Manitoba government, stakeholders react to Provincial Nominee Program cuts

The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is the latest immigration strategy connected the national chopping block, with Ottawa ordering provinces to chopped PNP approvals by 50 per cent.

Manitoba Labour and Immigration Minister Malaya Marcelino met with Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller Thursday, the time aft the section was told to slash the program’s numbers.

“We person committed to proceed advocating for Manitoba and to proceed those conversations with the national authorities truthful that we tin get the afloat national allotment,” she said.

The state and stakeholders are asking for 12,000 approvals done the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP) to support up with 2025’s labour demands.

“The concern community, arsenic good arsenic agrarian municipalities and bluish municipalities, we’ve each travel unneurotic with 1 dependable since past autumn truly to beryllium capable to archer the national curate what Manitoba’s needs are,” she said.

The state approved 9,540 applications done the Skilled Worker watercourse of the MPNP successful 2024. Marcelino says adjacent to 70 per cent of newcomers to Manitoba get done the program.

The MPNP is “absolutely critical,” Manitoba Business Council President & CEO Bram Strain told 680 CJOB’s The News Monday.

“The nominee programme for implicit 20 years has been the main root of maturation for Manitoba’s colonisation and our labour force, truthful to chopped that successful half… is precise short-sighted and I deliberation it’s going to clasp backmost our system somewhat successful the adjacent year,” helium said.

Strain says provinces similar Ontario and B.C. payment from national migration programs that enactment their labour market, meaning they’ll endure little from the cuts to their PNP programs.

“They’re not arsenic babelike connected the nominee programme arsenic immoderate smaller provinces similar ourselves, Saskatchewan and the Maritimes would be. So I judge we’re a unfortunate of universality, and this is trying to hole a occupation that frankly Manitoba does not have,” Strain said.

Canada Research Chair successful Immigration Futures Lori Wilkinson says the programme is simply a “cost-effective” mode to bring radical to the country.

“This nationalist redistribution of migration isn’t going to enactment erstwhile they don’t deliberation astir the provincial context,” she said.

It’s besides 1 of the lone tools provinces person to capable area- and industry-specific labour shortages, similar successful healthcare. Wilkinson says the chopped volition effect successful adjacent longer hold times, and an economical deed to the provinces and state arsenic a whole.

“Our taxation basal is going to shrink, our pension basal is going to shrink, and the lineup for services is going to increase. So it’s truly a governmental issue. It’s an economical issue. And personally, arsenic a idiosyncratic who studies this stuff, I deliberation it’s a mistake that each of america volition wage for.”

Federal Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland told The News Tuesday if elected arsenic Liberal person and premier minister, she would reverse the chopped to Manitoba’s Provincial Nominee Program.

“Winnipeg [and] Manitoba is different. You person the request and the capacity, and the national authorities needs to respect that,” she said.

The national authorities is aiming to alteration the fig of imperishable residents by 21 per cent successful 2025, with a projected 395,000 applications approved. The fig of planetary survey permits volition besides alteration by 10 per cent.