Business groups fear refugees and immigrant families will crowd out spaces for foreign workers in Canada

Article content material

OTTAWA — Provinces and companies eager to bolster their workforce are nervous the push for Syrian refugees this 12 months will result in a cutback in overseas staff..

The federal government admits a set variety of immigrants every year. In 2015, for instance, the Conservative authorities deliberate to confess as much as 285,000 immigrants. Of these slots, 66 per cent have been reserved for financial immigrants; 24 per cent of the slots have been for the members of the family of immigrants; and the remaining 10 per cent have been for refugees and different humanitarian entrants.

Article content material

The federal authorities is meant to supply its immigration admission numbers by Oct. 31 every year. Due to final fall’s federal election, the numbers for 2016 haven’t but been printed. The federal government now has till March 9 to provide you with its plan.

Article content material

However with tens of hundreds extra refugees being admitted this 12 months in comparison with 2015, and with the Liberals’ marketing campaign promise to make it simpler for immigrants to reunite with their mother and father and grandparents, the variety of slots reserved for financial immigrants could also be diminished.

(Financial immigrants are overseas staff, together with enterprise folks and expert tradespeople, who’re allowed into Canada on a everlasting foundation. These admitted via the controversial non permanent overseas employee program fall into a unique class.)

Immigration Minister John McCallum mentioned final week he has consulted with trade, in addition to refugee teams and different organizations about this 12 months’s immigration ranges. However he wouldn’t say whether or not the federal government is contemplating lowering the variety of financial immigrants allowed.

Critics usually accused the Conservatives of turning Canada’s immigration system into little greater than a hiring program, with refugees and households being given quick shrift. In 2007, overseas staff represented solely 60 per cent of immigration admission targets. with 26 per cent members of the family and 14 per cent refugees.

Article content material

Given the state of the Canadian economic system, with unemployment rising, some query whether or not the federal government ought to proceed to confess tens of hundreds of overseas staff, together with enterprise folks and expert tradesmen, on a everlasting foundation.

However provinces, trade associations and specialists say financial immigrants are important for assembly Canada’s labour wants. Some carry expertise which can be briefly provide in Canada, whereas others are keen to do jobs Canadians gained’t. The nation’s low birthrate additionally threatens long-term labour drive provide.

“We actually want immigrants to drive financial development,” mentioned Sarah Anson-Cartwright, director of expertise and immigration coverage on the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. “Financial immigrants make up about 30 per cent of recent entrants into the labour drive every year.”

Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Impartial Enterprise, mentioned financial immigrants are much more necessary now on condition that the non permanent overseas employee program has been successfully frozen whereas the Liberals overview it.

Article content material

“The small enterprise group doesn’t wish to see financial immigration drop on this nation,” he mentioned. “TFW has been rendered largely ineffective for small companies.”

Provinces are additionally relying on the federal government to maintain the degrees the place they’re. One provincial official, talking on background, mentioned provinces loudly protested when federal immigration officers lately prompt that the variety of financial immigrants could possibly be scaled again this 12 months.

“Our hope is it could stay the identical or have a modest improve,” the official mentioned.

However that could possibly be troublesome due to the Liberals’ promise to cut back the prolonged delays many immigrants face to be reunited with their family members, in addition to the Syrian refugee disaster.

Below final 12 months’s plan, Canada was anticipated to just accept solely about 14,000 refugees from all over the world. However Canada will admit no less than 25,000 Syrian refugees this 12 months, plus hundreds extra Colombians, Eritreans and Congolese due to earlier commitments to the UN.

One choice the federal government may pursue is an general growth of the immigration program. Some marvel if the Liberals will grow to be the primary Canadian authorities to confess 300,000 new immigrants in a single 12 months. They are saying such an growth of the immigration program wouldn’t be prohibitively costly now that new pc programs on the federal immigration division have diminished the executive burden.

Article content material

“I feel the federal government could have its cake and eat it too,” mentioned Vancouver-based immigration skilled Richard Kurland. “It should have the political bragging rights that it’s the first authorities to ship 300,000 immigrants. And the sweetness is the operational prices could be low as a result of all the pieces is being executed on-line.”

However an growth would nonetheless value one thing, a problem because the Liberals cope with a worsening economic system and quite a lot of different costly marketing campaign guarantees.

Till the federal government reveals its admission numbers, on or earlier than March 9, provinces and trade might be unsettled.

“I’m hopeful changes they make this 12 months might be on the margins,” mentioned Anson-Cartwright. “We’d like these folks.”

Article content material