Immigration targets expected to stay static
To be unveiled
OTTAWA • A possible clue to how the federal Liberal government will arrive at its annual immigration targets for 2018, to be unveiled Wednesday, can be found in a similar provincial plan unveiled just last week.
Quebec — which sets its own immigration targets in connection with the federal government — is aiming to bring in some 51,000 people, a target that is unchanged from 2017.
That has observers saying they expect the federal numbers for next year to remain largely in line with the 2017 goal of 300,000 newcomers, though a slight bump is likely. Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen offered no details Monday.
“The main priority will be to focus very strongly on the real need of employers, and many sectors of the economy, saying we need immigration,” Hussen said before question period. “We need skilled immigrants to not only come and fill certain jobs, but also create more jobs for everyone else, and prosperity for all of us.”
In 2016, the government’s economic advisory council recommended boosting levels to 450,000 over the next five years to address an aging workforce and declining birth rate, both of which are leaving major gaps in Canada’s labour market.
But that bumps up against practical considerations, said Kareem El-Assal, a senior researcher with the Conference Board of Canada.
“It would require a significant increase in federal government expenditures to hire visa officers to send them overseas and whatnot, and the question is where will the money come from?”
The same holds true of a call for the government to set immigration targets for a wider window, not just annually. At the past federalprovincial meetings of ministers responsible for immigration, all emerged united on the need for a multi-year approach.
Being able to plot out immigration over a longer period would lend more certainty for everyone from employers to refugee settlement agencies, who are among those calling for a three-year planning document.
“The challenges and opportunities that immigration provides to this country necessitate a much broader public consultation than one focused on annual levels planning,” said the Canadian Immigrant Settlement Sector Alliance in its briefing note to Hussen on the immigration plan.
Hussen said Monday that space will be created within the plan to address backlogs, but he also suggested refugee levels will be maintained.