Media Release -- Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

At a Public Policy Forum entitled "Bringing Employers into the
Immigration Debate” held in Ottawa on November 4, 2004, the Immigration
Minister, Judy Sgro indicated that we need to look at our immigration
policies to see if they conform to the needs of Canada in the 21st
century.

According to the minister “we have to look at how we handle
the applications, how we process them, how we determine who comes to
this country and who doesn’t and then, very importantly, how we determine who needs Canada’s protection. How are we fulfilling our obligations under the international obligations[sic], including the Geneva Convention?”

Three ways in which she indicated that policies would change are

1. we need to celebrate what keeps us together as a people instead of
   celebrating our differences
2. we need to revamp our refugee claimant process so that false refugees don't clog the system and the claims of people who really need our help are processed quickly
3. we need to remove the barriers to full labour market participation by new
   immigrants.

Because immigration keeps the economy going, and many small and
medium-sized businesses are hampered by a lack of skilled labour, she
indicated that we need to have a plan to bring in the right people who
can fill the jobs that can't otherwise be filled. For this she
indicated that the Federal government needs to listen to the
municipalities, the employers and the provinces.

Some solutions that have already been implemented include the Enhanced
Language Training initiative through which the federal government will
give $5.6 million to 31 cost-sharing agreements to fund language
training for nurses, engineers, entrepreneurs, police, customer service
people and administrative assistants.

The CIC is also working with Human Resources and Skills Development
Canada and Health Canada to get foreign credentials and work experience
recognized in Canada, and to put more information on-line about the
labour market in Canada so that prospective immigrants can prepare
themselves for that market before they come.