:
Good morning, everyone.
This is the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, meeting number 13, on Thursday, December 1, 2011, and today we are televised. The orders of the day, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), are that we will have a briefing on the provincial nominee program.
We have three guests with us today from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration. Mr. Manicom is the director general of the immigration branch.
I seem to recall you on a televised program. I can't remember what it was for, but I remember you.
We also have Natasha Parriag, who is the acting director of intergovernmental relations.
This is your first time here?
:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today about the provincial nominee program, and more specifically about how the program has developed in recent years.
[Translation]
Immigration is a shared responsibility and provincial and territorial governments are primary partners of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Our shared goal is to make immigration programs responsive to the unique economic, demographic and labour market needs of each province and territory.
Introduced in 1998, the Provincial Nominee Program is one tool to encourage the spread of immigration through the country while providing provinces and territories with a mechanism to meet their specific economic development needs.
Each province and territory is responsible for the design and management of its Provincial Nominee Program. Provinces and territories establish the nomination criteria for their programs, including requirements and policies relating to business investments. These criteria must respect the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, and bilateral immigration agreements. Applicants are nominated on their ability to become economically established and on their intention to settle in the nominating jurisdiction.
Roles and responsibilities for the Provincial Nominee Program are defined through bilateral agreements between CIC and provincial and territorial governments. All provinces and territories, with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, have Provincial Nominee Program agreements.
After being nominated by a province or a territory, applicants must make a separate application to CIC for permanent residence. A CIC officer will then assess the application based on Canadian immigration regulations. The visa officer must be satisfied that the nominee has the ability to become economically established in the nominating province. In the case of nominees under a business stream, they must also demonstrate that they will be actively engaged in the day-to-day management of the business.
Passive investment, or the provision of capital in a business or organization without active involvement in its management, is prohibited in Provincial Nominee Programs by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Lastly, CIC is also responsible for ensuring that applicants are not inadmissible on medical, security and criminality grounds.
[English]
In just over 10 years the provincial nominee program has grown from being a niche program to becoming a key component of provincial and territorial demographic and economic strategies, increasing sixfold since 2004. Provincial nominee programs had over 36,000 admissions last year. Almost one out of every five economic class admissions is now a provincial nominee. In 2010 the provincial nominee program represented the primary source of economic immigration for several provinces, such as Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Yukon, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
In addition to growing in size, Mr. Chair, provincial nominee programs have also become increasingly complex in scope, now accounting for over 50 provincial and territorial subcategories, each with its own nomination criteria.
The 2011 levels plan established an admission range for provincial nominees of 42,000 to 45,000, making the provincial nominee program the second-largest source of economic immigration to Canada, after the federal skilled worker program. This range is being maintained for 2012. From these numbers, it's evident that the provincial nominee program is a very significant source of economic immigration for Canada.
Eighty per cent of provincial nominee cases are processed by CIC in 14 months or less. This time does not include processing times for provincial or territorial candidate processes. Under ministerial instructions, new federal skilled worker files are now processed in about 12 months. At the federal level, the approval rate for provincial nominees is 97%.
In addition, the provincial nominee program has helped spread the benefits of immigration across Canada by promoting immigration to areas that were not traditional immigrant destinations. Twenty-six per cent of economic immigrants are now destined for locations outside Ontario, B.C., and Quebec, compared with only 11% in 1997.
About 55% of applicants nominated by provinces and territories in 2010 either had a job offer or indeed were already working in Canada as temporary foreign workers. As well, in recent years there has been an increase in semi- and low-skilled provincial nominees, who now account for over one quarter of all admissions.
Although the provincial nominee program has had proven successes, there remain outstanding concerns that CIC is committed to addressing.
Four provincial audit reports, from 2008 to 2010, from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick have highlighted a number of significant program integrity concerns. Among them were concerns regarding the absence of information on retention in the nominating province and the lack of adequate monitoring of nominees after landing, particularly for individuals who were nominated based on intent to establish businesses. The reports also noted that performance management and evaluation measures were not adequate.
Similar to the findings of provincial reports, the 2009 federal Auditor General report pointed out that although provinces and territories are required to conduct due diligence to ensure applicants have the ability to economically establish, CIC is unable to assess the extent to which provinces and territories have carried this out. The report recommended that CIC work with provinces and territories to put quality assurance mechanisms in place in order to ensure that nomination decisions are consistent and compliant with the act, regulations, and provincial nominee program criteria.
In the fall of 2010 CIC launched a national evaluation of the nominee program to assess its performance, with a focus on economic outcomes and mobility of provincial nominees. We expect the results to be published in early 2012, and we will work with provincial and territorial governments to implement recommendations flowing out of the evaluation.
In the interim, CIC is addressing issues arising out of the auditors' general reports both bilaterally, through an ongoing review of agreements, and multilaterally. In terms of multilateral work, CIC is working with provinces and territories to improve program design, management and accountability, and integrity. We are also working together to conduct a comprehensive review of economic immigration programs and to identify areas of overlap. These initiatives will lead to stronger economic benefits and a better response to labour market needs.
[Translation]
I will now give the floor to my colleague Natasha Parriag, Acting Director of Intergovernmental Relations; she will speak to you in detail about collaboration with the provinces and territories.
Good morning again, Mr. Chair.
Jurisdictions across Canada have recognized the significance of increased federal-provincial-territorial collaboration and partnership in immigration. In June 2010 federal, provincial, and territorial ministers agreed that the future of immigration would embrace welcoming and supporting newcomers to join in building inclusive, diverse, and welcoming communities and a prosperous Canada.
[Translation]
This discussion recognizes the increased involvement of provinces and territories in jointly managing the immigration system, as well as Quebec's responsibilities under the Canada-Quebec Accord.
[English]
CIC is working with the provinces and territories on several fronts. For example, the development of a multi-year levels planning process. Multi-year levels planning sets the stage for transforming the immigration system so that it is focused on the economic role of immigration and supported by a common evidence base while remaining responsive and flexible.
[Translation]
CIC and the provinces and territories are working to ensure that newcomers continue to choose Canada as their desired destination; that we build the communities across the country that will welcome them and help them achieve positive social and economic outcomes, and that we share the benefits of immigration across the country. We know that we need to do this collaboratively, working together in new ways to achieve improved outcomes.
[English]
Clearly, the provincial nominee program is critical to this work. It provides an effective tool that allows provinces and territories to design programs that meet their individual needs and address local labour market and economic development challenges. The program also serves to promote regionalization and spreads the benefits of immigration across Canada. Moving forward, CIC will continue to work with all jurisdictions to ensure the overall integrity and accountability of all provincial nominee programs.
Thank you for your attention. We would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you to the witnesses for being here today.
I form the impression that the provincial nominee program is a bit of a program of contrast. When run well, it has been very successful in a number of provinces and has really met, and I think exceeded in many cases, the objectives of the program that, as you pointed out well in your report, is to spread the regional benefits of immigration and allow provinces some say in targeting immigration settlement to their particular demographic and economic needs.
There have been some problems as well. We're familiar with some of the problems that occurred, particularly in some maritime provinces—difficulties over meeting the objectives of the program. In your report you touched on the fact that in 2009 the federal Auditor General pointed out that although provinces and territories are required to conduct due diligence to ensure that applicants have the ability to economically establish, it says, “...CIC is unable to assess the extent to which provinces and territories have carried this out.”
The 2010-11 departmental performance report notes that the first federal evaluation of the provincial nominee program began in 2010. We're almost at 2012, so I'm wondering if you could update us on any preliminary evaluation findings that might touch on this subject.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[English]
Thanks to our guests for being here today.
In the nursery rhyme it was said about a little girl that “...when she was good, she was very, very good, and when she was bad, she was horrid”. For this program, it seems that when it's good, it's very, very good, and when it's bad, it's really not so bad, but it needs some tweaking.
In your excellent report, Mr. Manicom, you have referred to problems, especially in Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, that some of the motives for the program weren't being followed. Passive investment was the priority rather than the priorities named in the program. Do we have any regulatory response to that, or is this something that will come as a result of the report you discussed?
:
Thank you. It's a very good question, and a very interesting question from a policy point of view.
There are two elements to it. There are the temporary foreign worker programs and then there are permanent resident programs.
We have specific temporary worker programs, as you may know. The seasonal agricultural worker program is a long-standing and, by many measures, a very successful program that's been going on for many years, primarily for workers from Central America and the Caribbean.
That brings in on the order of 20,000 to 30,000 temporary workers to Canada each year, the large majority in the province of Ontario, and recently some in British Columbia and Quebec. That's to meet immediate short-term needs, although most of those seasonal agricultural workers return to Canada many times. There's a very high retention rate, if you will, in the program.
With regard to permanent residents, the federal government does not have a permanent resident program for low-skilled workers at this time. The provincial nominee programs, in effect, are designed to deal with local needs that aren't national needs, and that's one of the philosophical reasons behind them. So if a province has a specific need in their province, whether it be low skilled or high skilled, that is often what they choose to use provincial nominee programs for.
A low-skilled permanent resident program is something that would certainly be worth discussing. We would have to understand, of course, that if we built a stream for low-skilled permanent residents under a federal program, we would have to take spaces away from an existing program at the present time.
:
They're being used in very different ways. The provincial nominee programs are so diverse that it is difficult to generalize.
Some provinces use them very directly for immediate labour market needs. Other provinces have taken a long-term larger view about developing immigrant communities, building demographics, and attempting to build self-sustaining immigrant communities.
I spoke earlier about the very large proportion of immigrants who have traditionally gone to Ontario. Immigrants tend to go to places where they know someone, or at least know someone who knows someone, and they get their foot in the door. So provinces such as Manitoba, for example, have focused on building an immigrant community, which will then become self-perpetuating.
So I think all I can say is that the programs range from very small and very specialized—and indeed Ontario's program has tended to be small and specialized, because they were getting large volumes of immigrants through the federal program.
So they're very diverse, sir.
:
Yes, and I would expect that.
It was devastating when this happened. I had people tell me they never would have come had they known they wouldn't be working in the area they expected to be working in. But there was no going home: they had pulled up roots, there'd be the embarrassment of going back, and they left saying they wanted a better life, and all of that put together.
That makes sense, and I think this does help deal with that issue.
The second thing is, at that time about two thirds of all of the immigrants ended up in the GTA. They didn't always go there directly, but they ended up there. Has this program helped deal with that? Are there more immigrants going to the places where the need is? I would think by the nature of the program, it probably is, if in fact it is....
Can you tell me roughly...? For example, I'm from Alberta, and one of the biggest problems business has in Alberta is getting workers. I chair the natural resources committee, and Mr. Gravelle is on that committee. We hear again and again, day after day, that the biggest problem for mining companies across the country—it's not just in Alberta or the west—is getting workers.
Does this program help deal with that issue of getting immigration, of getting people who immigrate to go to where they actually are most needed?
Thank you again for being here. As everyone is saying, it's been very informative for us.
You were mentioning earlier that the provinces can negotiate and switch the number of certificates they will actually give out. How does this actually work? How does this negotiation process work among the provinces?
My example would be Ontario. It has an extremely low percentage of usage of the certificates, so if Ontario gives away its certificates or its spots to Alberta, let's say, because it is in need of that niche market of labour right now, then what does Ontario get in return? How does it work?
So there are two questions in one: how does the negotiation process work, and then what do the giving away provinces get in return? What's used to barter, basically is my question.
I have a couple of questions on the economic issues and on citizenship. But I want to follow up on one point Rathika made.
David, in response to the question on what Ontario is giving up to Alberta in the circumstance of the numbers, you said it was good will. I thought that was a great answer. But I actually think it goes a little bit deeper than that. When you see the reduction in immigration in the province of Ontario, from 64% to 52%, and the other provinces not picking up the slack.... Quite honestly, they're actually invigorated in terms of their immigration policy as it's focused on economic development for the country. What I see Ontario trading off for the exchange, or the lack of enthusiasm for this program, is settlement funding. That leads me to ask the question about the relationship between the provincial nominee program and settlement funding.
I know you're not the experts on settlement funding, but I wonder if you could comment on the fact that we have other provinces, such as Manitoba, that are obviously, as Mr. Lamoureux has indicated, using this program to its fullest extent. Should that settlement funding, in fact, follow where the immigrants are moving? I would ask if there is a relationship between the provincial nominee program and the use of settlement funding to assist them.