Conseil du Patronat du Quebec cites merits of temporary immigration
An employer group in Quebec is unhappy with the way government is handling the debate around immigration levels, saying the problem has more to do with politics than immigration.
Instead, the Conseil du patronat du Québec wants governments to make decisions based on the numbers and needs of the market, according to CTV News.
With a rising aging population and more than 150,000 vacant job positions in the province, the organization says temporary immigration is needed to fill those spots.
Recently, Quebec Premier François Legault talked about holding a “referendum” on immigration if the federal government doesn’t act fast to control the rising number of temporary immigrants, said CTV News. The premier claims the number of immigrants is straining Quebec’s healthcare, education and housing systems.
‘Lack of political will’ with immigration system
But it’s the government “lack of political will to improve” the immigration system in the province that’s a problem, according to Melissa Claisse, communications and advocacy coordinator at the Welcome Collective, in the report.
“We’re pretty alarmed by the insistence of the provincial government to make immigrant scapegoats for problems that existed a long time, in some cases decades,” she said.
Previously, skilled trade workers in Manitoba called on the provincial government to resume the National Occupational Classification (NOC) in immigration to help fill in-demand jobs in the province.
Claisse is also looking for the provincial government to provide the necessary support for immigrants coming to the province.
“We would love to see funding for refugee claimants to have support for finding a job, to connect employers who really need workers to a workforce that’s desperately looking for jobs,” she said, according to the CTV report.
In March, a group of skilled workers in Manitoba called on the provincial government to do away with the family-ties consideration in its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).
