Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc.

This data was last updated on 5 May 2020.

Address: Welcome Place, 397 Carlton Street, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2K9, CA
Phone: 204-977-1000
Website: http://www.miic.ca/

Mission & Goals:
After World War II, “displaced persons” were required to make clear a religious affiliation to the Canadian government in order to enter the country. It was during this period of time that the Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council (MIIC) was founded. It is “a voluntary association of faith communities and individual Manitobans that, through personal expressions of faith commitment, exists to welcome and extend hospitality to all refugees/immigrants and to serve them as brothers and sisters.”(1)

The Council has five main goals within the context of this mission. They are listed as follows on their website:

1. To welcome refugees/immigrants who come to Manitoba.
2. To mobilize resources, from the membership, government and the general community, that will help to integrate refugees/immigrants into Canadian society.
3. To monitor government policies and attitudes to refugees/immigrants and to work cooperatively with federal, provincial and non-government agencies which are concerned for the welfare of refugees/immigrants.
4. To speak to social justice issues related to refugees/immigrants and to advocate on their behalf as need arises.
5. To forge a partnership of all newcomers, MIIC Inc. and the community at large, through shared learning and mutual understanding, to attain the harmonious unity which the Creator intends.
  

Activities: 
In order to fulfill its mission, the Council is involved in a wide range of activities targeting recently arrived refugees and those in the process of attaining refugee status. A few of these activities are highlighted below.
· Organizing English as a Second Language (ESL) classes
· Offering paralegal services and referrals to lawyers
· Providing initial accommodation and assisting in the process of finding permanent accommodation
· Conducting tours of the City of Winnipeg to orient newcomers
· Advocating for refugee claimants

Staff: 
In addition to “numerous volunteers” there are currently twenty-nine staff members, most of whom are themselves immigrants and/or refugees.(2) Since the MIIC is an interfaith initiative, the Board of Directors includes “representatives from the Roman Catholic, Anglican, United Church, Baha’i, Jewish, Muslim, Lutheran, Sikh, Hindu, Presbyterian and Mennonite faiths.”(3)

Funding: 
The Council receives funding for its activities from a variety of sources including the Canadian Federal Government, the Provincial Government of Manitoba, private foundations, religious communities and individual donors.(4)
Endnotes:
(1)Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. Web Site. http://www.miic.ca/about.htm. Accessed 5 August 2006.
(2)Ibid.
(3)Ibid.
(4)Ibid.