The Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, Jean Boulet, said Monday in Montreal that there is no limit to the number of Ukrainian refugees that Quebec is ready to welcome, according to its capacities. .
Mr. Boulet was in the city to announce the granting of nearly $5 million to 14 community organizations working to welcome, integrate and francize newcomers.
The Minister said he does not yet know how many Ukrainian refugees Quebec will be called upon to welcome or when they will begin to arrive, these questions being the responsibility of Ottawa. Although he is in contact with his federal counterpart, Sean Fraser, Mr. Boulet explained that it is still too early to know the answer to these questions.
” No limits “
“We don’t have an estimate. I was talking about it with Mr. Fraser. We have no limit. […] We will respect our reception capacity, but for the moment, when I was in organizations, even in Montreal last week, they are ready. We are waiting for them,” he said.
On Thursday, Ottawa had already announced a few ways to facilitate the arrival of Ukrainians in Canada, without however lifting the visa that they must have to come. Two programs will be created: a “Canada-Ukraine Emergency Travel Authorization”, offering temporary refuge in the country, and an expedited sponsorship for Ukrainians who want to join their families in the country on a permanent basis.
On the other hand, mobilization is underway to prepare for this reception. The Minister explained that some 95 organizations are on high alert and that the recruitment of people who speak Ukrainian and Russian is going well.
“We will welcome them in their language. We will give them the tools to allow them to integrate as soon as possible and we will especially interview them to establish their needs. »
On Friday, during another announcement aimed at supporting immigrant families in terms of access to local public and community social services, particularly in terms of youth protection and assistance for young people in difficulty, the Minister had already indicated its intention to act to facilitate the obtaining of a health insurance card, a driving licence, the registration of children in school or day care, in particular for Ukrainian refugees.
Refugees who will be traumatized
Jean Boulet said that the first objective will be to help these refugees adapt to their new situation after having had to flee the war that is ravaging their country.
“These are people who will be affected. They experience fear, they experience circumstances that are particularly dramatic. We see, particularly through the media, human experiences that are extremely traumatic for many people. We will make sure to welcome them properly, in a dignified and humane way,” pleaded the Minister.
As for the announcement made Monday in the east of Montreal, the assistance comes from component 2 of the Community Support Program (CAP) announced last October.
This program, which is intended for non-profit organizations (NPOs) and cooperatives working in the field of the integration of newcomers, has a budget of just over $23 million, where the approximately $ 5 million announced on Monday are drawn.
The Minister explained that the organizations’ projects aim not only to intervene directly with immigrants, but also with the institutions responsible for welcoming them. He took the example of a project implemented in 13 regions where “they provide intercultural training. […] We inform and we train. Who ? The health network, the education network, the community world, businesses, citizens to the reality of immigrants. »