August 23, 2022 — Cornwall, Ontario — Newcomers to Canada play a crucial role in our country’s future and our economic recovery from the pandemic. They enrich our communities, and they work every day to create jobs, care for our loved ones and support local businesses.
To help newcomers settle in small and rural communities, and access essential services during their first year, Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced Tuesday the expansion of critical resettlement capacity and settlement services in eastern Ontario. Through an investment of $840,271, newcomers will have more access to case management support.
The Conseil Économique et Social d’Ottawa-Carleton (CESOC) also received $605,648 in additional funding to support its existing Refugee Resettlement Assistance Program. This will allow the organization to deliver essential services to more government-assisted refugees, including Afghan nationals, in their area.
Settlement services help newcomers receive language training, find a job, and connect with their communities so that they can successfully integrate into Canadian society. Following the Resettlement Assistance Program and case management services call for proposals in August 2021, this project submitted by the CESOC was selected to provide additional case management services to help refugees and vulnerable newcomers settle and adapt to life in eastern Ontario.
“Newcomers and refugees have long been a driving force behind Canada’s society and economy, and our country has a proud tradition of being an international leader in resettlement and integration. This success could not be achieved without vital settlement service organizations, such as the Conseil Économique et Social d’Ottawa-Carleton, that help newcomers learn Canada’s official languages, find work, and build successful lives in their new communities,” said Lalonde.
This investment will extend case management services in Cornwall and the surrounding area in English and French, which will help vulnerable newcomers receive support and referrals to services needed to settle successfully into their new communities. The CESOC plays a key role in enhancing access to support services for refugees in smaller and rural communities, and providing newcomers with the tools needed for their long-term success.
“As a long-standing partner of Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada, the CESOC greatly values this funding, which will allow our teams to continue to provide support to refugees newly settled in the region. The CESOC is grateful to the Department for its trust and believes that the effective socio-economic integration of refugees is a shared responsibility between the federal authorities and the community,” said Saint-Phard Désir, Executive Director, Conseil Économique et Social d’Ottawa-Carleton.