NBMC CALLS FOR NEW BRUNSWICK-SPECIFIC IRCC SETTLEMENT FRAMEWORK AS FUNDING CUTS NOT EQUITABLE
- Ben McNamara
- Apr 9
- 3 min read
FREDERICTON, NB — The New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC) and its member agencies are urging the federal government to pause proposed settlement funding reductions and work directly with New Brunswick’s settlement sector and partners to develop a funding framework that reflects the province's distinct circumstances.
NBMC's concern is not with the fact of fiscal constraint but with how that constraint is being applied. New Brunswick is not a smaller version of Ontario or British Columbia. By applying similar percentage reductions across all provinces, IRCC is producing a system that is deemed equal, but not equitably serve all provinces.
A Disproportionate Impact on a Province Already at a Demographic Tipping Point
New Brunswick is projected to face the largest percentage reduction in IRCC settlement funding of any province in Canada (14.6%) with funding dropping from $27.1 million to $23.1 million in 2026–27. In a large urban province, a cut of this scale is significant. In New Brunswick, the downstream consequences of such cuts are greater.
The Government of New Brunswick’s own 2026–2027 budget documents identify reduced immigration as a contributing factor to projected GDP growth of only 1.0% for 2026. NBMC's community engagement work has documented youth population declines of 30 to 57 percent in most counties over the past 30 years. Settlement organizations are the key infrastructure that determines whether a newcomer family puts down roots in a New Brunswick community or leaves within two years for a larger centre.
NBMC members are essential services in their communities. Reducing these services now, when the stakes are highest, works against both provincial and federal population growth objectives.
Francophone Services Are Affected in Practice
IRCC has stated that Francophone service provider organizations will not face budget reductions. NBMC's direct conversations with Francophone member agencies clarify what this means in practice: these organizations will be required to return to their April 1, 2025 service levels. Capacity built over the past year to meet growing demand of increased Francophone immigration will be rolled back.
For communities that depend on those expanded services, the effect is a reduction regardless of how it is characterized in budget documents. This outcome is difficult to reconcile with the federal government's stated commitment to increasing Francophone immigration outside Quebec as this goal depends on the very services that are now being contracted.
NBMC is calling on the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, the Honourable Lena Metlage Diab, to:
Place an immediate moratorium on funding reductions in New Brunswick, pending a regional impact assessment that accounts for the province's bilingual character, rural geography, and the disproportionate scale of the reduction relative to other provinces.
Engage NBMC and its member agencies in a collaborative process to design a New Brunswick-specific IRCC settlement framework that serves both linguistic communities equitably and sustainably.
Acknowledge that returning Francophone agencies to April 1, 2025 service levels constitutes a practical reduction in capacity, and apply the commitment to Francophone immigration outside Quebec accordingly.
Empower IRCC's regional offices to advocate internally for provincial contexts that differ fundamentally from large urban centres, so that national budget frameworks are applied with appropriate regional sensitivity.
Equal treatment is not equitable treatment. New Brunswick's settlement sector does the same work as agencies in larger provinces, but with less margin for error and far higher stakes for the communities they serve. A national funding formula applied without regional adjustment does not account for that reality.
About NBMC
The New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC) is a bilingual, not-for-profit, umbrella organization for 20 settlement and ethnocultural associations across New Brunswick. The work of NBMC is to enrich and grow our communities by enabling newcomers and members of the multicultural community to fully participate in society.
Media Contact: Ben McNamara, Executive Director
T: 506.453.1091
200-494 Queen Street, Fredericton, NB E3B 1B6
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