'We continue to experience labour shortages that could be resolved by welcoming skilled workers from around the world'
In a bid to tackle its pressing skilled workforce scarcity, Alberta is pushing to have amplified control over its provincial immigration system, with a particular emphasis on bolstering the involvement of Ukrainian evacuees in the job market.
Premier Danielle Smith has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau requesting a reassessment of the Ottawa’s decision to curtail the number of allocations for Alberta’s Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in 2024.
The federal authorities notified the province last week of an allocation of 9,750 slots, similar to the previous year’s allotment but lower than the initial earmark of 10,140 for 2024.
Premier cites labour shortages in Alberta
Despite constituting just under 12% of Canada’s populace, Alberta has spearheaded the nation in net employment escalation, accounting for 42.8% of the country’s employment upsurge between January and February 2024, said Smith.
With the federal government restricting Alberta’s provincial nominee allocations, it could impede the province’s capability to match its burgeoning labour market requisites, especially regarding the assimilation of Ukrainian evacuees into Alberta’s workforce, she said.
“Alberta is growing and that is good news. Since January 2023, more than 100,000 new jobs have been created in our province and our employment rate has led the country even longer. At the same time, we continue to experience labour shortages that could be resolved by welcoming skilled workers from around the world, including evacuees from Ukraine, many of whom have the exact skills that our job market most needs.
“Alberta has long been the economic engine of Canada and we are once again requesting Ottawa respect section 95 of the Constitution and let us welcome the skilled individuals we need into our province on our terms.”
Supporting evacuees from Ukraine
The surge in Alberta’s population stems partially from an influx of Ukrainian evacuees, and the province hopes some families will opt for permanent residency via the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). According to the news release, an upswing in federal allocation would facilitate these newcomers in filling positions within the province’s workforce.
“Immigration is key to Alberta’s ability to address labour shortages and to grow our economy. This limitation imposed by the federal government on our Provincial Nominee Program will be a very difficult pill to swallow, not only for businesses that need this skilled labour but also to the many Ukrainian evacuees who have the skills we need and wish to stay permanently in Alberta,” Muhammad Yaseen, Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism, said in the release.
The federal government, through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, determines provincial immigration nomination limits and oversees all permanent resident applications. Alberta optimally utilized its 9,750 nomination allocations in 2023, with a total of 10,029 nominations issued within the federal government’s administrative buffer.
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