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Dear Editor:
It is with great enthusiasm that I write to you today to introduce myself as Ontario's new Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. I am honoured to be given the opportunity to help build a better province by strengthening Ontario's communities and helping people achieve their full potential.
Like Premier McGuinty, I believe that people are Ontario's greatest asset. One of Ontario's greatest strengths is the diversity of our people. More than half of all immigrants to Canada settle within our borders - some 125,000 newcomers each year. That is almost equivalent to receiving a population the size of Prince Edward Island every year. Our government understands the economic and social benefits of welcoming newcomers to Ontario. We want to attract the best and the brightest from around the world and in return, we are working hard to ensure that newcomers have every opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families.
That is why funding for settlement programs was front and centre in Premier McGuinty's $23 billion gap fair funding for Ontario campaign - the difference between what Ontarians send to Ottawa and the services they receive in return. Last May, the Premier fought successfully for newcomers' fair share (resulting in federal) funding for settlement programs, language training and employment assistance for immigrants who come to Ontario (quadrupling) over the next five years from $819 to approximately $3,400 per newcomer.
In June of this year, Premier McGuinty took another important step that will ensure newcomers get the help they need to quickly settle into their new lives in Ontario. Some immigration-related programs previously offered through other ministries will be consolidated within the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration. By bringing programs that support newcomers within this ministry, the McGuinty government is creating a new approach to immigration services. This will strengthen our settlement and integration services for newcomers and it will bring a new intensity and focus to breaking down the barriers that prevent newcomers to Ontario from reaching their full potential.
By 2011, immigration will account for almost all of the new labour force growth in the province of Ontario. People are the strength of this province, and Ontario's cultural diversity is a competitive advantage over other jurisdictions. We not only value our differences, we embrace them and our government is committed to assisting each and every newcomer in reaching their full potential while nurturing and preserving their cultural diversity.
When we create opportunities and help people reach their goals, when we help people build better lives for themselves and their families, we make Ontario the place to be, now and long into the future.
As Ontario's new Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, I look forward to working with all Ontario communities on the many challenges we face. Together, we will build on our long-standing tradition of welcoming people from around the globe to Ontario and our goal of helping them settle and prosper in their new home.
Sincerely,
Mike Colle
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Ontario