P2P-FCFA 2025 Conference for Local Immigration Partnerships and Réseaux en immigration francophone – Presentations and Recordings

Wednesday, November 26, 2025

9:30 AM – 11:00 AM AST

Opening Remarks and land Acknowledgement (Video)

• Victoria Esses – Co-Chair, Pathways to Prosperity Partnership and Professor, Western University
• Médétonwan Olivier Guédé – Advisor of Francophone Immigration, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA)

Plenary – Building Future-Ready LIPs and RIF: Practical and Strategic Considerations (Video)

Chairs: Sihem Aït Hammouda – Coordinator of Réseaux en immigration francophone, FCFA of Canada, and Kailea Pedley – Program Manager, Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership

This plenary will focus on strategies for building RIF and LIPs that are able to withstand the shocks of the future and thrive, despite national, regional, and local upheavals to communities and to immigration to Canada. To do so, the speakers will discuss future-ready strategies for managing operations, succession planning, and preparing for possible staff turnover; building and sustaining immigrant-Indigenous relations for the future; anticipating and managing large-scale refugee arrivals; strengthening two-way communication with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; and collaborative approaches to addressing financial instability. By sharing expertise and working together, we can better anticipate challenges and prepare LIPs and RIF for the future so that they can continue to support the success of Canada’s immigration program.

• From Colonization to Collaboration: Preparing LIPs and RIF for the Future
  Mitch Tilk – Program Coordinator, Portage la Prairie Local Immigration Partnership
• Preparing for the Future of Immigration in Atlantic Canada: Funding, Welcoming, and Dialogue with IRCC
  Michel Denis Richard – Manager, Atlantic Committee on Francophone Immigration
• From Scarcity to Strength: Unlocking Resources Through Radical Collaboration
  Lisa Villeneuve – CEO, Lisa Villeneuve Consulting Inc., and Cathy Mann – President, The Fundraising Lab
• Operations, Succession Planning, and Preparing for Potential Staff Turnover: How to Build Strong, Resilient Networks Despite Frequent Staff Turnover
  Emmanuel Nahimana – Associate Executive Director of Fédération Acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM AST

Workshops and Roundtables

E01 (In Person) – Connecting Communities: Regional Stories from Three New Brunswick LIPs

Chairs: Kathryn Melvin – Saint John LIP / Envision Saint John, Sarah Caissie – Capital Region Integration Network / Ignite, and Érika Cantu – Greater Moncton and Southeast LIP

This session explores how Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) in Fredericton, Saint John, and Moncton have restructured their partnerships to develop regional community plans that align with municipal reform and regional service commissions. Each LIP will reflect on their region’s unique journey—what worked, what did not, and the common threads across these shared challenges. Together, participants will uncover collaborative strategies for navigating regional integration, strengthening local governance, and tailoring newcomer services. Join us for an insightful discussion that highlights both local distinctiveness and collective learning across New Brunswick’s immigration ecosystem.

• Kathryn Melvin – Saint John LIP / Envision Saint John
• Sarah Caissie – Capital Region Integration Network / Ignite
• Erika Cantu – Greater Moncton and Southeast Local Immigration Partnership

E02 (En personne) – Information et connexion : levier d’intégration des nouveaux arrivants par les PLI et les RIF au Canada

Président : David Lapierre – Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador (FFTNL)

E03 (In Person) – LIP Strategies and Collaborations for Shifting Public Narratives and Attitudes Toward Immigrants

Facilitators: Jummai Dede Umar – East Central Saskatchewan IP, Jide Kassim – Prairie Skies Integration Network, Eilish McAnally – Connecting Grids Regional IP & Chuka Okeke – Southwest Saskatchewan IP

This roundtable highlights rural Saskatchewan LIPs that are advancing empathy and inclusion through innovative initiatives. It features Yorkton’s INVOLVE initiative, Moose Jaw’s Community Conversation on Immigration, Humboldt’s Youth Ethnocultural Advisory Table, and Swift Current’s Newcomer–Indigenous Relations initiative. The session explores how these efforts emerged, their implementation, and their impact. Attendees will gain insights into cross-sector partnerships, culturally responsive tools, and equity-driven strategies that foster newcomer engagement. With practical examples and lessons learned, participants will leave equipped to strengthen local capacity, build welcoming communities, shift public narratives, and foster empathy toward immigrants.
 

E04 (In Person) – Reimagining Governance: Enabling Resilience and Impact

Facilitators: Lisa Villeneuve – Lisa Villeneuve Consulting Inc. and Carolyn Whiteway – Atlantic Region Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (ARAISA)

Traditional non-profit governance emphasizes compliance and control—but for RIF and LIPs, these structures can limit adaptability and collaboration. This roundtable explores how boards and advisory committees can reimagine governance as a catalyst for resilience, equity, and shared leadership. Together, we will examine emerging models that distribute power, accelerate decision-making, and align diverse voices around shared purpose. By shifting from rigid oversight to dynamic stewardship, organizations can respond to complexity with greater agility and impact. Participants will leave with fresh perspectives and practical ideas for shaping governance that truly enables systems to thrive.
 

E05 (In Person) – Unsettling Settlement: Building Mi’kmaw-Newcomer Relationships in Unama’ki – Cape Breton

Chair: Robert Bernard – The Indigenous Guide

A new Mi’kmaw Advisory Committee (MAC) was formed in 2024 to help guide the Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership (CBLIP) and lead efforts to build better relationships between Mi’kmaw people and newcomers in Unama’ki – Cape Breton Island. This workshop will share the story of the MAC’s establishment and future plans, while offering Mi’kmaw, newcomer, and staff perspectives on the roles that newcomer-serving organizations can play in furthering Truth and Reconciliation through relationship-building and meaningful, concrete action.

• The Importance of Welcoming and Ceremony
  Mary Louise Bernard – Mi’kmaw Elder and Member of the CBLIP Mi’kmaw Advisory Committee
• The Journey of the CBLIP into the Work of Reconciliation
  Kailea Pedley – Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership (CBLIP)
• Designing and Navigating the Process Together
  Jody Nelson – Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership (CBLIP) / Misewa Collaborators
• Ancestral, Inherent Rights: Cultural Protocols of Welcoming, Cross-Cultural Training, and Policy Implications
  Robert Bernard – The Indigenous Guide
• Newcomer Perspectives on the Reconciliation Learning Journey 
  Des Ong and Leslie Fu – Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership (CBLIP) Immigrant Advisory Table

E06 (Virtual) – Narratives Matter: Building a Shared Response to Changing Immigration Sentiments in Canada (Video)

Facilitators: Abiha Syed and Saba Shafiq – Immigration Partnership Waterloo Region

This roundtable will explore the growing shifts in Canadian public and policy sentiments toward immigrants and immigration. In response to the rise in anti-immigrant discourse, we aim to convene with LIPs and RIF to identify actionable strategies, share successful regional models, and foster collaboration. This session will focus on practical ways to collaborate, share promising practices, foster sustained knowledge exchange and coordinated advocacy. By learning from each other’s experiences and effective approaches, we can strengthen our collective impact and advance more inclusive, community-driven responses to current challenges. The session will also examine whether a coordinated national and/or local campaign is warranted—and how our networks and/or NLS can drive it forward effectively.
 

E07 (Virtual) – Partnership and Resilience: Preparing for Austerity (Video)

Chair: Valerie Preston – York University

Partnerships can be powerful sources of resilience for a settlement sector confronting austerity and shifting provincial and federal priorities. Drawing on research completed in collaboration with LIPs, RIF, immigrant-serving agencies (ISAs), and other civil society organizations, the panel investigates how partnerships promote the ability to bounce back from adverse events and help better prepare for future challenges. Comparing pandemic responses in Quebec and Ontario reveals the provincial and municipal circumstances that promote effective partnerships. Evaluation of local collaborations such as LIPs and RIF reveals their benefits and limitations. The coordinated advocacy of multi-sectoral partnerships when confronting austerity measures is analyzed and assessed.

• Autonomous Community Action of Immigrant-Serving Agencies: A Critical Tool for Resilience During the Pandemic
  John Shields – Toronto Metropolitan University and Jill Hanley – McGill University
• A Balancing Act: How Ontario’s Réseaux en Immigration Francophone (RIFs) Navigate Constraints and Opportunities in a Minority Context
  Luisa Veronis – University of Ottawa
• Collaboration and Partnership: Protesting Austerity for Immigrants and Refugees in Waterloo Region 
  Tara Bedard – Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership

03:15 PM – 04:30 PM AST

Workshops and Roundtables

F01 (In Person) – LIP/RIF/ZIP Peer Mentorship Roundtable: Learning Across Experience

Facilitators: Angela Sheenmar – Delta Local Immigration Partnership and Meagan Reid – National LIP Secretariat

With the launch of ten new LIPs, along with emerging RIF and ZIPs across Canada, the need for a mentor-mentee roundtable connecting experienced and new initiatives is more vital than ever. This session will open with a demonstration from the National LIP Secretariat, showcasing updates to the new LIP Guidebook, an essential resource designed to help new LIPs, RIF, and ZIPs navigate foundational tools and strategies. Following a brief Q&A, a panel featuring Ana Maria Bustamante (Burnaby), Reuben Garang (Winnipeg), and Tara Bedard (Waterloo) will explore key challenges and share insights. Panelists will then join breakout tables for deeper, small-group discussions, offering tailored guidance to help new LIPs, RIF, and ZIPs build capacity and strengthen their local initiatives. While the panel highlights LIP leaders, the session is equally valuable for RIF and ZIPs.

• Ana Maria Bustamante – Burnaby Intercultural Planning Table (BIPT)
• Tara Bedard – Waterloo Region Immigration Partnership
• Reuben Garang – Winnipeg Local Immigration Partnership

F02 (In Person) – Outcome and Impact-Based Evaluation of LIPs’ Work: Attribution vs. Contribution, Challenges and Opportunities, Tools and Best Practices

Chair: Sathya Gnaniah – National LIP Secretariat

Assessing the outcomes and impacts of LIPs’ work is essential to further their mandate of collaborating with diverse stakeholders to improve newcomer settlement and integration in Canada. Understanding effectiveness contributes to further strengthening the work of LIPs. This workshop will present a combination of evidence-based approaches and case studies on evaluating LIPs work: 1) Approaches to outcome- and impact-based evaluation of LIPs work, 2) Measuring and evaluating LIPs work: Unpacking attribution vs. contribution, 3) Challenges and opportunities to impact-based evaluation of LIPs work, 4) Collaborating to further LIPs evaluation efforts: Developing and exchanging tools, templates and best practices.

• Approaches to Outcome and Impact-based Evaluation of LIPs Work
  Margerit Roger – Eupraxia Training
• Measuring and Evaluating LIPs Work: Unpacking Attribution vs. Contribution
  Elaine Burton-Saindon – Pembina Valley Local Immigration Partnership
• Challenges and Opportunities to Impact-based Evaluation of LIPs Work
  Diana Lee Miller and Susie Kim-McMullen – York Region Local Immigration Partnership
• Collaborating to Further LIPs Evaluation Efforts: Developing and Exchanging Tools, Templates and Best Practices
  Kailea Pedley – Cape Breton Local Immigration Partnership

F03 (En personne) – Renforcer l’engagement des membres d’un RIF / PLI : stratégies, défis et réussites

Facilitateurs : Ferdinand Bararuzunza – RIF-SK, Amina Houfaf Khoufaf – RIFA, Érika Cantu – PLI Grand Moncton et Sud-est, Xavier Mues – PLI Haut-Saint-Jean, Miryam Ben Romdhane – CFA Calgary

Comment mobiliser durablement les membres d’un réseau ? Quels leviers permettent de maintenir leur intérêt et leur participation active ? Cette table ronde réunit des représentant·e·s du RIFA (Alberta), du RIF-SK (Saskatchewan), du PLI du Haut-Saint-Jean et du PLI du Grand Moncton et du Sud-Est, qui partageront leurs expériences, leurs bons coups et leurs défis liés à la mobilisation de leurs membres. Un témoignage vidéo de la CFA Calgary, membre du RIFA, viendra enrichir la discussion en offrant la perspective d’un membre. Les participant·e·s seront invité·e·s à contribuer à l’identification collective de leviers de mobilisation durables, applicables à tout réseau œuvrant dans le secteur de l’immigration. Joignez-vous à la discussion, posez vos questions et repartez avec des idées concrètes pour renforcer la participation au sein de vos propres réseaux !
 

F04 (In Person) – Shake-Up: Experiences from Restructuring Toronto’s Quadrant LIPs

Chair: Aiza Khan – Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership

F05 (In Person) – Where We Are, Where We Need to Go and How to Get There: Reimagining Indigenous-Newcomer Relations

Facilitators: Reuben Hodari-Clarke – Toronto South West Local Immigration Partnership and Ana Marie Panczel – Langley Local Immigration Partnership

This session addresses ongoing challenges LIPs face in fostering meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities. Many partnerships have expressed uncertainty about how to approach this work respectfully and effectively. Drawing on insights from a national survey of LIPs, this roundtable discussion offers space for reflection on current practices and future directions. Participants will explore the value of Indigenous–Newcomer engagement, learn from the experiences of other LIPs, and take part in peer discussions and collaborative activities. The session aims to equip participants with practical strategies and tools to strengthen confidence, respect, and purpose in advancing reconciliation through relationship-building.
 

F06 (Virtual) – Collaboration for Better Settlement: Two Models for the Regionalization of Francophone Immigration: Casselman and Lanark-Renfrew (Video)

Chair: Élise Édimo – Réseau de soutien à l’immigration francophone de l’Est de l’Ontario (RSIFEO)

This workshop will highlight two innovative models of collaboration aimed at strengthening the settlement capacity of rural Francophone communities in Ontario. The first model explores the collaboration between the Eastern Ontario RIF and the Municipality of Casselman, which led to the creation of a local Francophone immigration committee, making Casselman an example of municipal mobilization to attract a skilled workforce. The second model illustrates the synergy between the Eastern Ontario RIF and the Lanark and Renfrew LIP, which joined forces to regionalize the surplus bilingual Francophone workforce present in Ottawa.

• Le modèle RIF-Casselman, axé sur la collaboration directe avec une municipalité
  Mireille Groleau – Municipalité de Casselman and Élise Édimo – Réseau de soutien à l’immigration francophone de l’Est de l’Ontario (RSIFEO)
• Le modèle RIF-PLI Lanark-Renfrew, fondé sur le partenariat inter-organisationnel
  Jodi Bucholtz – Algonquin College / Lanark & Renfrew Local Immigration Partnership and Élise Édimo – Réseau de soutien à l’immigration francophone de l’Est de l’Ontario (RSIFEO)

F07 (Virtual) – From Research to Action: Newcomer-Led Housing Solutions in Urban British Columbia and Rural Ontario (Video)

Facilitators: Mark Nonkes – Huron County Immigration Partnership and Fiorella Pinillos – City in Colour Urban Consultancy Cooperative

This roundtable brings together two community-based research initiatives that centre newcomer voices in addressing housing challenges across different contexts. In urban British Columbia, Growing Roots: Refugee-Centric Housing Solutions, led by City in Colour Cooperative with DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society, engaged refugee co-researchers to co-design culturally responsive housing guidelines. In rural Ontario, the Huron County Immigration Partnership worked with 40 newcomers to identify housing barriers and co-develop more than 40 solutions. Together, these case studies highlight how lived experience can inform more equitable and inclusive housing systems. In this session, we invite the audience to reflect on ways to move from research to action.

• Mark Nonkes – Huron County Immigration Partnership
• Fiorella Pinillos – City In Colour Urban Consultancy Cooperative
• Natalia Botero – City In Colour Urban Consultancy Cooperative
• Rana Telfah – Huron County Immigration Partnership

04:30 PM – 05:30 PM AST

Hackathon Team Presentations and Awards; Closing (Video)

Team Presentations and Awards 

• Sihem Aït Hammouda – Coordinator of Réseaux en immigration francophone, FCFA of Canada
• Victoria Esses – Co-Chair, Pathways to Prosperity Partnership and Professor, Western University

• Preparing Our Community For Francophone Immigration – Accordion
• Strengthening Collaboration Between RIF and LIP’s – Cello
• Comment renforcer notre présence numérique et rayonnement ? – Clarinet
• Breaking News – Drums
• Collaboration – French Horn
• 4 Saisons – Guitar
• No Is A Complete Sentence – Organ
• Building Bridges Together – Jazz
• Ensuring Financial Sustainability – Trumpet
• Newcomer Feedback Engagement – Ukulele
• Viabilité Financière Des Rifs/Pli – Violin

Closing

• Médétonwan Olivier Guédé – Advisor, Francophone Immigration, FCFA of Canada
• Carolyn Whiteway – Interim Co-Chair, Pathways to Prosperity Partnership and Executive Director, Atlantic Region Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (ARAISA)

A selection of photographs from the P2P-FCFA Conference for Local Immigration Partnerships and Réseaux en immigration francophone is now available for all to enjoy