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Immigrant intake to jump 40pc |
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Canada's immigration levels could rise 40 per cent
- or by an additional 100,000 a year - under a plan to be presented to the federal cabinet.
The Toronto Star, quoting agency reports, said, Immigration
Minister Joe Volpe will announce the higher target by November 1 after
consulting cabinet colleagues.
Prime Minister Paul Martin recently described immigration as "key to
Canada's economic success" in an era defined by low birth rates, an
aging population and an ever-deepening shortage of skilled workers.
The new immigration target is intended to address that challenge, the newspaper said.
According to government sources quoted in the Star, the
proposed target would see immigration levels rise to one per cent of
the Canadian population within five years — or about 328,000 per year
and growing.
That would represent an increase of about 40 per cent from last year's
level of 235,824 people who became permanent residents of Canada, the
paper added.
Prime ministers have long cited the one-per-cent goal without success.
Volpe's plan would set out a strategy for finally achieving the target,
the Star said.
Economic growth is being hampered in places like Edmonton, Calgary and
Fort McMurray because they can't fill jobs fast enough, Volpe was
quoted as saying.
There were more than enough jobs for immigrants right across the country, according to the minister.
About 6,000 long-haul trucks are sitting empty in New Brunswick because
there aren't enough truckers to fill the available spots, Volpe
reportedly said, adding he also heard that 5,000 skilled jobs needed to
be filled in Saskatoon, and in Abbotsford, BC, the need was for 1,000
computer engineers for graphic- and video-game design.
Speeding up the bureaucratic machine will be a challenge, the Star reported.
Some estimates peg the average backlog of permanent-residence visas at
700,000 — more than triple the number approved each year and a cause of
frustratingly long waiting times for people applying through the system.
The prime minister laid out the challenges facing the immigration
system in a speech to Ottawa civil servants recently, adding that
Canada must do a better job getting immigrants to apply their skills on
this country's job market.
"Canada needs more immigrants, plain and simple, and we need them to succeed," Martin said.
According to the Star, the new immigration plan is expected to be broadly based on these key themes:
- Welcoming more immigrants and encouraging more of them to settle
outside big cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where they have
traditionally settled in the past. Department officials say the
government could dangle the promise of speedy entry for those
immigrants willing to move to communities outside of the big centres.
- Better matching the skills of immigrants with jobs. Sources
say this has been an area where the department has traditionally fallen
down.
- Making it easier for temporary workers and foreign students — who already know the country and its languages — to remain here.
- Addressing the question of getting foreign credentials more speedily recognized in Canada.
Related: Jobs, jobs, jobs
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