Ontario wants more control of immigrant selection in its attempt to wrestle with declining immigration, newcomers’ poor job prospects and unmet labour market needs.
In unveiling the province’s new immigration strategy Monday, Immigration Minister Charles Sousa said Ontario must attract a better-skilled workforce by raising the ratio of economic migrants and expanding the federally imposed quota of “provincial nominees” — immigrants the province has a role in choosing — five-fold, to 5,000 a year by 2014.
“This is a bold new direction for immigration in Ontario. It sets a path so we can attract highly skilled immigrants and investors that we need to fuel economic growth and help build stronger communities,” said Sousa, who will discuss the plan with federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney at a meeting in mid-November.
Ontario has seen its share of immigrants to Canada drop by one-third, from 148,640 in 2001 to 99,000 in 2011. In other provinces, seven out of 10 immigrants settling in other provinces belong to the “economic” class — skilled workers and investors, as opposed to refugees and people reuniting with family members. But “economic” immigrants account for only 52 per cent of newcomers to Ontario.
With a growing knowledge-based economy and decimation of manufacturing jobs, Ontario’s newcomers earned 23.2 per cent less than their Canadian counterparts in 2011 and had a jobless rate of 15.7 per cent.
Yet, Ontario is expected to face a shortage of 364,000 skilled workers by 2025.
Sousa said Ottawa is partially responsible for Ontario’s immigration woes because of the restrictions it has placed on the federal skilled worker program, the main source of the province’s newcomers.
Calling the action plan “critical” to Ontario’s future, Ontario Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Allan O’Dette said he hoped it would reverse the province’s immigration decline and help address its skills gaps.
Kenney declined to comment on the plan. But critics said they were glad to see Queen’s Park “standing up against the Conservative government” for shortchanging Ontario.
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