(Ottawa) The federal government wants to increase the proportion of temporary residents in the Canadian population from 6.2% to 5% by 2027, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced Thursday, Mark Miller.
The determination of the final threshold will take place in the fall, following consultations with provincial and territorial officials, as part of the annual planning of immigration levels, noted the minister at a press conference.
In the meantime, he invited his provincial and territorial counterparts to a summit in early May.
Temporary residents, an immigration category bringing together foreign students, temporary foreign workers and asylum seekers, in particular, represented 6.2% of the Canadian population (2.5 million people) in 2023, according to the most recent data from Statistics Canada.
“We must ensure that the number of temporary residents entering the country is at a sustainable level, while respecting our humanitarian commitments and taking into account labor market priorities,” argued Marc Miller.
The minister pursues the dual objective of “eliminating abuses in the system” and avoiding “the pitfalls of an economy built solely on temporary immigration”, while some employers have become “addicted” to this workforce. work, to use his expression.
At his side on Thursday, his colleague Randy Boissonnault, holder of the Employment and Workforce Development portfolio, proposed experimental remedies to counter this dependence.
First, from 1er May, employers will have to reduce the workforce from this sector from 30% to 20% – with the exception of the construction and health care sectors, where the shortage is so glaring that it does not allow this round of screw.
Then, starting on the same date, they will have to widen their net. “We will ask that after considering Canadian citizens, permanent residents and refugees, employers give priority to asylum seekers with a valid work permit in Canada,” indicated the Alberta minister.
“A first step”
Ottawa’s intentions were greeted with cautious optimism by the Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, Christine Fréchette. “The federal government recognizes that it had to reduce temporary immigration to Quebec. It’s a first step. We will have to see the impact” that this will have, she said.
The minister did not immediately confirm her participation in next fall’s meeting. “We will analyze everything when we have more details,” said Mme Fréchette, who must nevertheless meet face-to-face with Mr. Miller on March 28.
At the end of 2023, Quebec had 528,000 non-permanent residents, which represents a jump of 46% in one year.
The government’s desire to restrict access to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program was received unfavorably by the business community. At Manufacturiers et Exportateurs du Québec, we said we were “very concerned” about this direction.
Same story at the Quebec Employers Council. “This decision will have a significant impact on thousands of businesses in Quebec and Canada,” lamented Karl Blackburn, accusing the federal government of “constant improvisation” in matters of immigration.
Shrimp and crab
In the same vein, earlier this week, Minister Marc Miller was accused of being partly responsible for the closure of the Fruits de mer de l’Est shrimp processing plant in Matane, which caused them to lose their position for 55 employees as well as at least 104 temporary foreign workers.
The general director of the Quebec Fishing Industry Association, Jean-Paul Gagné, saw this as a consequence of Ottawa’s recent decision to reimpose on Mexicans the obligation to obtain a visa before coming to the Canada.
Mr. Miller defended himself on Thursday: “Regarding the shrimp factory, I know a lot has been said, but we were ready […] There is some blame that has been leveled against this reimposition, but I think it is wrong. The workers, to the best of my knowledge, were ready to come. »
And as the opening of the crab fishery approaches next week, he is hopeful that the Mexican workforce will be there: “We are working on it, but according to what I have under eyes, at least 80% of people, and even, I hope, 100% of people, will arrive.
The Bloc Québécois called Thursday for the creation of a crisis unit to prevent other factories from going out of business, accusing the federal government of being responsible for the deterioration of a fishing industry which was “already seriously undermined” in eastern Quebec.
With the collaboration of Daphné Cameron, Karim Benssaiseh and Vincent Larin, The Press
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