TORONTO, July 12, 2022 – This week, Premiers from across the country are meeting in Victoria for the first in-person Council of the Federation (the Council) meeting since the start of the pandemic.
To secure the Toronto region’s continued economic recovery, the Board urges the federal and provincial governments to prioritize increased economic immigration to respond to the critical and growing labour market shortages facing Toronto region employers.
In our March 2022 workforce development report, Unlocking Talent, the Board called for urgent action to increase the number of economic immigrants to address pervasive and acute labour shortages. The Board asks the federal government to eliminate significant backlogs of immigration applications already in the system.
As well, we endorse the Ontario government’s call to immediately double, at a minimum, the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program from 9,000 to 18,000 newcomers with specific in-demand skills. Further, the Board calls for the inclusion of immigration streams that are responsive to the labour and skills needs of the region’s high-growth and in-demand sectors, including construction trades, manufacturing and technology.
Working with the region’s employers, the government must also expand initiatives that remove the integration and certification barriers that prevent new Canadians from full participation in the labour market.
We must act with urgency and remain laser-focused on our most critical resource: people.
The Toronto Region Board of Trade is one of the largest and most influential business chambers in North America and is a catalyst for the region’s economic agenda. We pursue policy change to drive the growth and competitiveness of the Toronto region and facilitate market opportunities with programs, partnerships and connections to help our members succeed – domestically and internationally.
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