Settlement services

That the CCR urge Citizenship and Immigration Canada to undertake a review of the ISAP program, in consultation with service providers, other experts and stakeholders, with the intention of:

(a) examining what services are needed to help immigrants and refugees settle successfully.

(b) defining outcomes and standards for those services.

(c) reviewing reasonable case loads to assure an appropriate level of service.

(d) significantly raising the level of funding to settlement services in Canada.

That the CCR:

1. Request clarification from CIC regarding:
   a) What staff CIC believes need a security check and why.
   b) What credit checks are envisaged, whether they include volunteer board members who have bank signing authorities, and why.
   c) Why there is a rush on checks on staff using a computer system which we had been assured was secure and through which agencies would only have access to data regarding their own clients;
2. Urge the Prime Minister to address this issue as an example of systemic racism and the targeting of immigrants by the federal government;
3. Examine the Human Rights implications of this matter with the Human Rights Commission;
4. Explore the possibility of a charter challenge on this issue;
5. Bring the issue to the attention of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.

That the CCR request CIC to:

1. Provide a copy of the report prepared by the consultant on the national funding allocation formula;
2. Share their vision/action plan for providing necessary sustainable funding to address service needs as well as organizations' operational needs.

That the CCR urge CIC to:

1. Increase the overall amount of money available for immigrant services.
2. Include a consideration of secondary migration in the calculation of the funding allocation formula.

That CCR write to Treasury Board and CIC urging them to:

1. Stop the implementation of iCAMS until the issues between CIC national and CIC region have been resolved.
2. Review the iCAMS system in light of the new Voluntary Sector agreement to ensure that it conforms with the Code of Good Practices on Funding.
3. Take into consideration CCR's previous resolutions from May 2001(Res. 1), Dec. 2000 (Res. 16) and May 1999 (Res. 4).

That the CCR endorse the following Client Code of Service Rights and encourage its use by CCR member organizations:

1. You have the right to receive services in a trusting, respectful and supportive environment free of any form of discrimination or harassment.
2. You have the right of privacy and confidentiality and to disclose only what you believe is necessary at any given time.
3. Staff limits of confidentiality include: the requirement to report incidents of child abuse, to comply with a court ordered subpoena and to prevent harm.
4. The file is the property of [Agency name] and you have the right to review it and make comments if you disagree with the contents of the file.
5. You make decisions about your needs and goals.
6. You have the right to refuse services at any time or to request service from an alternate person.
7. You have the right to receive accurate, complete and timely information.
8. You have the right to a safe, fair and transparent complaint process when you feel that your rights have been violated.

That the CCR express to CIC-NHQ (Integration), CIC BC Region and the BC Ministry of Community, Aboriginal and Women's Services concerns about the threat posed to service quality, accessibility, professionalism and community connectedness by 'Open tendering' and the potential transfer of settlement services away from the current network of community-based agencies.

That the CCR write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration insisting that CIC:

1. Dedicate the necessary resources to bring the iCAMS system up to modern standards, so that: a) it will support database to database transfers, and b) allow for local reports production.
2. Adjust the data collection points in consultation with the sector to bring them in line with the Accountability Framework, and to make the system’s use less burdensome for agencies.

That the CCR:

1. Send a joint letter to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and to the Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities informing them that settlement and integration organizations in Canada are concerned about the decision of the Government of Québec to no longer provide specific support for twinning activities for newcomers as is done elsewhere in Canada;
2. Ask the Joint Committee with responsibility for the implementation of and follow up to the Accord to create a temporary committee to evaluate this loss of experience and of service for newcomers to Québec;
3. Ask for a public accounting by the Government of Canada and the Government of Québec for the amounts spent since 2000 as part of the financial compensation transferred each year by the federal government to Quebec pour settlement and integration services for newcomers;
4. As the Government of Québec to report on the allocation of the additional$20 million that it will receive from the federal government this year for services to newcomers.

That the CCR:

1. Communicate with CIC requesting that new funding for the settlement sector be allocated on the basis of the following principles:

   a)that small centres, particularly those with a high proportion of refugees to their total immigration, receive sufficient funding to maintain the capacity to meet the demand;
   b)centres experiencing substantial secondary migration arrivals need to receive sufficient funding to meet the resulting service demands;
   c)that the current 2-tiered (large region/small region) model be discontinued.

2. Request an opportunity to hold consultations between CIC and the sector with regards to reforming/replacing the Settlement Allocation Model.