If all goes according to the Conservative government's plan, the decision of who to immigrate to Canada in the economic categories will be shifted in large to the provinces. The Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), in which the provinces selects the candidates who they would like to immigrate to Canada, will take over as the largest category of economic immigrants to Canada in the next ten years, overtaking the Federal skilled worker program which is being shrunk to a mere fraction of what it once was under the Liberal government.
In 2009, the total number of immigrants who came under the PNP category was around 30,000 (see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/statistics/facts2009/permanent/01.asp). Ontario selected less than 3% of these individuals. While other provinces annual quotas for persons who are nominated under their PNP number several thousand to unlimited in Alberta's case, Ontario's PNP has remained a mere 1000. And get this, Ontario has never even come close to meeting its quota!
Why is Ontario getting such a low percentage of persons who are coming under the PNP? Because Ontario's criteria is for the most part only available to graduate students and very large to huge businesses and corporations. Compare the following:
- In the Employer sponsored class, most provinces only require that the business be real and offer real jobs to workers to qualify for their PNP. Ontario requires that the business generate a profit of a million dollars and have a miniumum of 5 employees in the GTA or half a million and have 3 employees outside of the GTA.
- Many other provinces allow employers to nominate lower-skilled workers who are particularly needed in the province such as farm workers, food-processing workers, tourism and hospitality workers, and long-haul truckers. They also allow residents of the province to nominate extended family members. Ontario makes no such allowances.
- In the Entrepreneur programs, other provinces attract businessmen and women by allowing them and their families to immigrate if they invest anywhere from around $150,000 to $400,000 in a business in the province. Ontario used to require businesspersons to invest 10 million dollars. Now they've reduced this number to a still whopping number of 3 million. Needless to say, finding an astute business person who wants to apply under this category is like finding a cop who doesn't like doughnuts.
The policy makers who decide on the Ontario PNP always say that Ontario attracts 40% of the immigrant population and therefore we can afford to be selective. This is faulty reasoning. 40% of immigrants do not come to Ontario, they come to Toronto. In an age where manufacturing industry in Ontario is dying and small town Ontario's population is withering away, we desperately need injections of business development and population growth into Ontario. We need businessment to invest in businesses and create jobs in Ontario. We need workers to work in jobs which can't be filled by Ontarians to sustain businesses of all sizes and pay taxes.
As the PNP rises in the next few years as the main category for economic immigration, that number will likely decrease. Ontario will be in competition with other provinces who have far more attractive programs for business persons. They will be in competition with other provinces that recognize that small businesses need workers too and allow them to nominate key employees in their business to immigrate. They will be in competition with other provinces that recognize that just because a job is not deemed to be "high-skilled" that there might still be a demand for labour in the province. They will be in competition with other provinces that recognize that persons who have families be much more likely to be economically prosperous and settle into the community where their families are.
Wake up Ontario! Stop being so arrogant to think that we're not in competition for labour. Our province is only as good as our people make it. Let us make sure that we get our share of the best, the brightest, and the hardworking for our future.
