Mixed reaction as B.C. prepares to open doors under 10-year federal immigration plan

PETER O'NEIL
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Published on: October 31, 2016

Immigration Minister John McCallum answers a question during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, October 20, 2016. ADRIAN WYLD / THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA — B.C. will receive between 39,000 and 42,000 immigrants and refugees annually under the Trudeau government’s ambitious plan unveiled Monday to bring in a minimum 300,000 newcomers to Canada annually.

The federal Liberal government had already declared its intention to reach the 300,000 threshold this year, which if achieved would mark the first time since just before the First World War that the total number of immigrants and refugees hit that mark.

Immigration Minister John McCallum said Monday it will be the target again for 2017 — and become a “baseline” for subsequent years.

That terminology suggested to Vancouver immigration lawyer Richard Kurland, an expert on federal policy, that the federal Liberals are setting the stage for even bigger increases in coming years — to at least 360,000 (one per cent of Canada’s population, which was a little over 36 million in 2016).

McCallum touted the benefits of his plan to Canada’s economy, and the response from some B.C. groups was positive, though one policy critic said the Liberal plan is more about winning votes in immigrant communities.

“The 2017 levels plan will put Canada in a strong position for the future and support our overall economic and social development as a country,” McCallum said in a statement.

The 2017 total is made up of an estimated 172,500 economic immigrants, primarily skilled workers and professionals.

Another 84,000 will be “family” reunification applicants such as spouses, children, parents, and grandparents. The remainder will comprise 40,000 refugees and 3,500 people admitted on “humanitarian and compassionate” grounds.

In 2016 the target was 160,600 from the economic class, 80,000 from family class, 55,800 refugees, and 3,500 under the “humanitarian and compassionate” category.

While McCallum noted that he’s increasing the number of economic class immigrants in 2017 compared to 2016, in fact the Liberals intend to essentially match the former government’s total number of economic immigrants accepted in 2015, which came to 170,384.

B.C.’s business community had a lukewarm reaction to the figures, noting that the government hasn’t responded adequately to the need for more skilled foreign workers.

The target for economic class immigrants “falls a little bit short of what we’d like to see,” said Ken Peacock, chief economist for the Business Council of B.C.

“Our member companies continue to report a large level of difficulty hiring people, and an increasing need to look to overseas markets for top talent.”

B.C. Chamber of Commerce President Val Litwin said a strong immigration policy is “vital” for the economy as retirements start outpacing the number of Canadian youth entering the job market.

While he said the increase in economic immigration over last year is a “good sign”, he urged the government to maintain a priority on bringing in skilled workers.

“Where we must maintain focus is on ensuring we have sufficient infrastructure to receive these newcomers, get them job ready with the right training and commit to solving the issue of foreign credential certification at the provincial level.”

Kurland said the business community shouldn’t fret, since the government’s relatively new “express entry” system — which focuses primarily on recruiting workers already in Canada, like foreign students and temporary foreign workers — is making the process of bringing in economic migrants far more efficient.

Manpreet Grewal, who deals with immigration and refugee settlement issues at Abbotsford Community Services, said she’s happy with the numbers and said the total for B.C. is “manageable” by groups like hers.

However, like Litwin, she said the federal and provincial governments have to step up to ensure housing and other social services, including language training, are adequate.

Chris Friesen, of the Immigrant Services Society of B.C., said there is a “strong desire” in both the private and public sector for increased immigration levels, provided there is adequate economic and social integration funding.

Former ambassador Martin Collacott, a critic of Canadian immigration policy, said the high number of family class immigrants — especially the 20,000 parents and grandparents — means the policy will hurt rather than help the economy.

He cited studies showing that this group generally takes more in social services than it provides in taxes.

“It’s going to cost Canadians a fortune but it’ll certainly get Liberals some votes.”