ONTARIO SEEKS MORE CONTROL OVER IMMIGRATION

The Ontario Minister of Immigration does not seem to understand economics:skilled workers go where the jobs are located, and that is now the West more than Ontario. Employer who need workers immediately already bring them via Work Permits issued under Labour Market Opinions or international treaties such as the NAFTA, GATS, etc. That is why the Federal governemnt has created the Canadian Expereince Class and is modifying elegibility for skilled trades under the new proposed Federal Skilled Worker program. This is jsust political pandering by the discredited Liberals in Ontario. And becasue the Ontario government ahs done such a marvellous job with its current nominee program, perhaps the federal government should reward it with more powers and control? Fix your current program first.

Immigration: Ontario seeks more power to pick skilled and moneyed newcomers - thestar.com

Immigration: Ontario seeks more power to pick skilled and moneyed newcomers

Published on Monday November 05, 2012

Nicholas Keung Immigration Reporter
 

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.