Minister announces new plan for skilled immigration
Program fast-tracks residency
To ease shortages of tradespeople across the country, federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has unveiled an initiative to put new emphasis on quickly turning skilled foreign workers into permanent residents of Canada.
Kenney also stressed Monday that even with Alberta and other provinces clamouring for more immigration powers, they won’t receive the same direct control as Quebec has over its system. The minister said Ottawa has already given the provinces additional authority over immigration through existing initiatives, such as the Provincial Nominee Program.
“We want to maintain some coherence and integrity in the immigration system,” Kenney said in an interview. “People don’t come here to become Albertans or Manitobans, they come here to become Canadians.”
Last month, Canadian premiers called on Ottawa to hand over more control over immigration, while provincial ministers have asked for an increase in their Provincial Nominee Program allotments.
But Kenney said Monday that Alberta hasn’t used up its yearly 5,000-person certificate allocation under the Provincial Nominee Program, which gives provinces and territories a quota to select newcomers that meet specific labour market needs.
He said even while Alberta argues its labour shortage is particularly acute, his department anticipates that by the end of 2012, Alberta will have nominated fewer than 4,000 people through the program.
“They’re not exactly supporting their own case. If they say they need more but they’re not using what they have, that’s rather peculiar,” the minister said. “It suggests to me that they’re overstating the demand.”
But there were no complaints from the Alberta government Monday as Kenney announced the Federal Skilled Trades Program, which will launch Jan. 2 and help rectify what the Calgary MP said is a long-standing problem that academics are favoured as immigrants over skilled tradespeople.
The program will focus on getting electricians, welders, heavy-duty equipment mechanics and pipefitters — along with others tradespeople, with at least basic French or English skills — permanent residency in Canada within a few months of their arrival.
Kenney said in many cases, the federal government will give its approval based on an employer’s job offer.
“It’s definitely a move in the right direction for Alberta’s interests,” provincial Enterprise and Advanced Education Minister Stephen Khan said of the program.
Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said the program — which focuses on permanent resident status rather than a temporary work permit — is a small step in the right direction. But he’s still concerned there’s not enough employment protections for low-skilled, temporary foreign workers.
The new federal skilled trades program will approve a maximum of 3,000 applications in 2013, but Kenney hopes the program will grow in future years.
Calgary Economic Development’s Jeanette Sutherland said the new initiative is a positive step, but the numbers are not enough. Many employers are already having trouble finding industrial electricians, mechanics and pipefitters.
“I expect industry will quickly be requesting higher numbers.”