For the first time, the Canadian government will set targets for temporary residents allowed into the country, Immigration Minister Marc Miller says.
This is being done, Miller said, to ensure “sustainable” growth in the number of temporary residents coming into Canada.
“Starting this fall, for the first time, we will expand the immigration levels plan to include both temporary resident arrivals and permanent resident arrivals,” Miller told reporters in Ottawa on Thursday.
“To set these targets, I’ll be convening a meeting with my provincial and territorial counterparts, as well as other relevant ministers, in early May. Provinces and territories know their unique labor needs and capacity, and need to assume responsibility for the people that they bring in as well,” he said.
Miller added that they will also ensure that there are “robust pathways to permanent residences for those who wish to make Canada their home in the long term and avoid the pitfalls of an economy that is built solely on temporary workers.”
Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said the government was also changing the way Canadian businesses were hiring foreign workers.
“As of May 1, the first change we are implementing is reducing the number of temporary foreign workers entering Canada in certain targeted sectors,” he said. “Employers identified in the 2022 Workforce Solution Roadmap will have a reduction from 30 per cent to 20 per cent of their workforce come in through the temporary foreign worker program under the low wage stream.”
The reduction in the number of temporary foreign workers, however, will not be applied to the construction and healthcare sectors.
“Construction and health care, employers will continue to be allowed to hire up to 30 per cent of the workforce through the low wage stream of the temporary foreign worker program until at least Aug. 31 of this year,” he said.
Boissonnault also said a Labour Market Impact Assessment, which allows a business to hire foreign workers if Canadian workers are not available, will only be valid for six months, instead of 12.
“The purpose of the LMIA is for the employer to show a need for a foreign worker and to confirm that no Canadian worker, permanent resident, refugee or asylum seeker is able to do that job. And by shortening the validity period, we are going to make sure that the temporary foreign worker program is being used with the most up-to-date and accurate labor market information,” he said.
In November, Miller had announced that the federal government would raise its target to 500,000 new permanent residents in 2025 as planned, but hold them steady going forward into 2026. In January, Miller announced that Canada would be capping the intake of international students, who he said make up 42 per cent of temporary residents in Canada.
One migrant rights group said Ottawa’s new measures will do little to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable migrant workers.
“The issue is not how many migrants there are; it is that they are exploited at work, mistreated by landlords and shut out of essential services like healthcare and education because they are denied permanent resident status,” said Syed Hussan, executive director of Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC).
He added, “Migrants have been scapegoated for the affordability and housing crisis to distract from corporate and government failure at ensuring a decent quality of life for all of us. Migrants are not responsible for low-wages or high prices; they are some of the worst affected.”
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce said the move is going to negatively impact Canada’s already fraught labour shortage issues in some sectors.
“Ottawa should be careful placing arbitrary immigration caps. Temporary residents, including temporary foreign workers, are a critical pool of talent for some sectors of our economy. The reality is that we currently have more than 600,000 unfilled job vacancies across the country negatively impacting our ability to grow our economy,” Diana Palmerin-Velasco, senior director at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce told Global News.
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PORT ALBERNI, B.C. – RCMP say the body of a second person has been found inside their vehicle after a road washed away amid pouring rain on the west coast of Vancouver Island.
Police say two vehicles went into the Sarita River when Bamfield Road washed out on Saturday as an atmospheric river hammered southern B.C.
The body of the other driver was found Sunday.
More coming.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
The B.C. Greens say Sonia Furstenau will be staying on as party leader, despite losing her seat in the legislature in Saturday’s provincial election.
The party says in a statement that its two newly elected MLAs, Jeremy Valeriote and Rob Botterell, support Furstenau’s leadership as they “navigate the prospect of having the balance of power in the legislature.”
Neither the NDP led by Premier David Eby nor the B.C. Conservatives led by John Rustad secured a majority in the election, with two recounts set to take place from Oct. 26 to 28.
Eby says in a news conference that while the election outcome is uncertain, it’s “very likely” that the NDP would need the support of others to pass legislation.
He says he reached out to Furstenau on election night to congratulate her on the Greens’ showing.
But he says the Green party has told the NDP they are “not ready yet” for a conversation about a minority government deal.
The Conservatives went from taking less than two per cent of the vote in 2020 to being elected or leading in 45 ridings, two short of a majority and only one behind the NDP.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Toronto FC captain Jonathan Osorio is making a difference, 4,175 kilometres away from home.
The 32-year-old Canadian international midfielder, whose parents hail from Colombia, has been working with the Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization, a charity whose goal is to help disadvantaged youth in the South American country.
Osorio has worked behind the scenes, with no fanfare.
Until now, with his benevolence resulting in becoming Toronto FC’s nominee for the Audi Goals Drive Progress Impact Award, which honours an MLS player “who showed outstanding dedication to charitable efforts and serving the community” during the 2024 season.”
Other nominees include Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Sebastian Berhalter and CF Montreal goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois.
The winner will be announced in late November.
The Canadian Colombian Children’s Organization (CCCO) is run entirely by volunteers like Monica Figueredo and Claudia Soler. Founded in 1991, it received charitable status in 2005.
The charity currently has four projects on the go: two in Medellin and one each in Armenia and Barranquilla.
They include a school, a home for young girls whose parents are addicted to drugs, after-school and weekend programs for children in a disadvantaged neighbourhood, and nutrition and education help for underprivileged youth.
The organization heard about Osorio and was put in contact with him via an intermediary, which led to a lunch meeting. Osorio did his due diligence and soon got back to the charity with his decision.
“It was something that I wanted to be a part of right away,” said Osorio, whose lone regret is that he didn’t get involved sooner.
“I’m fortunate now that to help more now that I could have back then,” he added. “The timing actually worked out for everybody. For the last three years I have donated to their cause and we’ve built a couple of (football) fields in different cities over there in the schools.”
His father visited one of the sites in Armenia close to his hometown.
“He said it was amazing, the kids, how grateful they are to be able to play on any pitch, really,” said Osorio. “But to be playing on a new pitch, they’re just so grateful and so humble.
“It really makes it worth it being part of this organization.”
The collaboration has also made Osorio take stock.
“We’re very fortunate here in Canada, I think, for the most part. Kids get to go to school and have a roof over their head and things like that. In Colombia, it’s not really the same case. My father and his family grew up in tough conditions, so giving back is like giving back to my father.”
Osorio’s help has been a godsend to the charity.
“We were so surprised with how willing he was,” said Soler.
The TFC skipper has helped pay for a football field in Armenia as well as an ambitious sports complex under construction in Barranquilla.
“It’s been great for them,” Figueredo said of the pitch in Armenia. “Because when they go to school, now they have a proper place to train.”
Osorio has also sent videos encouraging the kids to stay active — as well as shipping soccer balls and signed jerseys their way.
“They know more about Jonathan than the other players in Colombia,” Figueredo said. “That’s the funny part. Even though he’s far away, they’ve connected with him.”
“They feel that they have a future, that they can do more,” she added. “Seeing that was really, really great.”
The kids also followed Osorio through the 2022 World Cup and this summer’s Copa America.
Back home, Osorio has also attended the charity’s annual golf tournament, helping raise funds.
A Toronto native, he has long donated four tickets for every TFC home game to the Hospital for Sick Children.
Vancouver’s Berhalter was nominated for his involvement in the Whitecaps’ partnership with B.C. Children’s Hospital while Montreal’s Sirois was chosen for his work with the Montreal Impact Foundation.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.
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