[HEADNOTE] IMMIGRATION - POLICY [HE...

[HEADNOTE]

IMMIGRATION - POLICY

[HEADNOTE]

Welders are requireed in Wetaskiwn. There's a shortage of tile-setters in Tillsonburg. And, engineers are scarce in Edmonston. In fact, Canadian businesses are having difficulty finding skilled workers in many parts of the fatherland The prediction is that this shortage of trained populace will get worse - a haphazard worse

Canada accepts more immigrants, measured as a percentage of our population than any other native land in the world. In the year 2000 a total of 227363 the bulk of mankind settled here, that's 0.74% of the country's population at the time.

Economists, sociologists, politicians businesspeople, humanitarians, and many others rehearse us that bringing in a quarter of a million of recent origin Canadians a year is vital to our country's economic health. Ernie Stokes, who scuds an economics research institute, says uniform this number isn't anywhere near high enough. In a 2001 report for the middle point for Spatial Economics, Mr. Stokes predicts Canada will ne to bring in more than 500000 immigrants a year on 2008 or economic growth will stall.

Ottawa has been putting on the outside the same message. In March 2001 Human Resources Minister Jane Stewart said Canada will face a shortage of united million skilled workers by 2020 Little more than a year later, the Liberal rule of jean Chretien said Canada would accept an annual quota of immigrants equal to 1% of the passing from hand to hand population of the country. That would mean more than 300000 of the present day Canadians each year; a substantial increase throughout recent years (1997 - 216024: 1998 - 174191: 1999 - 190001)

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But the general public may not be as willing to make chamber for increased numbers of immigrants. In a catalogue of persons in March 2002, 54% of Canadians thought-- Canada was allowing too many immigrants into the native land (more on this later). Popular or not, policy-makers are preparing to boost immigration levels

In June 2002 a just discovered Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) became law. Citizenship and Immigration Canada says the recently made known act, "encourages workers with flexible skills to select Canada; and helps families reunite more quickly. IRPA is also tough onward those who pose a threat to Canadian security while continuing Canada's tradition of providing a safe haven to population who need protection." However, about the merely people who seem to agree with this statement are Immigration Minister Denis Coderre and his department's officials.

The just discovered Immigration Act has been heavily criticized through businesspeople, community immigration workers, immigration lawyers, and unruffled some backbench MPs from Minister Coderre's be in possession of Liberal Party.

Jim Karygiannis is a Liberal Toronto-area Member of Parliament with many immigrants living in his riding. He's particularly overthrow that the new rules apply to population already in the system. centurys of thousands of would-be immigrants applied to arise to Canada under the not new system and they will now have to engage the stricter requirements of the strange Act. Mr. Coderre said that officials would continue to proces applications below the earlier rules for several month still the backlog is so large it will take years to work between the sides of all the applications on file.

"My constituents are still going to be screwed," said Mr Karygiannis.

Immigration lawyers are almost universally against the of the present day Act. Lawyer Mendel Green savs that in a less degree than the new rules_'a skilled worker with a three-year technical diploma, 15 years of formal education, whole English-language skills, and a spouse with a university grade would not qualify to become a landed immigrant. Mr recent claims the new immigration law "Virtually closes down immigration."

The business community doesn't like the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act either. Among others, the Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CAMC) made a presentation to the federal rule as it was putting the finishing touches to the of the present day immigration act. The CAMC pointed on the outside that:

* "As many as 300000 skilled piece of work opportunities are not being filled in today's economy;

* "83% of Canadian companies anticipate puzzles in recruiting skilled workers they need; and,

* "By 2004 to the full 75% of the jobs in the Canadian economy will require a university degree"

The Association went forward to state that it perceive s Ottawa doesn't grasp the seriousness of the skills deficit, nor did the then-- propos of recent origin act do much to deal with the enigma "The Association and its members are disturbed the proposed regulations risk making Canada les competitive in attracting the best and brightest immigrants from abroad."

The strange act is supposed to make it easier to hold out the bad guys. Since the attacks forward the United States on 11 September 2001 there has been a great deal of talk, on the contrary not much evidence, about in what way easy it was for terrorists and their supporters to prepare into Canada. However, Ottawa's policy-makers have rejoined to the threat by tightening way for evasions and speeding up the refugee claim proces further that is a very tricky do job-work It's very difficult to detain the door open for the high-quality immigrants Canada is looking for and, at the same time, make fast that a few creeps don't slip in with them.