Despite Cuts And Restrictions – Immigration Canada Still Seeking More Consultations On Immigration Levels

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TORONTO — Despite deportations, cuts and numerous immigration restrictions brought by the Stephen Harper government, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is still seeking consultations on immigration levels.

CIC’s Parliamentary Secretaries Chungsen Leung and Rick Dykstra have launched a series of cross-country consultations on immigration issues, which began this week in Toronto.

The two Parliamentary Secretaries will be meeting with stakeholders and the public to discuss the appropriate level and mix of immigration for Canada in the coming years. Since 2006, the Government of Canada has welcomed the highest sustained levels of immigration in Canadian history.

The purpose of the consultations is to seek feedback on immigration issues, including the appropriate level of immigration for Canada, and the most suitable mix among economic, family, and refugee and humanitarian classes. Discussions with the Parliamentary Secretaries will also touch on CIC’s transition towards a faster and more flexible immigration system, as well as the growing importance of immigration to Canada’s economic growth and long-term prosperity.

In planning for the total number of people to admit as permanent residents, CIC claims it must not only balance the Government of Canada’s immigration objectives, but also consider broader government commitments, input from provinces and territories, and current and future economic conditions. The Department must also take into account its operational ability to process applications in a timely manner, as well as the capacity of communities to welcome newcomers.

These consultations present an important opportunity to generate greater public understanding 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, and there are no easy answers. 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.