"Ç%" <Ç%@can.ca>
2012-01-28 21:53:38 UTC
Parliamentary Bureau : Saturday, January 28, 2012
Tories pitching 'significant' immigration reform
OTTAWA - As Parliament resumes sitting on Monday with pensions and the 2012 budget top of its
mind, the Conservatives will also throw what the prime minister has called "significant reform
of our immigration system" into the mix.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told Sun News Network on Thursday one of the biggest changes
will be to "invite businesses to go overseas, recruit the people who they think will work well
in their companies, give them those job offers, and then we'll bring them in (to Canada) on a
super-fast basis."
But the Tories will also change the system that grades prospective immigrants on their language
and work skills, among other factors, to determine whether they'll be allowed to come live in
Canada.
"In 2012, we will be reforming our federal points system, called our Skilled Worker Program, to
attract those people who we know, based on research, are most likely to succeed - younger
immigrants, people with pre-arranged jobs in Canada, folks with higher levels of income," said
Kenney.
Those kinds of changes could make Canada increasingly tempting for young people from countries
like Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland as they deal with high unemployment and debt crises.
Reports in the Wall Street Journal indicate the booming Australian economy has already
attracted thousands of Greeks seeking a better life.
*******************************************************
"We CAN look after each other better than we do today.
We CAN have a fiscally responsible government.
We CAN have a strong economy; greater equality; a clean environment.
We CAN be a force for peace in the world." - Jack Layton
Tories pitching 'significant' immigration reform
OTTAWA - As Parliament resumes sitting on Monday with pensions and the 2012 budget top of its
mind, the Conservatives will also throw what the prime minister has called "significant reform
of our immigration system" into the mix.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told Sun News Network on Thursday one of the biggest changes
will be to "invite businesses to go overseas, recruit the people who they think will work well
in their companies, give them those job offers, and then we'll bring them in (to Canada) on a
super-fast basis."
But the Tories will also change the system that grades prospective immigrants on their language
and work skills, among other factors, to determine whether they'll be allowed to come live in
Canada.
"In 2012, we will be reforming our federal points system, called our Skilled Worker Program, to
attract those people who we know, based on research, are most likely to succeed - younger
immigrants, people with pre-arranged jobs in Canada, folks with higher levels of income," said
Kenney.
Those kinds of changes could make Canada increasingly tempting for young people from countries
like Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland as they deal with high unemployment and debt crises.
Reports in the Wall Street Journal indicate the booming Australian economy has already
attracted thousands of Greeks seeking a better life.
*******************************************************
"We CAN look after each other better than we do today.
We CAN have a fiscally responsible government.
We CAN have a strong economy; greater equality; a clean environment.
We CAN be a force for peace in the world." - Jack Layton