MONTREAL – Taking advantage of the Internet’s growing global accessibility, Radio Canada International (RCI) has launched a new web service, RCI viva, aimed at both recent and aspiring immigrants to Canada.
A component of www.RCInet.ca, RCI viva is designed to address issues commonly faced by those who have immigrated or are looking to immigrate to Canada, the network said Tuesday in a press release.
Among other things, RCI viva offers a web radio service airing programs in English and French, but also in Arabic, Mandarin, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Ukrainian.
Content will provide social context, as well as arts and entertainment stories, to help immigrants discover their new home.
The service will also offer tips to help people “fit in and do what they need to do”, capsules to help them hone their skills in the two official languages, and discussion boards to share their experiences, so they can be heard and get involved in their newly
adopted community.
This tailored orientation program will be available via podcast and streaming audio at www.RCInet.ca.
The international broadcaster created the service in an effort to promote cultural harmony, it said, and it feels the Internet is an excellent way to reach new arrivals. It also allows the CBC to go a step further in making Canadian culture available to all, both at home and abroad.
“This first foray into national radio adds an extra dimension to the mandate of RCI, which has been broadcasting Canadian content overseas since 1945. Through RCI viva, RCI is staying true to its original mission while adapting it to the current reality and changing face of our societies,” said Sylvain Lafrance, CBC/Radio-Canada’s Executive Vice-President, French Services.
“RCI viva will play a pivotal role for immigrant communities who choose Canada as their home. We hope that RCI viva will be used and recognized as a vehicle for building bridges between Canadians of all cultural backgrounds,” said RCI’s Executive Director Jean Larin.
