Mississauga, June 21, 2013 — Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) launched online consultations for public input on immigration levels and mix today.
In addition, Parliamentary Secretary Rick Dykstra is beginning a series of cross-country consultations with stakeholders today, starting in Mississauga.
“Since 2006, the Government of Canada has welcomed the highest sustained levels of immigration in Canadian history,
” said Minister Kenney. “Given the importance of immigration to our economic growth and long-term prosperity, we are especially keen to hear the views of Canadians as we prepare for the years ahead.
”
The government welcomes stakeholder and public feedback on the appropriate level of immigration for Canada and the most suitable mix among economic, family, and refugee and humanitarian classes. Participants will also be asked for their views on the increasing role of economic immigration in supporting Canada’s future prosperity and the government’s move toward a faster and more flexible immigration system.
In planning for the total number of people to admit as new permanent residents each year, the government must not only balance its immigration objectives, but also consider broader government commitments, input from provinces and territories, and current and future economic conditions. In addition, the government must take into account CIC’s operational ability to process applications in a timely manner, as well as the capacity of Canadian communities to welcome newcomers.
These consultations present an opportunity to raise greater public awareness of the difficult decisions involved in managing a global immigration system. There are competing visions and diverging goals for the future of the immigration program. Engaging stakeholders and the broader public is key to CIC’s development of an overall strategy for Canada moving forward.
Invited stakeholders represent a variety of perspectives, including those of employers, labour, academia, learning institutions, professional organizations, business organizations, regulatory bodies, municipalities, Aboriginal groups, settlement provider organizations and ethnocultural organizations.
The online consultations are open for input until August 31, 2013. Interested participants can provide feedback here.
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For further information (media only), please contact:
Alexis Pavlich
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
Backgrounder:
Building a stronger Canada: Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) strengthens Canada’s economic, social and cultural prosperity, helping ensure Canadian safety and security while managing one of the largest and most generous immigration programs in the world.