The Voice of Canada News:
Winnipeg, MB – As immigration is a key economic driver that supports job growth, innovation and diversity across Canada, the Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration (FMRI) met today to discuss key priorities for building on the success of the immigration system.
Focusing on how Canada can grow its economy and strengthen its competitive advantage through immigration, Ministers noted that success will depend on a fast, flexible immigration system focused on a skilled and adaptable labour force. Ministers supported exploring the opportunity to collaborate on attraction, recruitment and retention efforts. Ministers discussed the importance of ensuring rural Canada benefits from increased immigration and the importance of increasing francophone immigration outside of Quebec.
Ministers also discussed the importance of highlighting the positive benefits of immigration to both our economies and communities.
Ministers placed emphasis on the need for improved labour market intelligence to ensure the immigration system responds to the rapidly changing labour market.
Ministers saw the opportunity for increased pathways to permanent residence for international students and temporary workers. Ministers also reviewed the implementation of the 2018-2020 multi-year levels plan during its first year and supported the need for an additional year for long-term forecasting to take us towards 1% of the Canadian population.
While the number of crossings has recently decreased, Ministers expressed willingness to work together to address the pressure of irregular migration, noting the importance of collaboration between the federal and provincial governments. Ministers agreed on the importance of coordinated and ongoing contingency planning and supports in order to reduce pressure on provinces and municipalities that receive the highest number of asylum seekers. In reviewing the findings from the independent review of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ministers discussed how to make the asylum system more efficient over the long-term.
Ministers stressed the importance of building on current co-planning efforts to strengthen collaboration across federal, provincial and territorial governments. This is essential to address unique integration needs across jurisdictions while ensuring that newcomers are successfully integrating socially and economically.
Reflecting on accomplishments, global migration trends, challenges and opportunities, Ministers discussed immigration priorities for a renewed strategy and action plan beyond 2019 to meet the FPT governments’ shared objectives and priorities.
