integration challenges on account of their gender.
Research and consultations tell us that issues include low official language proficiency; lack of economic independence; and challenges associated with housing, transportation and childcare.
For refugee women in particular, these settlement-related stressors are further exacerbated. We are seeing this with many of the Syrian families that have arrived. Economic stability for refugee families is important, and we have been collaborating with federal partners, including the Canada Revenue Agency, to increase awareness among refugees regarding how to obtain the Canada child benefit, which has proven critical to many Syrians.
The federal Canada child tax benefit and the HST/GST tax credit are available to resettled refugees during and beyond their first year in Canada, and will provide ongoing support to families with children of eligible age. In Ontario, for example, this could equate to over $48,000 per year for a family with six children—the highest amount for a province or territory because it's combined with provincial benefits. The lowest amount would be provided in Nova Scotia, albeit it would still equate to almost $43,500 for a family with the same six children. You can see that an additional $40,000 a year is a significant benefit, and it is not clawed back for either federal or provincial social assistance.
We’ve made reforms to caregiver programming. These reforms support Canada's efforts to reduce caregiver vulnerabilities, reunite caregivers sooner with their families, and improve their long-term economic outcomes.
In 2015 the department raised the minimum age of a spouse or partner in all temporary and permanent immigration programs from 16 to 18 years of age. This was done to discourage foreign nationals from entering into a marriage before the age of 18 for the purpose of obtaining immigration status in Canada. It was also intended to decrease the number of potentially vulnerable young spouses immigrating to Canada.
These changes are informed by a gender lens, and the dedicated GBA+ unit we have in the department helps us to examine the differential impacts of policies and programs on immigrant populations.
The department is committed to GBA+, and we integrate this across all lines of business. To my knowledge, IRCC is the only federal department with the legislative requirement to do so under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
In the settlement program, considerations for gender, age, diversity, and circumstances of migration are included in the design and delivery of settlement program policies. Once in Canada, immigrant and refugee women have access to the full suite of IRCC settlement supports. Through the settlement program the department provides more than $600 million in funding annually to over 500 service provider organizations across Canada to deliver pre- and post-arrival settlement services to immigrants. With the additional funding this year, including the money for Syria and levels plan money, this amount will be over $700 million. Women are taking up those services at a higher rate, at least at 55% of the whole.
These services are targeted for women-only language classes, conversation circles, family-focused workshops, information on women's rights and legal responsibilities, as well as the very important employment preparation.
Foreign credential recognition is also an important component. Preparation for licensure, job bridging programs, and job search workshops, including blended or women's only workshops, are an important component of our programming. We provide services both overseas and in Canada to provide early access to employment before the individuals even land on Canadian soil, as well as to get their credentials in order.
I will be happy to add other components to my comments through questions and answers. On behalf of the IRCC team, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you this morning.