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Immigration and Settlement

Collaborative funding efforts

Resolution number
13
Whereas
  1. Under the current era of fiscal restraint and funding cutbacks, agencies are being encouraged to enter into collaborative efforts for service delivery;
  2. The criteria for establishing collaborative efforts has been only loosely developed;
  3. The attempt to forge effective, equitable collaborative efforts has met with little, if any, success;
  4. The funding allocated to conjoint projects is never adequate to allow organizations to engage in a process of development;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Bring to the attention of funders, particularly the federal government and specifically the funders participating in the Culturally Appropriate Social Services Conference in Montreal, June 5 - 7, the need to allocate sufficient funds for the development process of forging equitable collaborative efforts between mainstream and community-based organizations including, but not limited to, the criteria for equitable power-sharing;
  2. Call upon the mainstream organizations to join in the effort of making the development process a reality for forging meaningful, equitable collaborative efforts.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement

Funding for administrative support

Resolution number
12
Whereas
  1. Settlement service agencies are encouraged to participate in special funding projects of their respective funders;
  2. Funders continue to expect settlement service agencies to provide administrative support costs and other internal resources such as staff time out of their core budgets
  3. This potentiality inhibits settlement agencies from accessing various funding programmes due to decreasing internal resources;
Therefore be it resolved
That the CCR bring to the attention of funders the need to recognize and provide administrative support costs to their funding programmes.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement

Settlement worker recognition

Resolution number
11
Whereas
  1. Settlement workers provide essential services in providing support during transition and adaptation of immigrants and refugees;
  2. Settlement workers have immense linguistic, cultural and crosscultural skills that are in demand by both the host community and immigrants and refugees;
  3. The majority of settlement workers are immigrants, visible minorities and women;
  4. Two of the four priority groups as identified by the federal government's employment equity plan are visible minorities and women;
  5. The ISAP contracts provided by the Department of Immigration to settlement agencies refuse to acknowledge and/or provide funding for any benefits except those mandated by law (i.e. CPP and UIC);
  6. Settlement agencies are independent and should not be subject to government wage freezes;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR write to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration urging him to fully recognize Settlement Worker skills by providing funds to allow settlement agencies to implement an adequate salary structure and benefit package including health and retirement plans.

Working Group
Immigration and Settlement

Research

Resolution number
10
Whereas
  1. Community-based organizations across the country engage in research activities around the issues of immigrant and refugee services;
  2. There is a severe lack in funding these research activities at the grass roots level;
  3. Funders usually contract out research on immigrant and refugee services delivery to private consultants and academics;
  4. Research results are in consequence inadequate and not pertinent to the real needs of immigrant/refugee and ethnocultural communities across Canada;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Call upon all funders and particularly the federal government to recognize the value of research activities carried out by community-based immigrant and refugee organizations;
  2. Call upon all funders and particularly the federal government to provide financial resources for community-based organizations to continue to improve and expand research activities on immigrant/refugee service delivery;
  3. Continue to provide at the semiannual consultation a forum for community-based organizations to present the results of and exchange information on the various research activities across the different regions.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement

Access to health care services for refugee claimants

Resolution number
9
Whereas
  1. Health service is a right in Canada;
  2. Eligibility to the new Interim Federal Health Programme will be based on response of refugee claimants at points of entry and inland immigration offices to the question: "will you be able to cover any medical costs you may incur while your claim is being processed?";
  3. The claimant will be intimidated and scared to answer "no" for fear that this would jeopardize their claim;
  4. The claimant will be required to sign a declaration of eligibility (IMM-1442) at the point of entry or inland office;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR: 

  1. Urge the Federal Immigration Department to consider the removal of any eligibility criteria to be asked at the point of entry or inland offices at a time when claimants are seeking asylum;
  2. Request that the question of ability to pay for medical costs be removed and that health services be made available unconditionally to all claimants regardless of ability to pay;
  3. Urge the Department of Citizenship and Immigration to remove the mandatory condition that claimants sign the declaration of eligibility.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement

Immigrant and refugee mental health

Resolution number
8
Whereas
  1. The settlement and adaptation process has been recognised in the Report "After the Door has been Opened" to have significant mental health aspects;
  2. The federal Ministries of Human Resources, Citizenship and Immigration, Canadian Heritage, and Health are concerned with the successful settlement of Immigrants and refugees;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR request that:

  1. The above mentioned Federal ministries continue to implement the recommendations of the report "After the Door Has Been Opened";
  2. These Ministries pay particular attention to and review the mental health effects of their policies;
  3. These Ministries urge the Provincial Ministries of Health to recognise cross cultural mental health counselling by including costs for these services under the Provincial Health Plans.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement
Subject
Mental health

Racism: media portrayal

Resolution number
7
Whereas
The media portrayal of refugees and immigrants has tended to focus on the negative rather than the positive;
Therefore be it resolved
That the CCR encourage its member organizations to monitor and respond to the media portrayal of refugees and immigrants and to advocate for more balanced coverage, and that the CCR member organizations having experience in media monitoring and media relations make their expertise known to the CCR for sharing among its members.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement

Anti-racism and equity

Resolution number
6
Whereas
  1. Ministries of Education and Boards of Education across Canada are developing and implementing policies of Race Relations and Ethno-cultural Equity;
  2. Anti-racism education is most effective when it involves participants in a process that addresses attitudinal change;
  3. Member groups of CCR have grassroots, community experience, as well as an analysis from international experience, in the meaning and effects of racism;
Therefore be it resolved
That the CCR communicate with the Ministries of Education with a list of CCR member groups and the recommendation that Boards of Education be encouraged to communicate with these groups as sources of local resource people for teacher workshops, classroom presentations and representation on policy-shaping committees at the Board level.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement

Anti-racism education

Resolution number
5
Whereas
  1. Racism is a reality in Canadian society;
  2. In particular, racism is reflected in refugee and immigrant selection policies;
  3. The deepening economic recession has stimulated even more backlash against refugees and immigrants;
  4. Another important reflection of racism is the manner in which refugees and immigrants are treated after arrival. There are numerous racial discriminations which appear in the public and the political domain. As a result Canadian refugees and immigrant people of colour and their children are being systematically prevented from participating in the Canadian mosaic;
Therefore be it resolved

That:

  1. The CCR as a priority undertake a programme of public education to dispel refugee myths. One major undertaking should be the incorporation into press releases of the contribution of newcomers to this society;
  2. The CCR incorporate a statement into all its external and internal documents, such as its mission statement and its By-Laws, that part of the role of the Council is to actively promote an anti-racist perspective/initiative in all its work;
  3. The CCR set up an internal core group that includes representation from the diverse refugee and immigrant communities to devise strategies to combat racism;
  4. As part of its mandate, the core group encourage linkages between immigrant and refugee groups.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement

Female genital mutilation

Resolution number
4
Whereas
  1. Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) affects over 114 million women and girls in the world;
  2. An estimated 6 - 8 million girls under the age of 10 undergo the process of female genital mutilation each year;
  3. Female genital mutilation is the removal of, or injury to, any part of the female genital organ. The three main types are:

    Type 1) Clitoridectomy ("sunna") which may involve:

    1. Pricking the clitoris to induce bleeding,
    2. partial removal of the clitoris,
    3. complete removal of the clitoris

     

    Type 2)  Excision - removal of the clitoris and partial or complete removal of the labia minora

    Type 3) Infibulation ("Pharaonic mutilation") removal of the clitoris, labia minora, parts of the labia majora and the stitching together of the vulva (infibulation) to obliterate the urethra and the vaginal orifice except for a small opening (Women's Health in Women's Hands);

  4. Female Genital Mutilation is valued as a significant ritual within the cultures and communities in which it is practised but it has no valid religious or spiritual basis;
  5. Female Genital Mutilation can cause death in extreme cases or will leave the young woman with ongoing, lifelong health problems such as urinary and menstrual flow retention, dysmenorrhoea, infections of the reproductive and urinary tract, chronic pelvic infection, problems with childbirth, with sexual activity and chronic pain;
  6. Female Genital Mutilation is specifically identified as illegal in many countries and in Canada it is considered as child abuse in the section of physical abuse and aggravated assault;
  7. Female Genital Mutilation is child abuse but is also a violation of women's human rights, is violence against women, is violence against women's sexuality, is torture;
  8. Most importantly, Female Genital Mutilation is being practised in refugee camps, and it is well known what the sanitary conditions of refugees camps are like to undertake a radical surgery such as FGM;
Therefore be it resolved

That the CCR:

  1. Recommend to the UNCHR to recognise that Female Genital Mutilation is a human rights issue, and that it should be treated as such;
  2. Request that the Criminal Code of Canada be amended to specifically identify Female Genital Mutilation as a criminal act, and explore the possibility of appropriate new legislation;
  3. Urge the Federal and Provincial Ministries to appropriate funds and resources to provide counselling and support groups for the victims of FGM, for educational programmes to take place within the communities in which Female Genital Mutilation is practised and in order for the affected communities to educate the mainstream Canadian society, in particular, health service providers and educational institutions;
  4. Continue to pursue the issue of Female Genital Mutilation through information sharing, education and in advocacy;
  5. Explore the inclusion of FGM on the platform for action in the upcoming fourth world conference on Women, in Beijing 1995;
  6. Urge Canada to provide protection to women and to women and their daughters who are fleeing the FGM practice.
Working Group
Immigration and Settlement
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