ARCHIVED – Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2006

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Section 2
Federal-Provincial/Territorial Partnerships

Jurisdiction over immigration is shared between the federal government and the provinces and territories. Ongoing intergovernmental consultation and cooperation is a critical aspect of managing the immigration program, related policies, and legislative initiatives.

Under IRPA and under the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has the authority to sign agreements with the provinces and territories to facilitate the coordination and implementation of immigration and refugee protection policies and programs. Table 2 provides a list of key bilateral agreements currently in force in provinces and territories and their signing and expiry dates.

CIC has signed comprehensive framework agreements with six provinces and one territory. These agreements highlight immigration as a key area for bilateral collaboration and formalize how the two levels of government work together. They also include a variety of annexes which provide for such measures as the provincial delivery of settlement services (Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia); the authority to nominate individuals to fill regional or local economic needs (Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island, the Yukon and Ontario); and, responsibilities for selection (Quebec).

Bilateral agreements relating exclusively to provincial nominees are in place with New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows provincial and territorial governments to actively participate in the immigration process by identifying and designating an agreed upon number of nominees who meet specific labour market and economic needs.

The 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord is the most comprehensive agreement. Under the Accord, Quebec has the authority to set its own annual immigration targets, has sole responsibility for selecting immigrants who want to settle in the province (with the exception of members of the Family Class and refugees whose status is determined by Canada), and has full responsibility for providing orientation and integration services to new immigrants.

There was considerable intergovernmental activity relating to immigration in 2005. The Canada-Saskatchewan Immigration Agreement, originally signed in 1998, was renewed and enhanced on May 7, 2005. This new Agreement reaffirms the importance of immigration to Saskatchewan’s economic, social, and cultural development, and commits the two levels of government to working together on the recruitment, selection and admission of immigrants, refugees, foreign students and temporary workers who settle in Saskatchewan. The limit on the number of provincial nominations was removed to give Saskatchewan greater flexibility in operating its immigration program.

The Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement, signed on November 21, 2005, marks the first agreement with Canada’s largest immigrant-receiving province. This five-year agreement signals a shared desire to optimize the economic benefits of immigration and ensure that immigration policies and programs respond to Ontario’s social and economic development and its labour market priorities. It confirms program objectives and investment priorities that address a full range of integration needs, including pre-arrival information and orientation, basic settlement services, and language training. In addition, the Agreement breaks new ground since it lays the foundation for the two levels of government to work collaboratively with Ontario municipalities and official language communities to improve the social and economic integration of immigrants.

In collaboration with provinces and territories, CIC initiated two key programs to help Canada maintain its competitive edge in attracting foreign students. Given the success of projects piloted in a number of provinces in 2003 and 2004, a national initiative was launched in April 2005 to spread the benefits of immigration more widely. Under this initiative, foreign students at Canadian post-secondary institutions can work in Canada, outside of Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, for a second year after their graduation. Following the signing of agreements for program delivery through provinces and territories in late 2005 and early 2006, CIC also launched a national initiative in April 2006 that allows foreign students enrolled full-time in post-secondary programs to seek employment off-campus.

Through regular multilateral and bilateral interaction both the Minister and senior official level, CIC continues to maintain solid partnerships with the provinces and territories. Federal, provincial and territorial ministers met in November 2005 to address the need for a more responsive immigration program that respects the unique needs of each province and territory. There was clear consensus that further joint work is needed to promote Canada as a destination of choice, to recruit and retain immigrants, and to ensure their successful integration into Canadian society. Specific issues identified as priorities included: improved selection; improved integration to ensure immigrants’ skills are used to full potential; increased regionalization to greater share the benefits of immigration; and, improved client service.

Building on this work, the June 2006 meeting chaired by Minister Solberg provided an opportunity for ministers to consider the challenges and opportunities in three areas: immigration as a means of addressing skilled and unskilled labour force shortages; consultation on 2007 immigration levels and consideration of a forward-looking approach to levels planning; and, allocation of additional settlement funding approved in Budget 2006. There was also general agreement to hold regular federal-provincial/territorial meetings.

Table 2: Federal-Provincial/Territorial Agreements Currently in Force

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