Immigration and Settlement

That the CCR Executive meet with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to request that:

1. The level for government-assisted refugees be restored to 13,000 and that this level be met;
2. The AAP Program be provided with sufficient funds to ensure that the level can be met;
3. To meet the 1993 level, the immediate families of accepted refugees already in Canada and those landed under the backlog be resettled immediately, whether or not they are in the family class.
4. When levels are not met by the end of the year, the balance of the quota be carried through to the following year and be added on to that year's level.

That the CCR Settlement Working Group meet with Danielle Racette, LINC Implementation Team Director, Citizenship and Immigration, to discuss these issues and develop a fair and equitable manner to recover administrative and volunteer costs associated with the Programme.

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.

That the CCR bring to the attention of funders the need to recognize and provide administrative support costs to their funding programmes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.