Mr. Speaker, the hon. member across the way might be a bit disappointed in my response, but the adjournment question that was asked this evening was on Syrian refugee resettlement. I will stick to that subject.
Some refugees arrive in Canada broken by the civil war in their country. Those with limited language skills or education need time to become fully contributing members to our labour market and society. In addition to adapting to their new life in Canada, resettled refugees must frequently deal with significant trauma, as I was saying. It is important to remember that our resettlement program is first and foremost about saving lives and bringing people to safety. It is not expected that all refugees will be able to fully support themselves upon their arrival in Canada.
That being said, this government is committed to ensuring that these new permanent residents are provided with the tools they need to set themselves up for success. Between July and September 2016, the government conducted a survey of Syrian refugees, as well as focus groups and interviews, in order to understand what the obstacles to their progress had been up until now. This evaluation revealed that Syrian refugees are generally integrating at the same rate as other resettled refugee groups have in the past.
As with the previous refugee populations that Canada has resettled, many of the recent wave of Syrian refugees have limited or no English or French language skills. However, as we have seen from numerous media stories, their lack of language skills has not tempered their enthusiasm to contribute to their new communities or find employment.
In general, Syrian refugees who were surveyed said they were happy with their life in Canada and that their immediate and essential needs are being met. However, all refugees need support and time to become accustomed to their new communities and adapt to a whole new life in Canada. The evaluation also found that there were unique challenges for these refugees. For example, adult Syrian GARs tend to be less educated and less fluent in Canada's official languages than other resettled adult GARs admitted in recent years.
In the first seven to nine months, employment rates were roughly 10% for government-assisted refugees and 50% for Syrian privately-sponsored refugees. This is aligned with historical employment rates for resettled refugees in Canada one year after their arrival. The employment rate was the same under the former Conservative government, which the member opposite was a member of.
As in the case of the Syrian refugees who arrived recently, this is largely because government-assisted refugees tend to be more vulnerable and typically have lower language skills, which of course presents a barrier to employment.
We encourage all refugees to access the settlement support services they need to help them succeed. These include language training, employment services, and community connections. These services are available to refugees and to all permanent residents at no cost until they are granted Canadian citizenship.
This fiscal year, the government will invest more than $900 million to assist all newcomers in improving their language skills and to provide other settlement services that will help them find employment. While the integration process takes time, it ultimately helps refugees to succeed and to contribute to Canadian society. As with previous refugee arrivals, we expect the majority of Syrian refugees will ultimately succeed in our labour market and society. We are very pleased about that.
