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Parliamentary Secretary announces newcomer settlement funding for Prairies

Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, was in Moose Jaw on Thursday to announce the expansion of funding for settlement services in the Prairie Provinces.
Parliamentary Secretary Marie-France Lalonde announces funding for settlement services in front of a crowd of media at Temple Gardens Hotel
Parliamentary Secretary Marie-France Lalonde announces funding for settlement services in front of media at Temple Gardens Hotel

Marie-France Lalonde, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, was in Moose Jaw on Thursday to announce the expansion of funding for settlement services in the Prairie Provinces.

“Newcomers to Canada play a crucial role in the future of our country and contribute in important ways to our society and economic recovery from the pandemic,” Lalonde said. “Many go through an enormous personal transition when they first arrive to Canada. It is often the biggest decision of their lives, and we need to make sure they have all the support they need to settle into a new home.”

The federal government will invest over $14 million to expand resettlement capacity and settlement services in small and rural communities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.

The funding includes $10.1 million for case management services in 11 Prairie communities and $4.2 million for three new Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) providers in Fort McMurray and Grand Prairie, Alberta, and Winkler, Manitoba.

The announcement was made from the Skywalk Room at Temple Gardens Hotel & Spa.

RAPs are funding programs that support government-assisted refugees upon arrival in Canada. Direct financial support is provided to newcomers and to service provider organizations.

“Today’s announcements will provide additional capacity to our primary service providers like the Moose Jaw Multicultural Council and the Assemblée communautaire francosaskoise here in Saskatchewan,” Lalonde said. “These are the people who work day and night to help Canada respond to the unprecedented refugee level worldwide.”

Canada is currently preparing to accept refugees freshly displaced by Russia’s attack on Ukraine, although Lalonde did not refer specifically to refugees from any particular part of the world.

Settlement services help newcomers, both refugees and immigrants, with training in both of Canada’s official languages, integrating into their new communities, and finding meaningful employment.

Lalonde said that Canada is a welcoming country with a proud history of opening its doors to newcomers and refugees from every corner of the world.

“Their success is our success,” she added, “and after what many of them have been through, it’s the least that we can do.”

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