Manitoba announces new immigration advisory council

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This article was published 14/02/2022 (1495 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial government has struck an expert council to review its immigration system and find ways to attract more newcomers to Manitoba as new arrivals rebound following a COVID-19 pandemic slump.

Former federal foreign affairs minister and current chairman of the World Refugee and Migration Council Lloyd Axworthy will lead the provincial advisory committee with Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration Minister Jon Reyes.

Over the next 10 months, the council will consult with industry, labour, settlement agencies and other groups to provide suggestions to government to streamline the Manitoba provincial nominee program, improve foreign qualification recognition, and enhance settlement programs.

“We need immigration to help grow our labour market and diversify our economy,” Reyes said Monday, during a media conference with Axworthy and Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson.

“There are different areas of the labour market who need people with very specific skills to enable them to grow further.”

Reyes said the council will also include representation from recent immigrants who have gone through the nomination process, immigration agencies, ethno-cultural communities, businesses, academia and urban and rural leadership.

The council is expected to deliver a final report by Dec. 31.

Stefanson said there is a need for both skilled and unskilled workers across the province, and an analysis of labour needs will help inform future changes to the provincial nominee program.

She noted Monday’s announcement supports a commitment in the throne speech to boost immigration.

The Manitoba government estimates it will require about 15,500 new workers per year until at least 2025 to meet labour and economic demands.

Between January and November 2021, 14,550 people were admitted as permanent residents in Manitoba, representing a 68 per cent increase from 2020, according to the province. However, immigration was still down 23 per cent from pre-pandemic levels.

Last year, 6,275 people arrived in Manitoba through the nominee program, the highest since it was established in 1998.

Reyes said he wants to see the federal government approve an increase to the province’s allotment, and his office is currently in talks with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Ottawa has yet to confirm how many nominees Manitoba will be able to accept this year.

“Obviously, we’d like to see it be higher than 6,200,” Reyes said.

“Much higher,” the premier added.

Axworthy said there are also emerging opportunities for labour recruitment and migration Manitoba can take advantage of in collaboration with the federal government, which has increased the provincial nominee program budget and introduced pilot programs.

“We, as partners with them, can lead in doing some real innovation on how to make this work that can be a model to other parts of the country,” Axworthy said. “This is something that has a wider orbit than just our own province.”

Reyes said newcomer and immigrant settlement agencies will be engaged by the advisory council and further announcements are expected to support those groups.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said the creation of an advisory council was a positive step, but described policies brought in by the Tories — including the introduction of a $500 fee for the provincial nominee program and withdrawing universal health insurance for international students — as “anti-immigration.”

“There are also things that we’ve been calling for that could be done next week if they needed to be, including removing the head tax and including restoring health care for international students,” Lamont said.

“Those international students are future Manitobans, and we’re basically telling people to go elsewhere because you’re not welcome.”

Opposition critic Malaya Marcelino said the provincial government needs to get skilled workers already in Manitoba, including nurses trained outside the country, on the job.

“We know there are internationally trained nurses who are eager to work in Manitoba, but the PCs clearly have no plan to eliminate the barriers that prevent them from providing bedside care,” the NDP MLA said in a statement. “We can’t afford to wait a year for a report — we need the premier to take action today.”

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca