ISSN # 1718-6218

Ministry Overview

 

Vision

An Ontario where diversity is valued as a source of strength, where all people, including newcomers, seniors and women, contribute to a strong economy, caring society and enhanced quality of life. 

The ministry works toward this vision through:

• Promoting the economic and social benefits of newcomers and the internationally trained to Ontario;
• Working with partners in education to develop and implement an integrated plan to improve adult ESL/FSL services for newcomers;
• Building stronger communities through activities focussed on greater civic participation;
• Promoting healthy aging, self-reliance and community involvement for seniors;
• Planning for the impact of an aging population; and
• Breaking the cycle of violence against women and promoting women’s economic independence.

 

Mandate

The ministry, which serves three Ministers (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Ministers Responsible for Women’s Issues and for Seniors) has lead responsibility for matters related to newcomers; volunteerism and recognition; women's issues and seniors' issues.

Through its program and policy development, and partnerships with other ministries, levels of government, community and private sectors, the ministry works to ensure that:

• Newcomers are able to find work and work in their fields of expertise and have improved access to settlement and language training services;
• Ontario builds on the success of programs that help newcomers gain the skills and experience essential to work in Ontario;
• Barriers that prevent newcomers from participating in the economic and social life of the province are broken down;
• More Ontarians volunteer in their communities;
• The achievements of Ontarians who improve the quality of life in the province are recognized and celebrated and that civic engagement and participation is encouraged;
• Ontario seniors have the information they need for healthy aging; and
• Women have access to services and supports to increase their economic independence and safety.

The ministry’s Regional and Corporate Services Division is working to provide support to communities across the province and to ensure efficient provision of administrative services through continued focus on modern controllership, service integration, improved use of information technology and through strategies for greater efficiency, effectiveness and cost containment.  The Division also provides this support to the Ministries of Culture and Tourism as well as the Office of Francophone Affairs.

 

Areas of Responsibility

 

Citizenship and Immigration:

• Leading the development of provincial policies and programs to support the successful integration of newcomers into Ontario
• Implementing the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement
• Delivering the Newcomer Settlement Program funding community agencies to provide settlement, orientation and other services to newcomers and Language Interpreter Services to assist non-English speaking victims of domestic violence access the services they need
• Leading the reform of adult non-credit language training programs through school boards
• Providing improved information to prospective immigrants and newcomers through the OntarioImmigration.ca portal
• Leading and supporting  bridge training programs for internationally trained professionals to get the training they need to use their skills and experience
• Through Global Experience Ontario, helping internationally trained and educated individuals find out how to qualify for professional practice in Ontario, including internships and mentorship
• Implementing the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act
• Support activities to commemorate the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade
• In partnership with the Ministry’s Regional Services Branch, delivering the Ontario’s Community Builders program supporting educational projects and other initiatives designed to celebrate, value and share Ontario’s diverse cultural communities
• Promoting active citizenship and civic engagement and strengthened voluntary sector partnerships
• Working with the voluntary sector on issues of concern to the sector
• Recognizing the contributions Ontarians make to their communities and to the Province

Ontario Women’s Directorate:

• Leading and coordinating the implementation of the government’s Domestic Violence Action Plan across ministries
• Undertaking public education and supporting professional training activities to prevent violence against women and increase newcomer women’s awareness of their rights and options under Canadian laws
• Implementing a wide range of employment training initiatives to increase women’s economic independence

 

Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat:

• Improving access to programs and services to improve the quality of life for Ontario’s seniors
• Educating seniors about healthy aging, active lifestyles and community involvement
• Championing initiatives to support seniors’ independence and “Aging in Place”

 

 

Legislation

The Minister, utilizing the powers conferred on him under the Ministry of Citizenship and Culture Act, in so far as it relates to programs and activities respecting citizenship and immigration, administers the following statutes:

Holocaust Memorial Day Act, 1998, S.O. 1998, c. 25

Remembrance Day Observance Act, 1997, S.O. 1997, c. 18

Ministry of Citizenship and Culture Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M. 18
(as it relates to activities and programs respecting Citizenship and Immigration)

Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act, 2006, S.O. 2006, c. 31

Agencies, Boards and Commissions (ABCs)

The ministry's agencies, boards and commissions are:

Advisory Council to the Order of Ontario

Office of the Fair Registration Practices Commissioner

Ontario Medal for Young Volunteers Advisory Council

Province of Ontario Medal for Fire Fighters Bravery Advisory Council

Province of Ontario Medal for Police Bravery Advisory Council

Province of Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship Advisory Council

 

Published Results-Based Plan 2007-08:

 

Ministry Financial Information

The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s investment to government priorities in 2007-08 is depicted in the following chart.

 

 

Table 1:  Ministry Planned Expenditures 2007/08

Note 1:  Includes transfer out of the Ontario Shared Services transactions to MGS.

 

 

Ministry Financial Information

 

Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
Table 2: Operating and Capital Summary by Vote

The Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration’s vision is of an Ontario where diversity is valued as a source of strength, and where all people, including newcomers, seniors and women, contribute to a strong economy, caring society and enhanced quality of life. 

To achieve this vision, the ministry works in partnership with other provincial ministries, other levels of government, and the community and private sectors to develop and implement policies and programs that will maximize the economic and social benefits of immigration, recognize and promote active and responsible citizenship/volunteerism, improve services and supports to women and plan for the impacts of an aging population.

 

 

Appendix 1 Annual Reports 2006/07 And 2005/06

2006/07 Annual Report

Delivering On Key Priorities

 

Table 1: Ministry Expenditures

Note 1:  The numbers used / available at the time of print are 2006-07 Interim actuals.

Note 2:  Operating total includes ($49.5M) in consolidated adjustments.

 

2005/06 Annual Report

• In 2005-06, the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration worked to build a province where all Ontarians can participate such that they enjoy the social and economic benefits of life in the province and contribute to their communities. The ministry achieved this by:
  • Maximizing the social and economic benefits of immigration;
  • Building stronger communities through activities focused on greater citizen participation;
  • Breaking the cycle of violence against women;
  • Promoting healthy aging, self-reliance and community involvement for seniors; and
  • Planning for the impacts of an aging population.

Citizenship and Immigration

Immigration and Settlement

Ontario and the federal government worked towards signing the Canada-Ontario immigration agreement which was signed in November 05, one that will improve outcomes for newcomers – ensuring they can settle and find jobs quickly, and integrate successfully in the communities where they choose to live.

The ministry also co-ordinated the development of provincial strategies to further Ontario’s goals in immigration and settlement such as ongoing investments in bridge training programs – transferred in from TCU, continued support for Language Interpreter Services and the creation of the OntarioImmigration.ca website.

Through the Newcomer Settlement Program, the ministry supported community organizations to provide settlement, orientation, job-finding workshops and other direct settlement services to more than 125,000 newcomers that arrive in communities across Ontario each year.

The ministry assumed responsibility for English and French-as-a-Second Language where more than $50 million is invested annually to assist newcomer integration.

At the beginning of 2005-06, the Ministry of Community and Social Services was provided with the responsibility of implementing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005 which was previously under the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration.

 

Volunteerism

More than 2.3M Ontarians a year willingly volunteer their time to 45,000 charitable and non-profit groups, amounting to 390 million hours of volunteer time, equivalent to 205,000 full-time jobs and worth over $6B annually.

The government recognizes the vital role of volunteers and their organizations in attracting new investment and jobs by strengthening the social, recreational and cultural infrastructure of our communities.

In 2005-06, the ministry revitalized voluntary sector partnerships through the development of new partnerships to strengthen capacity in the voluntary sector.

The ministry also encouraged volunteerism by:

• promoting active citizenship and civic engagement and strengthening sector partnerships; and
• working with the not-for-profit sector on issues of concern to the sector.

Honours and Awards

The ministry honoured volunteers across the province with Ontario Volunteer Service Awards that recognized their role in building strong, vibrant communities and the contribution they make to the economic and social well-being of Ontario.  

 

Ontario Women’s Directorate

The Ontario Women’s Directorate worked with other ministries and a wide range of partners to implement the government’s Domestic Violence Action Plan to help break the cycle of violence so that all women and children can live free of fear and violence.

The implementation of the action plan has achieved results through:

• the engagement of a broad spectrum of partners (community leaders/organizations, businesses, schools) in prevention of violence against women;
• the early identification of women at risk of violence through training of professionals in a wide range of sectors (justice, healthcare, education, etc.);
• a more seamless, balanced continuum of supports for victims;
• a strengthened justice system response to domestic violence; and,
• implementation of a wide range of new community initiatives to promote healthy, equal relationships amongst children and youth, in order to break patterns of violence, which typically start long before childhood.

The Ministry held the first ever Ontario government-led conference on domestic violence, “Finding Common Ground” in Toronto.  Over 1500 community service, police, justice, education and health professionals participated in person or by webcast and learned new ways to support women and children experiencing violence in their homes.

A new award program, “Leading Women, Building Communities” was launched in 2005-06.  The award celebrates the achievements of women from communities across Ontario.

As well, new Women in Skilled Trades programs were launched in seven communities to help low income women develop the skills they need for higher paying jobs in the skilled trades sector.

 

Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat

The Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat (OSS) undertook policy initiatives to improve the lives of Ontario seniors, and public education initiatives for and about Ontario's 1.5 million seniors.  For example:

• Ontario’s Strategy to Combat Elder Abuse focused on coordination of services, training for front-line staff and education to raise public awareness about elder abuse;
• OSS worked with Federal/Provincial/Territorial partners on joint initiatives on planning for Canada’s aging population;
• Ontario Seniors’ Seminars were developed and delivered with stakeholder partners to raise awareness of healthy aging.

Table 1: Ministry Expenditures

Note 1:  Operating total includes ($50.8M) in consolidated adjustments.