Speaking Notes - The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, at the New Brunswick Policy Forum on Immigration

Fredericton, N.B., June 17, 2005

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Thank you.

It is a great pleasure to be here with you today and to be welcomed so graciously to this very important conference. Let me begin by thanking the many chambers of commerce, business people and local mayors for inviting me to share some thoughts with you today on Canada’s immigration program.

I’ve had the pleasure to meet with many local entrepreneurs from this great city and from many more communities and cities around this province both as Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

I’ve been consistently impressed with their vision, with their business sense, and with the support many receive from business and community groups around the province. New Brunswick today is increasingly known as a place where businesses can prosper and flourish in today’s highly competitive environment.

This conference in some ways is about how we can expand and build on that success for this and future generations. It’s about how we can do more to bring new ideas, new skills and new talents into communities around the province so that they too can remain healthy and vibrant. And it’s about how we can all work together to ensure those newcomers who initially choose to settle here put down roots in the community and stay. So let me therefore extend my own warm welcome to everyone here this evening.

Today, we know immigration is a critical factor for the continued health of many communities right across Canada. This is especially true in New Brunswick where the population is graying at a faster rate than that of other provinces, and the provincial birth rate is lower than the Canadian average.

Studies tell us that New Brunswick will experience a rapid decline in population over the next five years and essentially run out of skilled workers by 2015. They also tell us that by 2035, the population will have plummeted by nearly seven percent to just over 700,000 and that one-quarter of the population will be over the age of 65 while another one-third will be between 45 and 64 years old.

So how do we attract more newcomers to this province? How do we get them to stay? What will it take to succeed? There are no easy answers. But I do believe some of the experiences of other jurisdictions can provide some clues.

I also believe that some of your own experiences provide some ideas on how we should move forward. New Brunswick has been very innovative in its approach on a number of fronts. That’s particularly the case when it comes to building new partnerships and marketing communities. The province has been very aggressive in going after workers to fill specific job gaps and in working to attract business people it believes can integrate. Yet today, evidence suggests that 40 to 70 percent of newcomers stay for only three years or less. This, of course, needs to be addressed.

Attracting newcomers to Canada, after all, isn’t just about numbers. It’s also about making those newcomers feel at home and able to grow in the communities where they settle. This is critical. For newcomers to settle in communities, there needs to be coordination and collaboration between different levels of government and groups that can support their transition to Canada.

I want to spend the rest of my time with you this evening discussing some of these ideas. You’ve also asked me to talk about some of the ways that other provinces — Manitoba in particular — are working to attract and retain newcomers. I then want to briefly discuss the role of the Government of Canada in this regard.

I recently outlined a six-point plan to improve Canada’s immigration program and help this country remain a destination of choice for newcomers from around the world. Today, I think the steps we’re taking to help attract more international students may be especially important for New Brunswick.

Let me start with the simple observation that Manitoba’s approach to immigration and its demographic challenges are both multifaceted and unique. From its first involvement with the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in 1998, Manitoba identified repopulation as a core objective of its immigration program. In 2003, the province committed to increasing annual immigration levels by 10,000 newcomers by 2006 and appears well on its way to reaching these targets.

Last year, for example, Manitoba’s population grew by about 10,200 people, of which 6,500 were international migrants — a substantial increase over patterns of the recent past. Where do they come from? The answer is everywhere. The province welcomes newcomers from every stream of the immigration program, including refugees, independent immigrants, family class and the 4,048 immigrants who arrived in 2004 under their Provincial Nominee Program.

Nearly 63 percent of newcomers arrived under the economic class in 2004, followed by refugees at 19 percent and family reunification at 17 percent. In other words, last year, Manitoba reached out in incredible ways to those who needed help, but also to those who could help Manitoba — economically, culturally, socially and demographically.

Indeed, Manitoba led the country in finding talented immigrants who could see the province’s promise in spite of its notorious winters. Most went to Winnipeg. But nearly 20 percent scattered everywhere — from the communities of Thompson to Virden and Altona. Past experience demonstrates that most will choose to remain in the community where they settle.

As for language, these newcomers speak Tagalog, German, English, Spanish, Korean, Punjabi, African languages, Arabic, Mandarin, Russian and Ukrainian. Engineers led the field in terms of the top ten occupations, followed by computer programmers, technologists, nurses and welders.

However, economic immigrants are only part of the story. Manitoba has been particularly aggressive in landing newcomers through the Provincial Nominee Agreement. Since 1999, for example, the province has consistently received more than 70 percent of all provincial nominees and more than 7,800 principal applicants under this category and their family members have settled in the province.

In 2004, 4,048 provincial nominees chose Manitoba, accounting for slightly more than one-half of total provincial immigration. Nearly one-third chose to settle outside Winnipeg. These numbers also include 120 business provincial nominees with the potential to invest $44 million and create more than 265 jobs in Manitoba. But Manitoba’s performance reflects its understanding that business immigrants are only one part of a comprehensive immigration program.

By nearly any measure, Manitoba’s immigration program can be considered a success, particularly in terms of its goal of attracting large numbers of immigrants who will stay in their province. There may be several reasons for this. The province, for example, made an early commitment to help integrate newcomers by strengthening its settlement, adult language training and qualification recognition, and it has worked hand in hand with the Government of Canada to do so.

It has also recognized that there are many elements to an effective retention strategy — including employment opportunities, affordable and available housing, settlement and integration support, as well as access to health, education and social programs in addition to cultural and recreational opportunities. So it has worked hard with the Government of Canada to make its communities truly welcoming ones.

The province has also aggressively marketed its communities around the world and worked closely with the Government of Canada to help it become a destination of choice for immigrants.

As well, Manitoba has worked with the Government of Canada to strengthen and promote the PNP brand, and it stands alone among provinces in its commitment to significantly increase the number of total immigrants coming to its province, rather than limiting its focus on attracting newcomers that offer business or high-level occupational skills.

The focus has been on targeting immigrants prepared to live in rural or depopulated areas or those who would be welcomed by a Manitoba-based community group. Some might not have the language or educational skills to qualify as federal skilled workers. But by harnessing the support of the local cultural community to help with settlement and integration, a majority have stayed in Manitoba and have been able to support themselves quite effectively.

So far, I’ve briefly spoken about some of Manitoba’s experiences. But what can we learn internationally? Is there anything happening on the world stage that could be applied in New Brunswick?

Today, I think it’s fair to say that more and more students are on the move — many looking for experiences or job opportunities not available in their home countries. Their movement represents an important opportunity for many jurisdictions such as New Brunswick to attract and retain the skilled workers their businesses and economies will need to grow and prosper in the years ahead.

In countries like Australia, international students with a degree from one of the country’s universities or colleges today account for more than 50 percent of total landings under the skilled worker category.

Australia views them as the “new economic migration elite” and to attract more, it has exempted them from language testing requirements as well as several other entry conditions. Today, nearly 150,000 international students are enrolled in Australian courses and the country estimates that a substantial number are ultimately interested in migration.

International students are invariably young, dynamic and creative and often bring credentials to the labour market which are not discounted since they come from an employer’s own country. They represent a critical source of skilled labour.

That’s why the Government of Canada is working hand in hand with the provinces and territories to expand two pilot initiatives that will help make Canada a destination of choice for international students.

They will help bring potential skilled workers to this country and also help to strike a more balanced distribution of newcomers across different communities by encouraging students to complete their studies and perhaps put down roots in more of Canada’s regions. But this in itself will not be enough.

Universities need to market themselves. They need to aggressively pursue those students who want to study overseas and perhaps gain valuable work experience. They need to find a way to bring them to their campuses, make them feel at home and perhaps help integrate them into the local communities. This, then, is the challenge for New Brunswick’s four universities over both the short and long term.

I’d like to conclude these comments by noting that experience seems to show there are several steps that must be taken or, in some cases, accelerated and strengthened in order for any immigration program to succeed.

The first is to bring all the appropriate stakeholders to the table from the public, private and voluntary sectors. Industry and local governments need to work together and determine their needs. They also have to ensure that the appropriate infrastructure exists, or is put in place, to support newcomers and encourage them to stay.

The second step involves marketing each community according to its planned immigration and skilled labour requirements. This is something many communities have some experience with — in some cases going back to the earliest days of agricultural or frontier settlements. Most newcomers had to endure hardships and overcome barriers such as differences in language. Nevertheless, they stayed, and finally prospered.

Such past experiences offer us a glimpse of what’s needed. But today, we must go much further. Communities need to mobilize. Canada needs stronger federal and provincial partnerships. Furthermore they need a vision.

The Jewish Federation of Winnipeg, for example, has been quite successful in attracting Jewish immigrants to the city, particularly from Argentina. Many immigrants have also been attracted to smaller communities such as Winkler and Steinbach.

The federal government can and will help in these efforts by expanding initiatives such as the Provincial Nominee Program. We can also help bring stakeholders together to determine community needs. We can all help by listening to those needs, and acting upon them. But it’s the individual community efforts that will be key.

Getting newcomers here, of course, is really only half the story. Each must feel welcome and want to stay in the region in which they settle. Local infrastructures must also be able to respond to changing needs.

It goes without saying that one of the best ways to welcome newcomers is to provide them with appropriate employment. We need to find a way to unlock the potential of each newcomer we bring to Canada, and ensure there is an appropriate match between immigrant skills and the needs of employers. It’s therefore important that there be a process in place to facilitate the recognition of immigrant skills and credentials in their intended employment sector.

Communities, however, are more than just a place to work. They’re also a place to live and enjoy friends, family and cultural or recreational activities. Newcomers are more likely to stay in a community that can meet their social, educational and cultural needs.

Many identify access to language and skills training in addition to education as an important consideration for whether they stay in a community or leave. Another consideration is culturally sensitive access to social services and a strong community-based network.

Also important is inclusive public spaces for leisure activities that allow for the expression of differences, and recognition of cultural differences in planning and policy making.

Access to quality services and affordable housing is also an important consideration for most newcomers.

Working together, governments and other stakeholders need to evaluate the needs of newcomers and their impact on local infrastructures, and ensure that the necessary welcoming and settlement services are in place. Communities need to know who is arriving and when. They also must know how to be ready to meet their early needs.

Our task over the coming months will be to accelerate and strengthen these initiatives and come up with as many new ideas as we can to support regional and provincial efforts.

The time is short and the need for action is now.

Everyone has a stake in these efforts. As mayors and business leaders, you can make things happen. Indeed, you must make things happen. We can build on and learn from the experiences of others. But ultimately, the solution must be tailored to your needs and your individual priorities.

All of us need to work together to build an economic success in this province for the future.

We need strong community leadership to help coordinate and mobilize local stakeholders. We need strong and effective leadership at every level of government.

Together we will succeed. And the future will be stronger for our efforts.

Thank you.