Responding to Immigrants’ Settlement Needs The Canadian Experience
Robert Vineberg
PMC Conference, November 4, 2011
Contents
Pre-Confederation
 Post-Confederation to 1914
 The Interwar Period
 Post World War II to 1974
 Creation of the Settlement Program
 Settlement Renewal and Devolution
 Funding Issues
 Modern Settlement Programming

2
The Two Way Street

I can scarcely imagine any obligation which it
is more incumbent on Government to fulfill,
than that of … securing to … persons
disposed to emigrate every possible facility
and assistance, from the moment of their
intending to leave … to that of their
comfortable establishment…
 Lord Durham, 1839
3
Pre-Confederation

Early Legislation
 Protect the emigrant, protect yourself
◦ Quarantine Acts
 NS – 1761; Lower Canada - 1795
◦ Legislation for a landing fee – 1832
 All provinces raised money for the sick and
destitute
Emigrant Aid Societies
 1858 Province of Canada Legislation

 First legislation to specifically concerned with
immigrants own welfare
4
Grosse Ile Quarantine Station
Second Class Hotel
5
Post-Confederation – To WW I

Sorting Out Jurisdictions
◦ Dominion-Provincial Conference 1868
 Dominion takes control of quarantine stations
 Dominion undertakes to prepare national
legislation: immigrants not emigrants

Looking After Immigrants




Port of Entry Facilities
Immigration Halls
Dominion Lands Act
Grants to many immigrant aid organizations
6
Quebec Port of Entry c.1890
7
Immigration Hall
Winnipeg c. 1890
8
Post-Confederation – Interwar Period

The 1920s
◦ Emphasis on Colonization
 Homesteading continues
◦ Railways Agreements
 “After Care”
◦ Empire Settlement Agreement
◦ Immigration Halls
 continue in large-scale use

Depression and War
 Immigration comes to a halt
 Many immigration halls used for unemployed and
then as army barracks during WW II
9
Immigration Hall No. 1
Winnipeg – 1906-1969
10
Post World War II to 1974

Settlement Service established 1949
◦ focused on employment and matching
immigrants overseas to jobs in Canada

Citizenship Branch
◦ funds language training and joint co-ordinating
committees in many cities

1966: Manpower & Immigration
 Settlement Service disbanded and programs
transferred to Manpower division & Secretary of
State
 Language training only for workers
11
The Settlement Program - 1
◦ 1974 – Cabinet realises mistake of 1966 and
creates “Settlement Program”
 M&I assumes funding for settlement NGOs.
 1974 - ISAP program $810,000
◦ Indochinese Refugee Movement:
 Inspires government to rethink settlement
 Vastly increased need for NGOs and funding
 1984 - HOST program
◦ 1986 - Settlement Language Training Program
(SLTP)
 for adults not destined to labour market
12
The Settlement Program - 2

1992 – Settlement “comes home”
 Settlement moved to Immigration Division
 Occupational language merged with SLTP to create LINC

1991-1999 – Some provinces assume
responsibility for settlement
 1991 Quebec
 1999 BC and Manitoba

New Programming
13
The Settlement Program - 3

2004-07 New Programming






Canadian Orientation Abroad - 1998
Enhanced Language Training – 2004
Anti-Racism - 2005
Foreign Credential Referral Office- 2007
Canadian Immigrant Integration Program - 2007
2005-08 – Vastly increased funding
 Canada-Ontario Agreement
 Expectations in other provinces
 first denied but then met

2008 – New Terms and Conditions
 unified Settlement program
14
A Few Conclusions

Settlement Services
 Initiated to protect the resident Canadians
 Then transformed into efforts to retain immigrants
coming to Canada

Integration is a two-way street
 The best settlement program will fail in the absence
of a welcoming community.
 This is a lesson that Canada has learned, and then
forgotten, only to rediscover again, several times
through its history.
Settlement and integration are ‘whole of
government’ activities
 NGOs are essential to program delivery

15
Former Immigration Hall
Edmonton
2010
16
Photo Credits

Cover: Old Immigration Hall, Edmonton, Library and Archives of Canada
(LAC) – C042729

Slide 5: Grosse Isle 2nd Class Hospital c1905 – LAC - c079029

Slide 7: Immigration Sheds at Port of Quebec– LAC – a021357

Slide 8: Winnipeg Immigration Hall c1890 – LAC – c2334

Slide 10: Immigration Hall No. 1 Winnipeg, (Dominion Immigration Hall),
Archives of Manitoba - N21668

Slide 16: Edmonton Immigration Hall 1931-1971, Frank Dumont – CIC
Edmonton
17