Push for tailored immigration solutions as pressure mounts on federal system
Canada’s premiers are calling for sweeping immigration reform, urging the federal government to give provinces more control over economic immigration, including the authority to issue work permits and set regional immigration levels.
At the recent Council of the Federation meeting in Huntsville, Ontario, premiers expressed frustration with the current system, saying it doesn’t reflect regional labour shortages. Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested provinces should have powers similar to Quebec, which controls its own economic immigration.
Saskatchewan and other provinces also called on Ottawa to restore cuts to the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), which was reduced from 110,000 to 55,000 spots last year.
With federal immigration decisions having provincial consequences, experts say a coordinated approach is critical. “So that speaks to the need for really tight co-operation between the federal government and the provincial government and municipalities, both in the setting of levels and in the housing and medical policies that are currently in place so that we can accommodate those who we’re letting in,” said Ninette Kelley, former United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees official and a former member of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board.