Alberta seeks higher immigration allotment to address workforce shortage, Ukrainian evacuees
Alberta is asking the federal government to increase the number of allocations for its provincial nominee program which allows workers to become permanent citizens.
Alberta's allotment for 2024 is 9,750, down from the 10,140 originally allotted by the federal government, according to Premier Danielle Smith.
"I am very concerned with this decision given the adverse impacts it would have on our province’s economy and ability to help Ukrainian evacuees find permanent jobs and futures in Alberta," Smith wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"In February 2024 employment rose to 2.5 million, up 17,400 month-over-month, which is 4.1 per cent increase year-over-year. Full-time jobs also jumped to 2,070,699."
Alberta has had over 57,000 Ukrainian refugees come to the province since the Russian invasion in 2022.
"Our growing economy is creating a labor shortage in some of our critical industries, including construction technology, health care and education," Smith said. "This shortage hinders our ability to grow and reach our full economic potential, something that all of Canada has relied on for years.
"With so many Ukrainian evacuees arriving right at a time when we have a labor shortage, Ottawa limiting our ability to offer permanent residency doesn't make much sense."
In the letter to the Prime Minister, Smith requested that Alberta receive an allotment of 20,000 for the provincial nomination program each year in 2024, 2025 and 2026, effective immediately.
Smith also requested 10,000 allotments specifically for Ukrainian evacuees.
"Even though we're only 12 per cent of the population, we are getting 23 per cent of the Ukrainian evacuees who are seeking refuge in our country," Smith said. "That's the reason why we want to have a special program that allows for us to settle them."
Upwards of 93 per cent of Ukrainians that have come to Alberta are expected to stay and apply for permanent residency, Smith adds in the letter.
"We want what's best for Alberta. We want to welcome newcomers, including Ukrainians who have the skill sets that we need to keep our economy moving and growing," Smith said.
Supports for Ukrainian newcomers in Alberta include emergency accommodations for up to 14 days when they arrive, a drivers' license exchange program and language and employment support.
"We're also actively working to extend access to key services such as health care and emergency financial supports past April 30 of this year," Smith said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Deadly six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 sparked by road rage incident
One person was killed in a six-vehicle crash on Highway 400 in Innisfil Friday evening.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
Yemen's Houthi rebels claim downing U.S. Reaper drone, release footage showing wreckage of aircraft
Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday claimed shooting down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
Britney Spears settles long-running legal dispute with estranged father, finally bringing ultimate end to conservatorship
Britney Spears has reached a settlement with her estranged father more than two years after the court-ordered termination of a conservatorship that had given him control of her life, their attorneys said.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.