Federal, Provincial and Territorial Governments Working Together to Meet
Canada's Labour Needs through Active Immigrant Recruitment
OTTAWA, March 18, 2014 /CNW/ - Federal, provincial and territorial (FPT)
immigration ministers today reiterated their commitment to actively
recruit economic immigrants that have the skills the Canadian economy
needs most.
Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and
Alberta's Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour Minister Thomas Lukaszuk
co-chaired the meeting of FPT ministers responsible for immigration.
Economic immigration was a top priority for all ministers around the
table.
Ministers agreed to continue collaborating on building the new active
recruitment model which is known as the Expression of Interest (or EOI)
system. It is intended to transform Canada's immigration system into
one that is more responsive to labour market needs.
EOI will provide governments and Canadian employers access to skilled
foreign workers and expedite their entry into Canada for jobs that
aren't being filled by people already in Canada. Ministers agreed to engage jointly and intensively with employers on EOI
prior to the new system launch in January 2015.
Immigration Ministers also endorsed a plan to improve settlement
outcomes for newcomers across Canada. It includes improved pre-arrival
services, foreign qualification recognition, language learning for
newcomers who are not in the workforce and ways to encourage newcomers
to become more connected to their communities.
The ministers reviewed progress to date on the FPT Vision Action Plan,
reiterating the continuing need to align immigration levels with
economic demand, build a fast, flexible economic immigration system
focused primarily on meeting labour market needs across Canada, and
improve social and economic settlement and integration outcomes for
newcomers to Canada.
As immigration remains crucial to Canada's economic future, the
ministers agreed to meet again before the end of the year to continue
this important work.
Under the Canada-Québec Accord relating to immigration and temporary admission of foreign nationals,
Québec fully assumes sole responsibility for establishing immigration
levels, and for the selection, francization and integration of
immigrants. In areas under its responsibility, Québec develops its
policies and programs, legislates, regulates and sets its own
standards. Québec is an observer at FPT meetings.
Quick facts
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EOI will complement the Provincial Nominee Program which will continue
to be a key mechanism to allow provinces, territories, and employers to
meet regional labour market needs. Almost 41,000 provincial nominees
(including their spouses and dependants) were admitted to Canada
through the PNP in 2012, up from approximately 13,500 in 2006.
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Thanks in part to the PNP, 42 percent of all economic immigrants in 2012
intended to settle outside of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, compared
to only about 20 percent in 2000.
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In 2012, 62 percent of immigrants were in the economic stream.
Governments aim to achieve a minimum of 70 percent, nationally and by
jurisdiction, in the years ahead.
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FPT governments are committed to ensuring that newcomers integrate and
contribute fully to the Canadian economy, and to their communities, as
soon as possible. For its part, the Government of Canada will invest
almost $600 million in 2014-2015 to support newcomers' settlement needs
outside of Quebec.
Quotes
"The Government of Canada's number one priority remains economic growth
and job creation. Immigration plays a key role in Canada's long-term
prosperity and we are committed to seeing newcomers succeed across the
country. With our provincial and territorial partners, we look forward
to launching the Expression of Interest system together next year."
Chris Alexander, Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister
"Immigration, and selection through Provincial Nominee Programs, plays
an important role in building Canada's permanent workforce and in
addressing labour shortages and skill gaps across the country.
Provinces and territories will continue to work with the federal
government towards developing an Expression of Interest immigration
system that is responsive to our regional labour market needs."
Thomas Lukaszuk, Alberta Minister for Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour
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Photos of Minister Alexander available at:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/index.asp
SOURCE Citizenship and Immigration Canada
