The New Local Governance of Immigration in Canada: Regulation and Responsibility

Abstract

In 2010, the Government of Canada significantly cut settlement service funding that helps immigrants integrate into Canadian communities. Concurrently, within the last three years, Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration have funded forty-five Local Immigration Partnerships across the Province of Ontario. Local Immigration Partnerships serve to coordinate efforts and capture capacity within communities to attract and retain new immigrants; however, these Partnerships do not deliver services to immigrants living in the host community. While community-based endeavours to develop sustainable environments for immigrants to live, work and play in are valuable, this particular shift in responsibility from government to community groups and individuals cannot go unnoticed. It is this new local governance of immigration in Canada that will be the focus of this Master’s essay.