Immigration and Settlement

That the CCR communicate to the appropriate governmental and social service bodies at every possible opportunity that:

1. Non-governmental settlement services are an integral part of the social service delivery system and that the expertise of these services must be fully recognized;
2. Non-governmental settlement services must have equal access to funding for social services; 3. Ongoing funding must be made available to ensure continuity of services and to maintain quality of services through appropriate resources for planning, delivery and evaluation.

That the CCR undertake to communicate to the government that:

1.   Immigrant settlement services should not be limited to new arrivals within a restricted time period (wherever limitation exists);
2. Immigrant serving agencies are qualified not only to provide initial settlement services but also a wide range of specialized services such as family counselling, employment and job training, etc.;
3. Immigrant serving agencies should have equal access to funding to meet unmet needs of the community they serve, including those needs which extend beyond the initial stage of settlement.

That the CCR urge: 

1. That a moratorium be placed on the implementation and piloting of the SMIS until such time as a mutually acceptable agreement is reached by the National Working Group;
2. That the National Working Group be comprised of:
   1. one provincial representative nominated by each of AMSSA, AAISA, SAISA, MICA, OCASI, and one for the Atlantic Region;
   2. an Information Technology Expert, nominated by the CCR;
   3. a legal expert on privacy, nominated by the CCR;
   4. an expert on programme evaluation, nominated by the CCR;
   5. a refugee client of a CCR member agency;
   6. an immigrant client of a CCR member agency;
   7. government staff including Settlement and Integration Policy, Research and Settlement Operations;
3. That the National Working Group be co-chaired by an NGO and a government representative;
4. That the agreements reached by the National Working Group be implemented in a timely fashion;
5. That the NGO representatives keep the refugee and immigrant services organizations fully informed of the progress and seek their input including but not limited to the following issues:
   1. client confidentiality
   2. who has access to the reports produced
   3. a review of the mandatory information required
   4. what clients and programmes can be exempt from the SMIS reports
   5. the use and the meaningfulness of the performance indicators
   6. what kind of reports will be generated and how will they be used
   7. the security of the data
   8. what process will be used to ensure that planning will be collaborative;
6. That sufficient funding be made available to the NGO representatives for:
   1. travel
   2. consultation
   3. telephone and fax
   4. expert advice
   5. honoraria for refugee and immigrant client representatives.

That the CCR:

1. Adopt as its position that no form of bonds should be considered as a viable option for ensuring compliance in sponsorship agreements;
2. Communicate this position to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

That the CCR:

1. Urge that the government play a leadership role in public education to dispel the negative myths about refugees and immigrants and increase resources to allow non-governmental groups to do so effectively;
2. Ask all CCR members to urge the media to be fair and balanced in their coverage of refugee issues.

That the CCR write to the Federal Ministers of Human Resources Development and Citizenship and Immigration, asking that they accord immigrant and refugee youth a high priority in Federal Government program development and funding.

 That the CCR:

1. Enter into discussions with C&I with the intention of housing this initiative;
2. The Executive Committee be authorized to submit a proposal to C&I for the establishment and operation of an independent clearing house for settlement-related research, information and documentation.

that the CCR call on CIC, in the case of the death of the sponsor or principal applicant, to ensure that:

1. The permanent residence application is processed to completion taking into account the best interests of the child and other humanitarian and compassionate considerations.
2. If the persons concerned are in Canada this processing be completed prior to potential removal.

that the CCR call on the governments of Canada and Quebec to abolish the minimum income requirement for all classes of family class sponsorship.

that the CCR honour all the Treaties upon which this country is founded and which bind all of us as Treaty peoples.