Minister says Canada needs more immigration as targets get mixed reviews | 24CA News

As Canada plans to considerably ramp up its immigration ranges within the coming years, some coverage consultants are nervous about potential results on well being care, housing and the labour market.

But Immigration Minister Sean Fraser insists that Canada wants extra newcomers to handle labour shortages and demographic adjustments that threaten the nation’s future.

“If we don’t continue to increase our immigration ambition and bring more working-age population and young families into this country, our questions will not be about labour shortages, generations from now,” Fraser mentioned in an interview with The Canadian Press.

“They’re going to be about whether we can afford schools and hospitals.”

In November, the federal Liberal authorities introduced a brand new immigration plan that may see Canada welcome 500,000 immigrants per yr by 2025.

A record-breaking 431,645 folks grew to become everlasting residents in 2022.

The new immigration charges will likely be considerably greater than charges in comparable nations, reminiscent of Australia, mentioned University of New Brunswick political science Prof. Ted McDonald.

That’s not a nasty factor in itself, he mentioned. But in his view, elevating immigration ranges is not the proper technique to deal with present labour shortages.

“I think the policy would make more sense if it’s aligned with what are seen as underlying structural labour market shortages that are going to persist,” McDonald mentioned.

International college students

At the identical, he mentioned one justification for immigration is evident: Canada has a declining birthrate.

According to Statistics Canada, the nation’s birthrate fell to a document low of a median of 1.4 kids per girl in 2020. That’s effectively beneath the two.1 price wanted to keep up a inhabitants with out immigration.

That would not cease others from worrying about how extra newcomers may put a pressure on different perennial points reminiscent of housing affordability and well being care.

“There’s no assessment that I have seen of the impact of these targets on housing affordability and availability, no assessment of these targets in terms of additional pressures on health care,” mentioned Andrew Griffith, a former high-ranking official at Immigration and Citizenship Canada.

But Fraser mentioned that most of the new everlasting residents already reside in Canada. For instance, 157,000 worldwide college students grew to become everlasting residents in 2021.

“It’s not as though there are half a million people coming to Canada who are not already here,” the minister mentioned.

McKinsey’s affect

He mentioned adjustments are additionally coming to the Express Entry system within the spring in order that immigrants will be chosen based mostly on the sector and area in Canada they’re heading to.

That will assist alleviate a number of the pressure on issues like well being care and housing, he mentioned.

The ongoing debate on whether or not the brand new targets are too formidable can also be coinciding with heightened scrutiny concerning what — or who — is influencing authorities coverage.

Radio-Canada reported final week that two sources inside Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada mentioned McKinsey & Company’s affect on immigration coverage has grown in recent times.

A authorities response to a Conservative MP’s written query, which was tabled within the House of Commons in December, says the division has not not too long ago awarded any contracts to the consulting agency — a minimum of, not through the timeframe the MP requested about, which was from March 2021 till October 2022.

And through the interview Thursday, Fraser mentioned McKinsey has had no position to play within the new immigration ranges plan.

“I’m not being influenced by them,” Fraser mentioned. “This is something that I’ve arrived at independently.”

The minister mentioned he got here to the choice concerning the immigration plan on the recommendation of division officers. He mentioned he additionally took into consideration what he is heard from totally different organizations, stakeholders, and provincial and territorial leaders.

Policy consultants typically fear in regards to the outsized affect stakeholders can have on authorities insurance policies, since curiosity teams foyer the federal government to implement insurance policies which are in keeping with their priorities, and a few are extra highly effective than others.

Business teams in Canada have seen ongoing labour shortages as a serious concern, and so they have known as on the federal government to assist fill vacancies.

Following the announcement of the brand new plan, the Business Council of Canada applauded the targets in a press launch, saying that “an economy that is chronically short of workers cannot achieve its potential.”

Griffith mentioned that in his opinion, the present authorities is “fairly responsive to the pressures of stakeholders,” whether or not they’re business teams or organizations that work with immigrants.

While the pursuits of stakeholders can typically align with what is definitely good coverage, McDonald mentioned stakeholder teams have “vested interests.”

“We have to be aware of where the advocacy is coming from, and not being naive about it,” he mentioned.