Federal/Provincial Nominee Agreement Encourages Immigrants to Fill Skills Gap

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT--Federal/Provincial Nominee Agreement Encourages Immigrants to Fill Skills Gaps

Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Cecil Clarke, Minister of Economic Development for Nova Scotia, today signed an agreement establishing a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) in Nova Scotia.

The five-year agreement allows Nova Scotia to nominate one thousand skilled immigration candidates -- 200 each calendar year

• who will meet the specific economic and industrial development needs of the province.

"Both levels of government recognize the benefits immigrants can bring to Nova Scotia, and I am committed to meeting the objectives of the agreement, just as I know Mr. Clarke and the provincial stakeholders are as well," said Mr. Coderre.

"We need skilled immigrants to help fuel the future growth of the economy, particularly in rural Nova Scotia," said Mr. Clarke. "This agreement is a tool to respond to changing population patterns and aging of the work force which, over the years, have contributed to a wider skills gap in rural areas."

Finalizing an immigration agreement with the federal government is part of the province's economic growth strategy. Under the new agreement, Nova Scotia will work in co-operation with local groups and industry associations to attract immigrants to fill gaps in the job market and improve the provincial economy.

"This means the successful candidates will enter Nova Scotia with jobs to go to and communities throughout the province that very much want and support them as residents," said Mr. Clarke.

"This agreement is a positive step toward helping immigrants gain access to the labour market in a way that matches their qualifications and aspirations," said Jane Purves, Nova Scotia's minister responsible for immigration. "Nova Scotia needs to be a keen competitor for new immigrants and we will continue working with our federal colleagues to move initiatives forward."

Nova Scotia will provide a recruitment plan to the government of Canada. The federal government will continue to enforce statutory requirements related to security and medical screening and will retain the right to exercise the final selection authority. Nominees brought in under the agreement will become permanent residents of Canada who can, after three years, apply for Canadian citizenship.

The Nova Scotia PNP agreement is the first to include clauses related to the francophone minority language community. The clauses suggest that the provincial government consult with representatives of this community when they discuss immigration issues.

"I am extremely pleased that the province of Nova Scotia has agreed to this important addition to the PNP agreement," Mr. Coderre said. "Effective immigration is about partnerships, and when the province discusses immigration requirements with businesses, representatives of the francophone communities will be invited to the table."

Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Yukon and Alberta also have provincial nominee programs.

NOTE: The following is a backgrounder on the details of the Provincial Nominee Program Agreement. Another backgrounder, which details immigration statistics for Nova Scotia and Canada, will be faxed upon request. Contact Communications Nova Scotia by e-mailing [email protected] .

BACKGROUNDER: Provincial Nominee Program Agreement

• The Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) agreement provides Nova Scotia with a mechanism to increase the economic benefits of immigration, taking into account provincial industrial and economic priorities and labour market conditions.

• The PNP is a pilot program that will entitle Nova Scotia to nominate 200 candidates and their accompanying family members each calendar year over the five-year period of the agreement.

• Nova Scotia will propose to the government of Canada eligible candidates for immigration who can help improve the local business climate by filling skills gaps in the economy, particularly in rural parts of the province and who are deemed to be capable of successfully establishing themselves in Nova Scotia.

• Nova Scotia will provide a nomination strategy to the government of Canada.

• Provincial nominees brought in under the agreement will become permanent residents of Canada.

• The Nova Scotia PNP agreement is the first to recognize the importance of encouraging the development of the francophone minority language community through immigration. Clauses specify that Nova Scotia's francophone community will be consulted on these initiatives.

• The Canadian government will continue to enforce statutory requirements related to the security and medical screening of the immigration applicants, while allowing greater flexibility for the admission of immigrants who can respond to Nova Scotia's specific needs.

• The federal government retains the right of final selection.

• The governments of Canada and Nova Scotia will co-operate in the development of an evaluation framework for the Provincial Nominee Program. The evaluation will review Nova Scotia's recruitment strategies, analyze the extent to which the nominees have contributed to provincial industrial and economic development and determine how successfully the nominees have established themselves in the province.

• In 2001, Nova Scotia received 1,708 immigrants, or 0.68 per cent of the total number -- 250,346 -- of immigrants who came to Canada.