Ottawa Journal for the Week of December 15 – December 19, 2021
DAVID TILSON, MP for Dufferin-Caledon

Canada prides itself on being a nation of immigrants. From the French and British explorers who came to our shores centuries ago, to the wave of Irish immigrants who arrived during the Irish Potato Famine, to the large influx of visible minority immigrants from the developing world today, Canada has a history of embracing ethnic pluralism and welcoming immigrants from all over the world.

Since taking office in 2006, our Government has worked hard to strengthen Canada’s immigration system and to make it more efficient and responsive. Most recently, we have announced the introduction of the “Action Plan for Faster Immigration,” a coordinated and comprehensive series of improvements that aim to speed up the processing of applications and make our immigration system more closely aligned and responsive to labour market needs. This plan is a result of approved changes to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act in June of this year and was developed through consultation and input from a wide range of groups and organizations.

Under previous governments, the immigration backlog grew from 50,000 to over 800,000 with wait-times longer than five years. Our government’s plan includes ministerial instructions for processing skilled worker applications from 38 high-demand occupations such as: health; skilled trades; finance; and resource-extraction; therefore reducing the backlog while maintaining the highest immigration levels in the country in over 15 years. Nurses, doctors, and other skilled workers will be able to come to Canada in six to twelve months, rather than five to six years under previous governments.
The Action Plan also consists of improvements such as the introduction of the Canadian Experience Class, enhancements to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the use of the Provincial Nominee Program, the establishment of the Foreign Credentials Referral Office, and additional resources for increasing settlement services. These measures will maintain considerable flexibility for immigration and help foreign-trained workers succeed and put their skills to work in Canada more quickly.

The Conservative Government is cognizant of the value of immigrants to our country, and is committed to an immigration system that reunites families, protects refugees, and supports Canada’s economy. The Action Plan for Faster Immigration will make our immigration system more efficient and competitive, and thus ensure that Canada remains a destination choice for all immigrants.