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Section 5 : Other Items of Interest

The Global Case Management System (GCMS)

GCMS is a critical component of the infrastructure that will help CIC accomplish its strategic outcomes and priorities. GCMS is a multi year initiative designed to replace 12 legacy systems currently used by the staff of both CIC and the CBSA. With an integrated, automated case management system to support client operations around the globe, GCMS will facilitate the move towards more streamlined operations, standardized business practices and improved client service in both organizations. A key component of CIC’s client service improvement plan, GCMS will also help communicate and share appropriate data with partners and provide timely and accurate information needed for effective operations and sound management decisions.

Based on departmental requirements, CIC received approval to initiate the GCMS project in 2000-2001. The contract to purchase the system and develop the application was signed in March 2003. Later that year, the creation of the CBSA and the subsequent transfer of immigration functions between CIC and the CBSA resulted in GCMS becoming a shared system and a key tool for both organizations to manage the movement of clients.

The first GCMS release was deployed to citizenship offices across Canada and the citizenship case processing centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia in September, 2004. The successful rollout of the Citizenship component of GCMS proved that the system was viable. As work continued on the project, however, it became clear that the completion of all remaining functionality would take longer than initially expected. Complications revealed during the testing phase resulted in the decision to carry out a thorough review of the project. It was assessed based on the entire client continuum in order to determine the most effective means of successfully completing it. The findings of an independent review conducted in December 2006 indicated that the decision to re-evaluate was indeed prudent. In February 2007, CIC sought the TBS’s authorization, through a Treasury Board Submission, to revise the Amended Effective Project Approval (A/EPA) with respect to budget and schedule. This amendment was to allow the review and analysis work to continue and to prepare, by October 31, 2007, an amended EPA submission for the authority to complete the project, supported by a revised plan with proposed schedule and estimated cost. With the February 2007 submission, the project team also committed to provide a comprehensive progress report to TBS in June 2007.

The goal for the GCMS project remains to ensure the safe, low-risk implementation of the system.

Research

Objective and timely research is a condition for making informed decisions on policy action and program development. CIC’s core strategic research involves three key activities: ongoing investment in data sources, research and analysis that support policy and programs at federal and provincial/territorial levels, and dissemination of this information.

In 2006-2007, CIC continued to invest resources in major data sets, including the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada (LSIC), the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB), the Citizenship Language Survey (CLS), the World Values Survey (WVS), and the Census. In addition, CIC continued to work closely with Statistics Canada to explore the feasibility of using existing databases to study immigrant businesses. Methodological approaches were also investigated to extend the use of existing data in the analysis of immigrant sponsorships. As well, significant progress was made with Statistics Canada and HRSDC to pilot new content for the Labour Force Survey in order to enhance our understanding and monitoring of immigrant participation in the labour market.

CIC continued to monitor the economic performance of immigrants, with emphasis on skilled workers as well as occupational and industry mix. One report comparing outcomes in Canada and Australia is now available and reports focusing on income and social assistance dynamics will be available shortly. CIC’s Citizenship Language Survey was completed and analysis of the results is well underway. The composition of immigrant neighbourhoods, from both residence and work perspectives, was investigated and results have been shared with provincial colleagues. A survey of available research focusing on immigrant youth was completed as a first step to examining research outcomes for this age cohort. CIC continued to expand the range of information available to the public through such products as Facts and Figures and The Monitor.

Evaluation

In 2006-2007, CIC strengthened its strategic approach to evaluation by developing a risk-based evaluation plan that will ensure those programs and policies of greatest impact and greatest risk are critically evaluated at regular intervals. CIC also finalized its departmental Evaluation Policy, which outlines the governance and operation of the evaluation function, and the formal roles and responsibilities of the Deputy Minister, CIC senior management, program managers and the Evaluation Directorate. See Table 12 of this report for information regarding specific evaluation activities in 2006-2007.

Metropolis

The Metropolis Project Secretariat and Portuguese officials organized the 11th annual International Metropolis Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, from October 2 to 6, 2006. The Conference theme was “Paths & Crossroads: Moving People, Changing Places.” It addressed a wide range of issues related to globalization, diversity and current complex migratory phenomena. Metropolis and the Joint Centre of Excellence for Research on Immigration and Settlement (CERIS) organized the 9th National Metropolis Conference, held in Toronto from March 1 to 4, 2007. Over 800 participants attended. The theme of the conference was “Exploring Canada’s Diversity, Today and Tomorrow.”

Metropolis produced editions of the Project’s national newsletter, the Metropolis World Bulletin, a special issue of Canadian Ethnic Studies on multicultural futures, a special issue of the Canadian Journal of Urban Research on “Our Diverse Cities: Challenges and Opportunities,” and a special magazine issue of Our Diverse Cities focusing on rural communities. With the Association of Canadian Studies, Metropolis produced the 2006 Winter issue of Canadian Diversity magazine titled Integration of Newcomers: International Approaches.

Metropolis helped the Monash Institute for the Study of Global Movements and the Australian Multicultural Foundation to hold the “Immigrations Futures Conference” in Prato, Italy, from May 17 to 19, 2006. It also organized the following events.

Metropolis Presents series:

• “Second Generation Youth in Canada” in Ottawa, Ontario on March 20, 2007. This was a CIC Research Network event supported by Strategic Research and Statistics at CIC, Youth Justice (Justice Canada), Multiculturalism Program (Canadian Heritage), and Research and Academic Relations (Public Safety Canada).
• The final three of a series of 12 on “Ottawa, Our Diverse City.”

Metropolis Conversations:

• Selection of Economic Immigrants and Alignment with Labour Market Needs (April 2006);
• Policing and Security in a Diverse Society: Balancing Justice and the Rule of Law (January, 2007); and
• The Canadian Multiculturalism Act: Twenty Years Later (March 2007).

There were four meetings of the Interdepartmental Committee and two of the International Steering Committee.

Collectively the five Centres of Excellence continue to develop research adding to the articles, books and academic conference presentations generated by the Metropolis Project.

Metropolis negotiated renewal of the Canadian project for another five-year period.

Gender-Based Analysis at CIC

Under IRPA, CIC is accountable to Parliament for conducting gender-based analysis (GBA) of the impact of the Act and its regulations. The Department developed a strategic framework for gender-based analysis at CIC for 2005-2010. The overall objective of the framework is to integrate GBA into CIC’s work in order to meet the reporting requirement through branch GBA plans and to achieve the broader departmental policy and program objectives and commitments on GBA.

CIC was reorganized in April 2006, and the GBA function was transferred to the Corporate Services Sector, which affords greater opportunities to integrate GBA into planning and reporting processes. In addition, the CIC Policy Committee, which guides departmental policy directions, priorities and decision making, will provide an oversight role to ensure that gender considerations are taken into account in the policy and program development process.

CIC continued to provide policy development training courses in GBA in order to build the knowledge needed to make GBA part of the Department’s daily work. CIC undertook a range of other initiatives in 2006-2007 as part of its GBA plans.

In 2006, CIC followed up on its commitment to monitor the Safe Third Country Agreement to establish baseline data of gender impacts and trends over time. The proportion of females among total claimants and among border claimants has remained relatively constant, with a slight increase over the last five years (42 percent in 2002 to 45 percent in 2006). This would suggest that the Agreement has not been a strong deterrent and that women continue to make asylum claims in Canada and were eligible to do so under the terms of the Agreement. Although the total number of unaccompanied minor refugee claimants remained unchanged in 2006, the proportion of female claimants decreased to 35 percent. Given the particular vulnerability of this subgroup, and the Government’s commitment to considering the best interests of the child, this category will continue to be monitored closely. Details of these results can be found in the Annual Report on Immigration 2007.

CIC supported the government’s introduction of amendments to IRPA to help prevent vulnerable foreign workers from being exploited or abused. The amendments would give CIC’s Minister the authority to issue instructions, based on objective evidence, that would allow immigration officers to deny work permits to individuals, including exotic dancers, who could be subjected to humiliating and degrading treatment, including sexual exploitation, in Canada.

CIC has committed to creating a new avenue to immigration for Canadian-educated foreign students and experienced temporary foreign workers. Creating an immigration opportunity for Canadian-educated foreign students and experienced temporary foreign workers may create more gender balance in our immigration programs by providing more women an opportunity to apply to stay in Canada as principal applicants. Impacts by gender will continue to be monitored with this new initiative.

Other initiatives have just begun. As part of the Department’s commitment to protecting victims of human trafficking, guidelines released in May 2006 encourage immigration officers to issue possible victims a short-term TRP. Although international data indicates that human trafficking is mostly aimed at women and children, men can also be victims of trafficking. This will be reflected in the training materials on human trafficking.

Toronto Waterfront Revitalization Initiative

Responsibility for TWRI was transferred from CIC’s Minister to the President of the TBS through an Order in Council dated February 6, 2006. The TWRI currently falls under Environment Canada.

Footnotes

1 For more information on CIC’s programs, see www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp.

2 This figure does not include the 1,236 locally-engaged staff in missions around the world (as of September 30, 2006).

3 St. Petersburg office was closed on March 31, 2007.

4 For more details on the CBSA, see Critical Partnerships section.

5 For further information on the Government of Canada outcomes as they appear in Canada’s Performance Report 2006, see www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/report/govrev/06/cp-rc_e.asp.

6 For specific details regarding results and spending for each Program Activity, see Section 2: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome.

7 People, Service and Trust: Links in a Public Sector Service Value Chain
www.psagency-agencefp.gc.ca/veo-bve/publications/atricle_e.asp?printable=True.

8 In his 14th Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada, the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to Cabinet stressed the importance of Integrated Business and HR Planning that accounts for workforce strengths and gaps that need to be filled through recruitment or development, and that engages employees in the future of their organization.

9 For more information on CIC’s provincial and territorial agreements, see www.cic.gc.ca/english/about/laws-policy/agreements/index.asp.

10 For further details, see www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/index_e.htm.

11 See: www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/settlement/plan-minorities.asp.

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