27 April 2005
Honourable Murray Coell
Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services
PO Box 9042
STN PROV GOVT
Victoria, BC, V8W 9E2
Dear Minister,
I am writing on behalf of the Canadian Council for Refugees to express
serious concern at the recent developments in the administration of settlement
services for newcomers in British Columbia. We
are particularly concerned that refugee claimants appear to be among those
most negatively affected by the changes.
We believe that community-based settlement services play a crucial
role in promoting the integration of newcomers, assisting them in becoming
full participants in Canadian society and assisting Canadian society in adapting
to new members. These services are particularly
important for the less privileged newcomers, who face numerous barriers including
language, insecure status, stresses due to past trauma and family separation. Refugee claimants as a group are among the least privileged,
and at the same time they are going through complex legal and administrative
processes which few service providers understand or are equipped to advise
on.
It was therefore with dismay that the Canadian Council for Refugees
learned of the considerable disruption in the provision of settlement services
in BC, as a result of the shift to the Request for Proposal funding method,
and in particular of the drastic cuts suffered through this process by the
principal organizations in British Columbia with experience and proven competence
in offering services to refugee claimants.
We therefore urge you to review the changes made by your government,
with the goal of identifying and addressing any negative impacts on the delivery
of settlement services to newcomers, with particular attention to the needs
of refugee claimants. We also urge your government
to ensure that adequate funds are allocated to settlement services so that
the changes do not continue to leave the gaps in services and supports that
have so far been generated.
The Canadian Council for Refugees is an umbrella organization with
over 180 member organizations. We are committed
to the protection of refugees in Canada and around the world and to the settlement
of newcomers in Canada.
Yours sincerely,
Nick Summers
President
cc. Patricia Birkett, A/Director General, Integration
Branch, CIC