ARCHIVED – Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2009

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SECTION 3
Federal-Provincial/Territorial Partnerships

Jurisdiction over immigration is a joint responsibility under section 95 of the Constitution Act, 1867 and effective collaboration between the Government of Canada and the provinces and territories is essential to the successful management of the immigration program. Provincial and territorial governments are CIC’s primary partners, and the shared goal is to make immigration programs responsive to the unique economic, social, and labour market needs of each province and territory. Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada has the authority, with the approval of the Governor in Council, to sign agreements with the provinces and territories to facilitate the coordination and implementation of immigration policies and programs. Table 7 provides a list of the key bilateral agreements currently in force, with their signing and expiry dates. More information on current agreements can be found on the CIC website at www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/lawspolicy/agreements/index.asp.

Framework agreements with eight provinces and one territory highlight immigration as a key area for bilateral collaboration and formalize how governments work together on this issue. Agreements for a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) are also in place with 10 jurisdictions (Yukon Territory and all provinces except Quebec), either as an annex to a framework agreement or as a stand-alone agreement. Under the PNP, provinces and territories have the authority to nominate individuals as permanent residents to address specific labour market and economic development needs. The Canada–Quebec Accord grants Quebec the authority to set annual immigration targets and the responsibility for selecting immigrants—Canada remains responsible for establishing selection criteria for members of the Family Class and for determining the status of those claiming refugee status within Canada. All provincial and territorial agreements stipulate that Canada retains responsibility for defining immigrant categories, setting immigration levels, and establishing admissibility requirements under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Table 7. Federal-Provincial/Territorial Agreements currently in force

Agreement Date Signed Expiry Date
Agreement for Canada—British Columbia Co‑operation on Immigration April 5, 2004
(Original signed in May 1998) 		Extended until April 4, 2010  [note 23]
Agreement for Canada—Alberta Co‑operation on Immigration May 4, 2007 Indefinite
Canada—Saskatchewan Immigration Agreement May 7, 2005
(Original signed in March 1998) 		Indefinite
Canada—Manitoba Immigration Agreement June 6, 2003
(Original signed in October 1996) 		Indefinite
Canada—Ontario Immigration Agreement November 21, 2005 November 21, 2010
Canada—Quebec Accord February 5, 1991 Indefinite
Canada—New Brunswick Agreement on Provincial Nominees January 28, 2005
Amended: March 29, 2005
(Original signed in February 1999) 		Indefinite
Agreement for Canada—Prince Edward Island on Immigration June 13, 2008
(Original signed in March 2001) 		Indefinite
Agreement for Canada—Nova Scotia Co‑operation on Immigration September 19, 2007 Indefinite
Canada—Newfoundland and Labrador Agreement on Provincial Nominees November 22, 2006
(Original signed in September 1999) 		Indefinite
Agreement for Canada—Yukon Co‑operation on Immigration February 12, 2008
(Original signed in April 2001)		 Indefinite

Table 8 demonstrates that, as in previous years, the most popular provinces of destination in 2008 were Ontario (45%), Quebec (18%) and British Columbia (18%).

Table 8: Permanent Residents admitted in 2008, by destination and immigration category

Category NL PE NS NB QC ON MB SK AB BC YT NT NU Not Stated Total
ECONOMIC CLASS
Skilled Workers 187 47 889 298 26,772 49,042 606 503 9,226 16,004 29 56 35 42 103,736
Business Immigrants 0 – 59 12 1,275 4,116 31 33 374 6,498 – 0 0 1 12,407
Provincial and Territorial Nominees 107 1,258 866 1,038 67 1,097 7,968 3,037 3,323 3,629 28 0 0 0 22,418
Live–in Caregivers 5 – 14 10 1,261 4,882 92 93 1,580 2,548 – 17 0 0 10,511
Total Economic Class
(including dependants)		 299 1,310 1,828 1,358 29,375 59,137 8,697 3,666 14,503 28,679 69 73 35 43 149,072
FAMILY CLASS
Spouses, Partners, Children and Others 121 – 481 275 8,216 23,864 1,129 473 5,542 8,703 34 – 13 4 48,970
Parents and Grandparents 20 – 51 16 925 9,937 255 76 1,591 3,716 0 – 0 0 16,597
Total Family Class 141 80 532 291 9,141 33,801 1,384 549 7,133 12,419 34 45 13 4 65,567
PROTECTED PERSONS
Government–Assisted Refugees 158 – 155 140 1,878 2,515 439 404 765 793 0 0 0 – 7,295
Privately Sponsored Refugees – – 6 – 538 1,659 493 115 385 308 0 0 0 – 3,512
Protected Persons in Canada – 0 20 – 1,271 4,976 29 15 379 289 – – 0 0 6,994
Dependants Abroad 0 0 12 15 835 2,710 11 18 316 142 0 0 0 0 4,059
Total Protected Persons 162 46 193 165 4,522 11,860 972 552 1,845 1,532 – – 0 5 21,860
OTHER
Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds / Public Policy 25 20 97 45 2,145 6,035 164 68 707 1,308 – – – 0 10,627
Other* 0 0 1 0 28 62 4 1 7 12 – – – 0 115
Total Other 25 20 98 45 2,173 6,097 168 69 714 1,320 0 0 2 0 10,742
Category Not Stated 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
TOTAL 627 1,456 2,651 1,859 45,212 110,896 11,221 4,836 24,195 43,950 111 127 50 52 247,243
PERCENTAGE 0.2% 0.6% 1% 0.7% 18% 45% 4.5% 2% 10% 18% 0% 0% 0% 0% 100%

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Facts & Figures 2008

NOTE: Due to privacy considerations, some cells in this table are replaced with the notation “—”. As a result, components may not add up to the total indicated.
* “Other” includes Post-Determination Refugee Claimants, Deferred Removal Orders and Temporary Resident Permit Holders.

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23.  Although the original Agreement for Canada—British Columbia Co-operation on Immigration was due to expire on April 4, 2009, it was formally extended until April 4, 2010, while the parties continue to negotiate a renewed agreement.

 

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