BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN
Federal immigration minister Joe Volpe wants to help smaller cities like Sudbury attract new Canadians with special skills who can help ease labour shortages.
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Ray Bonin (left), Joe Volpe and Diane Marleau are campaigning to defend their Liberal ridings in Ontario. |
"The vast majority go over to a place like Toronto...Now people are beginning to realize that immigration is an economic driver. We need to regionalize immigration," he said.
"We need to give places like Sudbury the mechanisms to attract, integrate and retain people, and all the while bring over people that meet the labour market needs."
Volpe was at the Trevi Restaurant in Sudbury Wednesday night to give a campaign boost to local Liberal incumbents Diane Marleau and Ray Bonin.
He answered questions for about 100 Liberals and members of the Sudbury Multicultural Folk Arts Association.
One man told Volpe it's great the government wants to bring over more skilled immigrants, but the ones who are already here have a hard time getting work in their field.
"What's happened in the past is that we've assumed responsibility for many of these people who have not had the opportunity to put in place their expertise, their knowledge and their talent," said Volpe, who is the Liberal incumbent for the Toronto riding Eglinton-Lawrence.
The government is working with universities and professional organizations to get them to accept the credentials of foreign-trained individuals, he said.
In the future, the government will actively recruit professionals and skilled tradespeople that are needed in this country, and make sure they can find positions here, Volpe said.
But it's going to be awhile before that can happen, he said.
Volpe also faced questions about keeping international students in Sudbury once they're done school.
The minister has recently implemented legislation that allows international students to work up to 20 hours a week while in school to get work experience.
They can also get a two-year work permit once they're finished college or university, and apply to become Canadians once the permit runs out, he said.
"Foreign students have a difficulty. When they graduate, employers refuse to hire them in part because it takes three to six months to train them, and then that student's got to leave," said Volpe.
"I'm going to make it easier for employers, and I'm going to remove that excuse by giving them a two year work permit."
Immigrants are extremely important to the economic and cultural life of Sudbury, said Marleau.
"We need immigrants, we want immigrants. We want to make sure that we integrate them, that they're part of our community. We want everyone in the country to know that Sudbury is a great place to come to."
Dr. Swaran Syan, a Sudbury physician who attended the event, said she was pleased to hear that immigrant programs are being expanded, but didn't hear much that was new.
"We are already aware of the programs they have for stabilizing the people who are already with some expertise. It is good to know, though, that there is generous support coming from the government," she said.
