Voies vers la prospérité: Atlantique

Policy and Practice Rationale

Fundamental changes have been occurring in the immigration system in relation to migrant destinations and modes of entry. Three of these changes lie at the heart of this proposal: (i) the growing importance of smaller centres – some of them located in Northern and remote areas – as recipients of significant migrant intake; (ii) the increasing reliance on temporary foreign workers to fill emerging jobs in these new destination communities; and (iii) the greater willingness by federal and provincial governments to open pathways for temporary foreign workers to obtain permanent immigration status. Given the economic forces driving these changes, there is a strong likelihood that these trends will accelerate, notwithstanding worries about labour market distortions and potential abuse.

What is particularly salient in this emerging pattern is that the migrants, particularly those destined to smaller and more remote settings, are finding themselves in cities and towns that have little institutional capacity (in the form of government services and settlement agencies) and often little experience in offering specialized services to newcomers. Nor do the cities and towns have much capacity or experience in promoting receptivity among existing dwellers.

Obviously, this is a concern from a corporate perspective (retention of employees and protection of investment), but it is also a significant concern for workers seeking to convert their status and become permanent residents and citizens. There is ample research indicating that without settlement assistance, long-term integration is frequently compromised. The challenge, which this project seeks to address, is how to equip smaller and more remote communities with the capacity to address the settlement and integration challenges that face newcomers, their families, and the cities and towns in which they reside. The need for a strategy to extend services to more remote settings is seen as a necessary and essential concomitant of current temporary foreign worker and in-Canada landing policies.

Conceptual/Theoretical Framework

The research would contribute to theories of regionalization, transnationalism, and a deeper understanding of the process of integration and inclusion in smaller, more remote settings. This would include a better appreciation of the institutional capacities and potentialities of smaller centres and their ability to mobilize these capacities. In addition, the research would initiate a thorough investigation of new technologies and their potential use in promoting economic, social and civic inclusion.

Research Questions

Specifically, the following questions will be addressed in this research:

• What are the most important settlement and inclusion challenges facing newcomers and smaller, new destination communities receiving large migrant intakes?
• What are the capacities of mainstream organizations located in smaller centres to address newcomer settlement needs and inclusion?
• How can technology and distance learning techniques bolster and complement the existing institutional capacity to promote integration in smaller centres?
• What best practices exist for promoting integration and inclusion in smaller centres and how might these practices be effectively transferred?

Description of the Project and Possible Approaches

The research study would be comprised of four sub-studies:

1. The first sub-study would inventory and take stock of the mainstream and specialized institutional capacity that exists within small and remote centres, with particular attention to the core characteristics of welcoming communities. The goal would be to understand how this capacity would need to be augmented and supported in order to equip local institutions with the means to provide essential settlement services to new arrivals and their families and to help build receptivity in the community at large. The institutions would include local, not-for-profit organizations; ethnocultural and religious institutions, both established and new; key employers and employer associations, such as Chambers of Commerce; provincial and federal agencies; and municipal departments.
2. In the second sub-study, a mix of interviews, focus groups and surveys would be employed to establish the priority needs of temporary foreign workers and their families. Complementing these analyses would be surveys of community leaders to establish their attitudes and their assessments of local capacity. This would be coupled with focus groups composed of representatives from key mainstream institutions – including non-profit agencies, ethnocultural and religious institutions, employers and government officials – to obtain their assessments of local capacity, local needs, required changes and supports. Included in this would be an examination of how mainstream organizations have adapted their services to respond to newcomers.
3. A third sub-study would be undertaken of distance learning techniques and of technological aids that could be used to deliver services directly to newcomers in remote settings; as well, the study would explore methods for assisting local organizations and practitioners to deliver settlement services and other essential supports. The aim would be to pilot and evaluate a number of these techniques. The question of potential gateway communities for providing surrounding regions with specialized newcomer services would be expressly addressed.
4. The final sub-study would identify and assess best practices in the use and adaptation of mainstream services, as well as best practices linked to distance education and training techniques. The selection of service areas (within which best the practices would be identified) would be based on the analyses conducted by the other sub-studies forming this project. The study would incorporate the development and assessment of training modules for delivering the best practices that are examined.