October 15, 2012
The Final Report by Ontario’s Expert Roundtable on Immigration
This report represents the advice of the Expert Roundtable on Immigration, which consisted of leaders from the private sector, the settlement services sector, academia, and the not-for-profit sector. Its mandate was to advise the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration on the development of an Ontario immigration strategy that addresses immigrant selection, settlement, and integration issues, with an emphasis on economic immigration and labour market integration.
This report is the responsibility of the Roundtable members. The Mowat Centre provided support to the Roundtable by consolidating their views and preparing this report at the direction of the Roundtable’s Chair.
Executive Summary
Ontario has never had a formal immigration strategy. Throughout its history, immigrants came to the province from around the world, attracted by its economic opportunity, peaceful communities, and stable democratic political system. The federal government largely controlled the selection and admission of immigrants, sharing responsibility for immigrant settlement with the provinces, and most immigrants to Ontario experienced economic and personal success. Ontario did not need to articulate a government-wide strategy to attract and integrate newcomers.
Ontario, like many other jurisdictions, now faces new and different challenges.
Competition to attract immigrants is more intense than in the past. Other countries are more aggressively courting immigrants and many historical source countries are today becoming immigrant destinations, offering greater economic opportunity than they did before. While Ontario remains the top destination in Canada for immigrants, the number of economic immigrants to the province has steadily declined—from 89,079 in 2001 to 36,939 in 2011. Ontario is receiving fewer immigrants selected on the basis of their human capital—their education, skills, and experience—and their ability to integrate into Canada’s labour market, which includes proficiency in English or French.
An aging population, an anticipated future shrinking workforce, and skills shortages in sectors critical to Ontario’s prosperity make this renewal essential. The transformation of the global and Ontario economies makes it all the more necessary.
The Government of Canada recently announced significant changes to both the administration and the focus of Canada’s immigration programs. The general thrust of the changes has been announced, but many important details remain to be decided.
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Together, these conditions present Ontario with a key opportunity. Other provinces and countries have identified clear objectives and new strategies for attracting skilled and workforce-ready immigrants who are able to adapt and succeed. It is time for Ontario to do the same.
An immigration strategy for Ontario should be designed to achieve the following objectives:
- strengthen Ontario’s economy, communities, and families;
- attract, retain, and integrate more immigrants, including more immigrants with high levels of human capital;
- increase the proportion of economic class immigrants to the province, while maintaining a balanced approach to immigrant selection to reflect Ontarians’ commitment to humanitarian principles and family reunification; and,
- improve economic and social outcomes for new and existing immigrants and their families.
These objectives should be pursued with an appreciation of the fiscal challenges faced by all governments—federal, provincial, and local. Our overarching advice is grounded in a belief that Canada is strengthened through immigration and that a nation building ambition should inform decisions on immigration. The success of Canada and its immigration system has in large part rested on Canada’s ability to attract and integrate newcomers.
Although there are circumstances when temporary workers are necessary and important to the Canadian economy, admitting immigrants to Canada as permanent residents, with access to services, rights, and on a clear path to citizenship, has been a key factor in the successful integration of immigrants and their children. In light of this, we believe Canada should reaffirm its commitment to attracting and settling permanent immigrants.
The economic vision for the province’s future should align with its immigration strategy. A greater role for Ontario in selecting immigrants will support this objective. Ontario’s approach to immigration should work for all communities across the province. This includes ensuring that the Greater Toronto region remains a magnet for immigrants but also that other cities, rural, northern and remote communities, and Francophone communities all benefit from Ontario’s immigration strategy.
Ontario must embed its immigration objectives across all of its ministries —from children’s services to energy and infrastructure planning. An embedded strategy will ensure cross-departmental collaboration and produce better results than the actions of a single ministry.
A successful strategy will also require better alignment and coordination with other governments and actors including the private sector, post-secondary institutions, and community organizations. Through improved partnerships, Ontario will be better able to promote and leverage its extraordinary strengths in attracting and retaining immigrants.
These strengths include the diversity of our people and the dynamism of our economy. Ontario’s future prosperity will hinge on our ability to connect globally, which will include increasing international trade, attracting investment from abroad, and acting as a hub in global exchanges of knowledge and skills.
The global connectivity of Ontario’s highly international population will be an essential ingredient in our continued prosperity. Ontario and federal policy makers must value and leverage this strength. All of our specific recommendations are grounded in the recognition that Canada’s Constitution shares jurisdiction for immigration between the federal and provincial governments.
Author
The Mowat Centre
Release Date
October 15, 2012
ISBN
978-1-4606-0374-1