National Settlement Conference II
Community Building Strategies for the 21st Century:
Innovation, Inclusion and Partnership
October 2 – 5, 2003
Westin Hotel
Calgary, Alberta
THURSDAY OCTOBER 2, 2003
2:00 REGISTRATION BEGINS
3:00 – 5:00 OPEN HOUSE
(SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE AVAILABLE)
(Calgary Catholic Immigration Society – Margaret Chisholm Resettlement
Centre)
4:00 – 6:00 INTEREST GROUP MEETINGS (IGM)
These moderated sessions will provide an opportunity for networking
and for discussion of issues relevant to the following subjects:
A - Health
Location: Greenfield
Facilitator: Sarah Bowen
B – Employment
Location: Eau Claire North
Facilitators: Clifford Bell and Safia Shire
C - Language
Location: Lougheed
Facilitators: Brenda Lohrenz and Alison Norman
D - Host/Volunteer/Community Bridging
Location: Manning
Facilitators: Kemi Jacobs and Jerry Wu
E - Refugee Issues
Location: Barclay
Facilitators: Fiona Corbin and Diane Fisher
F - Partnership Building
Location: Eau Claire South
Facilitators: Jean Séguin and Fariborz Birjandian
G - Education and Immigrant Youth
Location: Brownlee
Facilitator: Fadia Ismail
7:00 – 9:00 WELCOME RECEPTION
(WESTIN HOTEL - BONAVISTA)
FRIDAY OCTOBER 3, 2003
7:30 – 8:30 BREAKFAST
(BRITANNIA)
8:30 – 8:45 INTRODUCTION/CONTEXT SETTING
(SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION AVAILABLE)
Rosaline Frith (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) and Reza Shahbazi
(Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants), Co-chairs of Joint Planning
Committee and Naomi Alboim, Moderator
Location: Britannia
8:45 – 9:15 OPENING ADDRESS
(SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION AVAILABLE)
The Honourable Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Canada. There will be a question period.
Location: Britannia
9:15 – 10:00 GUEST SPEAKER
(SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION AVAILABLE)
Haroon Siddiqui, Editorial Page Editor Emeritus of The Toronto Star. There
will be a question period.
Location: Britannia
10:00 – 10:30 BREAK
10:30 – 12:15 EFFECTING CHANGE FOR YOUR COMMUNITY: PLENARY SESSION
ON POLICY DEVELOPMENT
(SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION AVAILABLE)
Location: Britannia
Panelists: Naomi Alboim (Moderator), Rob Vineberg (Director General,
Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Prairies and Northern Territories
Region), Marc Khouri (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Minister’s
Office, Special Assistant – Atlantic, Prairies, West and North),
Janet Dench (Executive Director, Canadian Council for Refugees, Quebec)
An individual or an organisation can help effect change in a community
by getting the right message at the right time to the right decision-makers.
The objective of this plenary session is to help build the capacity of
the conference participants to understand and to influence government
policy making. A short presentation will focus on the government policy-making
process. Several panelists will then provide government and non-governmental
organization perspectives and advice on how to navigate the system and
how to effectively influence policy-making in a meaningful way.
12:15 – 1:45 LUNCH
1:00 – 1:30 PRESENTATION OF THE LONGITUDINAL SURVEY OF IMMIGRANTS
TO CANADA
(SIMULTANEOUS INTERPRETATION AVAILABLE)
Location: Britannia
Presenter: Jean Bergeron (Senior Research Officer, Priorities, Planning
and Research Branch, Citizenship and Immigration Canada)
The Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC), conducted by
Statistics Canada and Citizenship and Immigration Canada under the Policy
Research Data Gap Initiative, is a comprehensive survey designed to study
the process by which new immigrants adapt to the Canadian society. Data
from the first wave of interviews were released on September 4th, 2003
and are now available to help policy makers and service providers adjust
existing programs or develop new ones to better support newcomers settle
in Canada. This presentation will provide details on the survey, and highlights
of the initial results with regard to the newcomers experiences in trying
to find housing, health care, training and jobs.
1:45 – 5:15 WORKSHOPS 1A TO 1D
1A Regionalisation: For Immigrants Only? Field of Dreams or Gulags!
(Simultaneous Interpretation Available)
Location: Rideau/Mount Royal
Presenters: Geneviève Chagnon (Carrefour BLE, Quebec), Moussa
Guene (Promis, Quebec), Uzma Shakir (Council of Agencies Serving South
Asians, Ontario) and Jane Cullingworth (Policy Roundtable Mobilizing Professions
and Trades, Ontario)
Moderator: Fariborz Birjandian
Context: In recent years, immigrant serving agencies have faced the challenge
of regionalisation of their clientele.
Objectives: 1) To explore key questions about regionalisation in Quebec;
2) To unravel the complex issues involved in regionalisation, moving beyond
the level of services to issues of public policy and social justice.
Format: Uzma Shakir and Jane Cullingworth will present theoretical and
personal perspectives on the “dispersal” policy and invite
discussion towards concrete policy recommendations. Genevieve Chagnon
and Moussa Guene will lead an interactive session.
1B The Integration of Francophone Immigrants Outside Quebec: Challenges
and Perspectives (Policy workshop)
Location: Brownlee
Presenters: Pierre Dadjo (Conseil économique et social d’Ottawa-Carleton,
Ontario), Ginette Gratton (Communications consultant, Ontario), Sévérin
N’dema-Moussa (Conseil pour l’Intégration des Francophones
minorités raciales, Ontario), Tharcisse Ntakibirora (Centre communautaire
régional de London, Ontario)
Moderator: Jean Séguin
Objectives: To share current provincial practices outside of Quebec and
increase awareness of immigrant serving organizations; to explore the
relevance of providing services in accordance with the Official Languages
Act and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; to initiate a study of francophone
immigration outside of Quebec.
Format: Provincial representatives will provide an overview of the services
they offer to francophone immigrants and the objectives met in offering
these services. A discussion leader will help participants arrive at a
general definition of integration and then pose questions such as: What
are the challenges faced by francophone immigrants outside of Quebec?
What strategies can be used to overcome the challenges?
1C Non-Governmental Organization Resources for Settlement Policy Development,
Planning and Service Delivery: Challenges and Opportunities (Policy workshop)
Location: Banff
Presenter: Ted Richmond (Community Social Planning Council of Toronto,
Ontario) and M.S. Mwarigha (Toronto Community Housing Committee, Ontario)
Moderator: Reza Shahbazi
Objectives: 1) Ted Richmond will explore the important paradox whereby
NGOs in the settlement sector face growing demand for participation in
policy development and a simultaneous reduction in required resources;
2) M.S. Mwarigha will articulate how the current resource concentration
within upper tier government results in service overload at the urban
community level of the settlement sector and what impact this has on local
services and infrastructure.
Format: Ted Richmond’s discussion will include an overview of the
basic trends shaping NGOs, an examination of the various notions of the
“voluntary sector,” and consideration of alternative resources
for NGO policy work. M.S. Mwarigha will explore how settlement bodies
can assertively propose alternatives for effective service delivery, continued
public support for urban immigration, and continued support for the settlement
sector from all levels of government. There will be a question period.
1D Settlement In Smaller Centres and Rural Areas (Simultaneous Interpretation
Available)
Location: Eau Claire South
Presenters: Guylaine Dodier (Service d'accueil des Nouveaux Arrivants
région de Lac-Mégantic, Quebec), Tara Blanchard (Moose Jaw
Multicultural Council, Saskatchewan) and Liz Robinson (Government of Manitoba,
Manitoba)
Moderator: Bob Godkin
Objectives: To demonstrate the feasibility of settlement in smaller centres
and rural areas in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Manitoba by exploring current
trends and common practices; to examine the economic and social contributions
of immigration.
Format: The presenters will demonstrate the feasibility of accepting
newcomers in smaller centres and rural areas, consider immigration in
its global scope (Qualitative = Quantitative) and present the tools used
in ruralization, such as seminars, partnering efforts with immigrant serving
NGOs, online applicant databases, and the distribution of career opportunities
to organizations in other regions. The presenters will also demonstrate
unique settlement practices and how to overcome the barriers of attracting
and retaining newcomers to the underpopulated areas of Canada. Panel presentation
and interactive session.
1:45 – 3:15 WORKSHOPS 2A TO 2H
2A Addressing Domestic Abuse From a Culturally Sensitive Perspective
Within the Settlement Sector: Developing Integrated Partnerships Amongst
Immigrant Service Providing Organizations and Community Agencies Serving
Victims of Violence
Location: Lake Louise
Presenters: Inderjit Grewal (Hiatus House, Ontario) and Eva Kratochvil
(The Multicultural Council of Windsor & Essex County, Ontario)
Moderator: Lauren Johnson
Objectives: To present an effective framework for domestic violence counselling
of immigrant newcomers; to examine the development of integrated partnerships
between newcomer service organizations and mainstream agencies.
Format: There will be a panel presentation where relevant issues will
be discussed, including: answering culturally sensitive questions when
servicing immigrants; barriers that prevent immigrant women from leaving
abusive relationships; appropriate assistance for primary and secondary
settlement issues, and strategies for developing partnerships between
newcomer service organizations and mainstream agencies to more effectively
reach victims of violence (with a successful example from Windsor &
Essex County). There will be a question period.
2B Protecting Refugee Claimants: New Ideas Concerning Services (Simultaneous
Interpretation Available)
Location: Eau Claire North
Presenters: Cécile Marotte and Nadja Pollaert (Table de concertation
des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes,
Quebec)
Moderator: Morteza Jafarpour
Context: Since 1984, the protection of refugee claimants in Quebec has
been the top priority for the Comité d’aide aux réfugiés
(CAR). In response to growing demands, rising complexity, and slowing
transfer of information, the Table de concertation des organismes au service
des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI) created a
pilot project to restructure and enhance CAR intervention strategies.
Objectives: The presenters will detail the TCRI project and its main
objective: to create a model for evaluating refugee claimant services,
particularly legal counselling, psychological support and social aid.
Format: Panel presentation followed by an interactive discussion with
workshop participants.
2C Integrated Bridging Programs for Immigrant Professionals: Development
of an ETIP-based Template for Application to Other Professions
Location: Bonavista
Presenters: Don Byers (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Alberta)
and Ninfa Castellanos (Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, Alberta)
Moderator: Cynthia Stewart
Objectives: To examine key facets of the highly successful Engineering
Technologists Integration Project (ETIP) and explore how it may be reconfigured
for other professions.
Format: The presenters will: 1) detail how the ETIP was developed; 2)
describe use of the unique Prior Learning Assessment instrument; 3) address
issues surrounding client selection, assessment, training, and placement;
4) explore how key ETIP processes may be applied to programs for other
professions (developmental work on programs for internationally trained
teachers and accountants will be unveiled). There will be a question period.
(Note: In an attempt to stimulate productive discussion and debate around
the issue of application of the template to other professions, several
weeks prior to the conference, the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers
(EMCN) will make every effort to post either the highlights or the actual
papers prepared by the presenters on the EMCN website at www.emcn.ab.ca.)
2D Renewing the relationship between Government and Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGO) (Policy workshop - Simultaneous Interpretation Available)
Location: Britannia
Presenters: Stephan Reichhold (Table de concertation des organismes au
service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes, Quebec)
and Sangeeta Subramanian (South Asian Women’s Centre, Ontario)
Moderator: Chris Friesen
Context: Discussion at National Settlement Conference I identified the
need for a national framework for engagement between NGOs and governments
in public policy debates and decision-making processes.
Objective: To present models and engage participants in dialogue towards
establishing a national framework that would shed light on issues critical
to the sector and maintain a diversity of provincial and regional perspectives.
Format: The presenters will present several possible models (including
a number that are currently in use) and invite participants to share viewpoints
and propose additional models.
2E Persons without immigration status in Canada (Policy workshop)
Location: Manning
Presenters: Avvy Yao-Yao Go (Metro Toronto Chinese & Southeast Asian
Legal Clinic, Ontario), Carolina Bernstein (Access Alliance Multicultural
Community Health Centre, Ontario), and Victor Wong (Vancouver Association
of Chinese Canadians, British Columbia)
Moderator: Diane Fisher
Objectives: To increase awareness of the difficulties faced by persons
without immigration status in Canada and the implications these issues
have on settlement policy and practice.
Format: The presenters will outline the issue through an overview of
four key areas: 1) How people become persons without immigration status
in Canada; 2) How Canadian laws and regulations contribute to problems
facing persons without immigration status in Canada; 3) Who are persons
without immigration status in Canada; 4) The challenges for individuals
without status. There will be opportunity for interactive audience participation.
2F Settlement and Integration: Then and Now (Policy workshop)
Location: Barclay
Presenters: Loly Rico (Canadian Council for Refugees, Ontario), Kemi
Jacobs (Canadian Council for Refugees, Ontario), and Sherman Chan (MOSAIC,
British Columbia)
Moderator: Martha Bendiner
Objectives: To examine how trends in immigration policy have affected
settlement in Canada; to explore how regional and national settlement
bodies have adjusted to the evolving needs of newcomers; to address current
immigration challenges.
Format: Panelists will provide an historical overview of immigration
policy. Then work groups (arranged by province) will be set up to examine
the impact of policy change on settlement organization practices. Next,
an environmental scan will identify current challenges facing the sector.
Finally, participants will reassemble into work groups to develop solutions
for meeting the current challenges.
2G The New Canadian English Language Benchmarks Assessment for Nurses:
A Model for Other Professions and Trades
Location: Lougheed
Presenters: Pauline McNaughton (Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks,
Ontario) and Lucy Epp (Red River College, Manitoba)
Moderator: Brenda Lohrenz
Objectives: To present the Canadian English Language Benchmarks Assessment
for Nurses as an effective medium for improving integration of internationally-trained
nurses; to explore how the benchmarks assessment can serve as a model
for other professions and trades.
Format: The presenters will describe the increasing centrality of immigration
to Canada’s economic growth and emphasize the importance of language
fluency in successful integration. They will also detail how the new benchmarks
assessment medium can produce valid, reliable and cost-effective results
used by various employers and licensing bodies across the country. There
will be a question period.
2H Funding Agency Infrastructure: An Ongoing Struggle (Policy workshop)
Location: Lakeview
Presenter: George Glover (Catholic Community Services of York Region,
Ontario)
Moderator: Debbie Douglas
Objectives: To review the current funding needs of settlement agencies
and examine the funding practices of Citizenship and Immigration Canada
and other government and non-government funding bodies; to review the
Code of Good Practice on Funding produced by the Voluntary Sector Initiative;
and to detail the necessary steps for agencies and governments when implementing
the Code.
Format: A four-part presentation with questions and discussion following
each segment. The presenter will be particularly interested in hearing
the perspectives of participants from outside Ontario.
3:15 – 3:45 BREAK
3:45 – 5:15 WORKSHOPS 3A TO 3F
3A Innovation in Immigrant and Refugee Youth Focused Programming
Location: Lake Louise
Presenters: Achala Hewaarachchi and Fadia Ismail (YMCA School Support
Program, Nova Scotia), Carmen G. Munoz (Immigrant Service Society of BC,
British Columbia) and Fransisco Fernando Granados (Youth Participant,
Immigrant Services Society of BC, British Columbia)
Moderator: Linda Dirkson
Objectives: The presenters will share insights on the issues newcomer
youth face and explain how these support models promote physical and mental
well being in their communities, while creating awareness and improving
the cultural sensitivity among school staff. Fransisco Granados, an 18-year-old
refugee youth from Guatemala, will share his journey of integration and
outline the services that have helped him through this process.
Format: The YMCA Newcomer School Support Staff and the Immigrant Services
Society of BC will be highlighting two innovative approaches that target
the needs of immigrant and refugee youth during their integration process
into Canadian Society.
3B Participation of Newcomers and Minorities in Canadian Political Processes
(Policy workshop)
Location: Barclay
Presenters: Erin Tolley (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Metropolis
Project Team), Teresa Woo-Paw (Community consultant, Alberta), Amal Umar
(Multiculturalism, Canadian Heritage, Alberta), and Livianna Tossutti
(Brock University, Ontario)
Moderator: Amal Umar
Context: It has been suggested that in a diverse society nothing is more
important than ensuring that all citizens have the opportunity to participate
in the discussions that set the rules by which we agree to live. This
workshop will combine presentations by a researcher who has worked on
this topic, a community member who has served as the head of the Calgary
School Board, and a municipal and federal official who have been engaged
in community outreach.
Objective: To present and discuss progress made on this front.
Format: All presenters will focus on best practices and recommendations
for how newcomer and minority communities can exercise their active citizenship
in political processes. Participants will receive several recent research
papers on the subject, proceedings of a political participation seminar,
and a Metropolis Policy Brief on political participation. During discussion
participants will work towards recommendations for future research and
policy development.
3C Fostering Successful Integration of Refugees and Immigrants by Addressing
Barriers to Employment
Location: Eau Claire North
Presenters: Helen Smith-McIntyre and Alex Istifo (Saskatoon Refugee Coalition,
Saskatchewan)
Moderator: Sam Laldin
Objectives: To explore immigrant/refugee barriers to meaningful employment
and strategies for addressing the barriers; to develop plans for communicating
these strategies to relevant policy and decision makers.
Format: The panelists will give accounts of employment barriers based
on their personal experiences including issues such as recognized work
experience, professional accreditation, gender and race. There will also
be a presentation of data based on current research. The audience will
participate through small and large work groups in the development of
barrier-reducing strategies and communication plans.
3D What Kinds of Services Do Newcomers Want? (Policy workshop)
Location: Bonavista
Presenters: Dr. Gillian Kerr and Anne Simard (RealWorld Systems, Ontario)
Moderator: Lauren Johnson
Context: The presenters collected and analyzed interview data for the
Immigrant Settlement and Adaptation Program (ISAP) and Newcomer Settlement
Program reviews for the province of Ontario. They are aware that many
in the settlement sector are interested in the outcomes of the study.
Objectives: To present and discuss the results of the Immigrant Settlement
and Adaptation Program and Newcomer Settlement Program reviews, with emphasis
on the types of services that immigrants and refugees value and want in
Canada.
Format: To be tailored according to the needs and interests of the participants.
3E Impact of the Canadian Language Benchmarks on National Settlement
and Integration and the Need for a National Strategy (Policy workshop
- Simultaneous Interpretation Available)
Location: Britannia
Presenters: Pauline McNaughton (Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks,
Ontario), Tara Holmes (Alberta Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies,
Alberta) and Carolyn Dieleman (Government of Alberta, Alberta)
Moderator: Tim Helfrick
Objectives: To review the significant impact that the Canadian Language
Benchmarks (CLB) have had on settlement and integration; to devise strategies
through which the CLB initiative can broaden its scope and reach its full
potential.
Format: The panel will explore how the CLB have had a profound impact
on adult English second language instruction and describe tremendous advances
made in bringing the CLB to the labour sector. Participants will help
develop strategies for broadening CLB application that will improve newcomers’
access to post-secondary education, training programs, professional accreditation
and trades licensing.
3F Building Support Networks for Refugees with Special Needs: Joint
Assisted Sponsorships
Location: Manning
Presenters: Diane Dicks (World Vision Canada, Ontario), Elaine Harder
(Mennonite Central Committee, Saskatchewan), Mary Williamson (Cross Cultural
Learner Centre, Ontario) and Barbara Treviranus (Refugee Sponsorship Training
Program, Ontario)
Moderator: Diane Fisher
Context: In an effort to promote the program, its benefits and challenges,
sponsorship agreement holders are interested in engaging the broader settlement
community. While Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) service provider
organisations work together with sponsors in the initial orientation period,
the challenges of providing the extra medical and other settlement support
required by these special needs refugees affects the entire community.
Objectives: To examine the increasing complexity in the resettlement
of special needs refugees and the impact of the Joint Assistance Sponsorships
(JAS) program; to exchange ideas on effective partnerships and settlement
practices for special needs refugees.
Format: Following a brief outline of the Joint Assistance Sponsorships
program (including program partners and their roles and responsibilities),
participants will be assembled into groups to discuss effective settlement
of special needs cases and to devise solutions to issues.
7:00 – 11:00 WESTERN THEME PARTY
(SHUTTLE BUS SERVICE AVAILABLE)
Round-up Centre, Calgary Stampede Grounds
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