Department of Citizenship & Immigration Act
The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act was Canadian legislation passed into law in 1994. The Act established a department of government in Canada called the "Department of Citizenship and Immigration" to be presided over by a minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The act and department itself has the chief responsibility of developing immigration policy through mandates, management plans and cooperation with other sectors of government.
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Mission
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The Department of Citizenship and Immigration undertakes the responsibility of immigration policy. It is assigned the task of building a better Canada by obtaining maximum benefit from global emigration, managing safe access into Canada, defining membership in Canadian society, and protecting the welfare of refugees at home and abroad.
Objectives
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The Department of Citizenship and Immigration has several main objectives that support its mission. For example, specific programs within the act provide public services that assist in acquiring proof of Canadian citizenship. Another program creates regional offices that assess citizenship applications and conduct citizenship ceremonies. Its programs educate potential citizens on the responsibilities, privileges and expectations bestowed with Canadian citizenship.
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Strategy
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The department's mission is accomplished through three subsets of the department itself. First, the Service Line Management team is responsible for developing effective policies, designing programs, and directing the department's service line branches of Selection, Integration, Refugees and Enforcement. The Program Delivery team is primarily in charge of delivering and implementing the department's programs through six geographic sectors. Lastly, the Departmental Support Team provides strategic support to the minister, deputy minister and all other levels of the department through legal, service, planning and research.
Minister of Citizenship
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The act not only created the department but also created a post for a minister to head it. Called the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, he has authority over the management and direction of the department. He also has authority relating to citizenship and immigration policies that have not been assigned to any other sector, department or jurisdiction of government. The minister is appointed by a commission.
Other Prominent Figures
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The department also incorporates or works closely with other ministers including the Minister of Employment and Immigration, the Minister of Multiculturalism and Citizenship, the Minister of National Health and Welfare, the Solicitor General of Canada, the Secretary of State of Canada, the Chairman of the Canada Employment and Immigration Commission, any respective deputy minister or state official, and any officer under their management and direction.
Notable Policies
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Since its beginning, the department has asserted itself by evolving and adapting. A popular program called Discover Canada was launched in 2009 to promote a new study guide for Canadian citizenship that focuses heavily on Canadian values, history, symbols and institutions. The department has also vowed to construct a racially cooperative society by inviting institutions to be more responsive to the needs of Canada's growing diversity and also by engaging in international awareness of multiculturalism and diversity. The department also proposed a policy that called for steeper penalties against employers who don't deliver in their employee commitments, designed to protect temporary workers.
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References
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