N.L. can't afford national cuts to immigration targets, minister says
Canada plans to cut incoming permanent residents from 485,000 this year to 365,000 in 2027
A plan to slash the number of immigrants entering Canada is raising eyebrows in Newfoundland and Labrador, with both advocates and the immigration minister saying a cut could greatly impact the province's sustainability.
"I will be extremely concerned if that's the case. It's not sustainable for Newfoundland and Labrador to have to withstand those kinds of cuts," Immigration Minister Sarah Stoodley told Radio-Canada Thursday, just before Ottawa announced its latest strategy.
On Thursday, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Canada would be cutting the projected number of new permanent residents the country takes in — from 485,000 this year to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.
Miller told reporters the new immigration plan will stabilize population growth and relieve pressure on the housing market.
Laurabel Mba, a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant in St. John's, said she's disappointed by the decision. She sees population growth and pressures on the housing market as a broader issue, and told CBC News she believes immigrants are being used as a scapegoat.
"As a province with a declining population, immigration is the only way for us to stay sustainable. So when we think about the squeezing of numbers, I think that it puts us in a precarious situation," Mba said.
"My worst fear is that we'll limit it to a point where we are no longer sustainable as a province. We will not have enough people to do the work that Canadians are not doing just because they're low paying. So this is not an issue about immigration. This is an issue that's much broader."
Mba said immigrants are adding jobs into the provincial economy, and working low-paying jobs Canadians won't — like caretaking, cooking and cleaning.
She also isn't convinced a housing crunch can be blamed on immigration, instead saying short-term rentals are a major concern.
'We cannot afford a cut': Stoodley
Newfoundland and Labrador is allocated more than 3,000 economic immigration spaces annually. It's being reflected in the population, which has seen 14 consecutive quarters of growth.
Stoodley said the province has actively sought an increase in the number of spaces from Ottawa, and said it's irrational for the federal government to cut spaces.
"Our economic prosperity relies on economic immigration," Stoodley said.
"We need teachers, we need early childhood educators, we need residential construction workers. We don't have enough of them here. We need to go elsewhere looking for them, and we need them [for] the future of our province."
Stoodley, who has been Newfoundland and Labrador's immigration minister since July, said the province has worked to be a partner with Miller, but added that sometimes communication has been spotty.
"They tell us they're going to consult with us, and then they don't," she said.
"We want more spots. We cannot afford a cut."
Asked about the cuts Thursday, Opposition Leader Tony Wakeham said the province needs its own plan to keep the immigrants who come to the province.
"We always welcome immigrants to our province, and we should welcome immigrants to our province. But what we need is a strategy," Wakeham said.
"When we bring people here, we want them to be successful. We want them to have jobs, we want them to be able to afford their own housing, whether that's an apartment or a house. But right now, I'm not seeing an immigration strategy."
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With files from Terry Roberts, Patrick Butler and Kyle Mooney
