Ottawa contradicts P.E.I. on immigrant program

There are no plans for a new immigrant investor program in P.E.I., says Citizenship and Immigration Canada, despite talk of negotiations by the provincial government.

The previous program ended in September 2008 and remains embroiled in controversy. Government MLAs and senior civil servants took advantage of immigrant investment, and Citizenship and Immigration complained about the quality of companies approved for investment.

As recently as last week, the province's Innovation Minister Allan Campbell told CBC News that negotiations for a new immigrant investor program were underway.

"I've had had senior staff from [Island Investment Development Inc.] that have had those discussions with the senior bureaucrats from Ottawa," Campbell told CBC-TV's Compass.

But in an email dated Jan. 5, Karen Shadd, a spokeswoman for CIC, said there have been no negotiations. "P.E.I. has not discussed the creation of any new categories [under the provincial nominee program] with us," Shadd wrote.

"We have no plans to recreate the investor program or enter into discussions to do so."

'Pretty shocking,' says Crane

Opposition leader Olive Crane found the email surprising. She noted both Campbell and Premier Robert Ghiz have discussed the negotiations in the legislature.

"This is pretty shocking and very disappointing," said Crane.

"This is one of the most important, significant programs in the province's history. Again, as recent as last week, Minister Campbell was on Compass telling people he was working on a new program. According to this email, there's no new program nor will there be and there's no discussions. Somebody is lying and somebody needs to be held accountable for that."

Campbell seemed as surprised as Crane by what the email had to say.

"Certainly, I've never got that indication," he said.

"What we need to remember is there is different streams to the investor program. There's also investor programs that are going on right across the country, so I would be a little perplexed as to why they say that there's not going to be a investor program."

The email is blunt, saying not only are there no negotiations going on, but also suggesting that it would be difficult for P.E.I. to get a new PNP investor program if there were.