Canada seeks to increase immigration over next three years even as pandemic rages on
OTTAWA
Canada is seeking to admit upwards of 1.2 million new permanent residents in the next three years, a target the federal government says is crucial to the post-pandemic economic recovery.
But how realistic those numbers are in the face of closed borders, restrictions on international travel and a sharp economic downtown, remain to be seen.
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino insisted Friday he was optimistic.
“Immigrants are putting food on the tables of Canadians. They’re taking care of our seniors, and they are driving the economy of tomorrow,” he said outside a downtown Ottawa restaurant whose owner immigrated to Canada several years ago.
“At no time in recent history has that been more important than in the context of this pandemic. And so what this plan does is it lays out a future vision for growth, economic recovery through immigration.”
While the local restaurant may be a success story, it sits at the corner of a downtown Ottawa intersection where it is clear the pandemic has taken a toll on the economy: coffee shops, shawarma joints, boutiques and other stores and services catering to downtown workers have all closed their doors.
A study by Statistics Canada released in August showed that in the early months of the pandemic, recent immigrants to Canada were more likely than Canadian-born workers to lose their jobs, mainly because they had held them for less time and, as a whole, are overrepresented in lower-wage employment. That includes in service-sector jobs.
Mendicino said Friday the economy can and will absorb more newcomers because they create jobs.
Some observers also suggested the planned arrivals aren’t enough to meet anticipated demand in certain sectors.
The government is aiming for 401,000 new permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. About 60 per cent will be economic immigrants.
There needs to be a realignment of how the government selects immigrants for the post-pandemic economy, said Dennis Darby, the president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, in a statement.
Removing barriers to how many temporary foreign workers can be admitted per facility, and making it easier for provinces to directly recruit, should be options, he said.
“Manufacturers are increasingly using immigration to supplement their workforce but there are not enough immigrants to meet the demand,” he said.