Winnipeg settlement support group, lawyer worried about impact of federal immigration cuts in Manitoba

Posted on October 26, 2024 by Peggy

A Winnipeg immigration lawyer says he’s concerned about what federal cuts to the number of new permanent residents will mean for Manitoba.

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced on Thursday the country will slash the projected number of new permanent residents from 485,000 this year to 395,000 in 2024, with further cuts coming in 2026 and 2027.

Under the new plan, national immigration targets for the provincial nominee program — which allows provinces and territories to nominate individuals interested in settling in their respective jurisdictions — will be cut by about half, from 110,000 this year to a 55,000 annual target over the next three years.

Winnipeg immigration lawyer Reis Pagtakhan said while it’s not known how many provincial nominees Manitoba will end up getting, the prospects “look pretty bleak” given the size of the cuts.

“It certainly will impact Manitoba,” he told Information Radio host Marcy Markusa during an interview Friday.

A man talking — Winnipeg immigration lawyer Reis Pagtakhan says while it’s not known how many provincial nominees Manitoba will end up getting next year, the prospects ‘look pretty bleak’ given the size of the federal government’s new cuts. (John Einarson/CBC)

Manitoba is currently allowed 9,500 provincial nominees, Pagtakhan said.

While he understand this is an attempt to alleviate some of the strains population growth has on housing and the health-care system, Manitoba’s situation is “arguably different,” he said.

“The question is … whether we are addressing the issue as it pertains to Manitoba correctly, or if there’s a national solution that is addressing a crisis in other cities and other provinces,” said Pagtakhan.

“Even though we’re looking at cuts to solve an immediate problem, the bottom line is that we still need more people in this province, in this country. And that’s where the challenge is.”

Province makes case

Premier Wab Kinew told reporters Friday his government will continue to advocate for an immigration policy that supports the currently available jobs and housing stock, while still growing the economy.

“We’ve made the case [that] if you give Manitoba more [spots], we will fill more,” he said, adding that the government is on track to filling all its provincial nominee allotments for this year.

Minister Miller — who was in Winnipeg last week — said during an interview with Information Radio last Friday that the federal government was willing to work with provinces that need more immigrants, like Manitoba.

“For provinces that are willing to work with us and willing to be responsible in their duty to make sure that immigrants are well supported when they get here and contribute to the economy — we’re willing to work with provinces that take that responsibility,” Miller said.

Information Radio – MB17:28Federal Immigration minister, Marc Miller, is in Winnipeg this week. He joins us in studio

We’ll ask him about how the recent tensions between Canada and India and the impact it could have on citizens who hope to immigrate to Canada to the cap on International students

His provincial counterpart, Malaya Marcelino, said in a statement Thursday Manitoba is in need of skilled labour, and that the provincial nominee program is important to growing the province’s economy.

“We will continue to advocate for the federal government to meet Manitoba’s labour needs,” she said.

In a statement, an organization that supports and helps newcomers settle in Manitoba said the federal plan “undermines Canada’s long-standing commitment to humanitarian immigration.”

Canada should grow its existing programs and invest in “capacity to better respond to global crises, while upholding its responsibility to support both current residents and newcomers,” Seid Oumer Ahmed wrote on behalf of the Manitoba Association of Newcomer Serving Organizations, or MANSO.

The organization is “particularly worried” about the low targets set for the humanitarian component of the plan, including refugees, he wrote.

The number of government-assisted refugees “remains largely unchanged from previous years,” but is “minimal compared to the staggering global displacement crisis,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, demand from refugees has grown significantly, with millions forced from their homes due to global conflict and human rights abuses, he said.

“Canada has the resources and the capacity to do more,” but the levels in the new immigration plan do not “adequately reflect this reality,” he wrote.

He added Canada has a “long-standing reputation” for resettling refugees, pointing to its response in helping Syrians, Yazidis and Afghans, along with Ukrainians, nearly 300,000 of whom came under the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program, which “raised hopes that Canada could continue to replicate such ambitious initiatives for other vulnerable populations,” wrote Ahmed.

“However, the recent shift in immigration policy reflects a departure from this compassionate approach.”