During Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebrations in Toronto, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Minister Diane Finley announced new funding for three Vietnamese organizations serving newcomers in the Greater Toronto Area.

More than $2.5 million will go to the Vietnamese Association of Toronto, the Vietnamese Women’s Association of Toronto, and the Vietnamese Community Centre of Mississauga. The settlement services that these organizations provide include orientation, translation and interpretation services, language training, referrals to community resources, counseling, and employment services. There is a growing Vietnamese community in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood and in North York, which are both served by the Vietnamese Association of Toronto and the Vietnamese Women’s Association of Toronto.

"This will help build a stronger Vietnamese community and a stronger Canada," stated Minister Finley.

CIC also recently announced new language instruction funding for the Flexibility Learning Systems in Lethbridge, Ontario. The $1.3 million, provided under the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program, will go towards language training and literacy programs over the next three years. "Lethbridge has an important immigrant community," stated Member of Parliament for Lethbridge, Rick Casson. "The funding will help newcomers find a job and help them settle into their new life in Lethbridge, and that’s good new for all of us. Their successful integration will strengthen our community, and our country as a whole."