http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/immigration-system-increase-mccallum-1.3812749

Quote

A high-powered group of external advisers is calling for a dramatic increase in Canada's immigration levels, but Immigration Minister John McCallum says that might be too ambitious.

McCallum said Wednesday he's read the report by the Advisory Council on Economic Growth that calls for a 50-per-cent increase in targets to 450,000 people a year.

The measure would target skilled, entrepreneurial newcomers in an attempt to stimulate economic growth.

• McCallum acknowledges internal Liberal debate on immigration file
• Canada wants more Chinese workers, students & tourists, says McCallum
• McCallum wants to 'substantially increase' immigration to fill labour needs

The 14-member panel, chaired by Dominic Barton of the firm McKinsey and Co., is to deliver a set of recommendations to Finance Minister Bill Morneau on Thursday.

McCallum said meeting the target suggested by Barton's group would be costly and might not find broad national support.

"The figure he gives is a huge figure," McCallum said. "But this is not a universal view across the country."

Discussions are continuing and the government will announce immigration targets for 2017 next month, McCallum added.

McCallum's cabinet colleague, Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains, told The Canadian Press on Wednesday that he's "worked very closely" with Barton's panel, and favours increased immigration levels. But he stopped short of endorsing the target in Barton's report.

"Clearly he's demonstrating an opportunity for Canada," Bains said. "We value our diversity, we value our multicultural society and we recognize immigration is an opportunity to create jobs."

The need for skilled labour

Bains said the government would need to sell the idea of higher immigration levels to the public.

"We, as a government, need to focus on communicating the benefits of growing the economy and part of that growth is investing in people and part of that equation is immigration."

Bains said bringing in more skilled workers is part of the government's broader agenda that includes investing in research and development, creating jobs and helping companies grow.

A survey released by Canadian Manufactures and Exporters said the most pressing challenge facing its member companies is "attracting or retaining skilled labour."

The response came from a survey and roundtable discussions with 1,300 member companies.

Matthew Wilson, the organization's senior vice president, said manufacturers have traditionally looked beyond Canada's border to find skilled workers.

"If we can expand that, that's good," he said in an interview.

Slower growth ahead

But the government needs to do more to make sure the immigrants they allow into Canada actually have skills that are needed, Wilson added.

"Just bringing in more immigrants isn't going to solve the skills-gap problem if they don't have the skills Canadian companies need."

The continuing need to address the country's sluggish economy was underscored Wednesday as the Bank of Canada downgraded its growth prediction.

The bank's latest outlook projected a real GDP expansion of 1.1 per cent this year, down from its earlier 1.3 per cent forecast.

Governor Stephen Poloz listed immigration as "one of the ingredients" for helping to reverse declining growth.

© The Canadian Press, 2016 

I can't believe McCallum had those thoughts. He must be drying out. Has anyone ever explained how "diversity" has helped Canada? I don't ever remember it being mentioned during Oshawa's Fiesta Week during its heydey.

Some talk on the CBC this morning & the reporter said most immigrants settle in the big cities, which doesn't help declining populations in rural & small town Canada. The reason those populations are declining is that there are no jobs there. Why would it make sense to plunk immigrants down in areas of unemployment? In Apsley, Asians already own the motel/restaurant and the "general store". I can't think of any other businesses they'd be interested in.  

TRUMP OPENS NEW GOLF COURSE IN SCOTLAND all good selling shit out of the white house lobby

Mean while in Canada CPC hate machine is attacking CARNEY for having investments these MAGA want a bees are a joke

NOT ME NOT ME NOT ME

FOCUS ON CLINTON

I have no list but I have a list you should concentrate on

EPSTEIN TOPIC IS DEAD his WIFE TO BE PARDONED

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1083189309957376

Remember BIDEN being weird with yound children and MAGA going wild about it?

those were good times but these are better from Orange Pedo man

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1764171464191168

It is getting hard for PP to keep up the stupid same slogans pathetic comes to mind

Trying to take down CARNEY FOR HAVING A HIGH END JOB isn't going to be easy from a guy with no job experience in his lifetime other than paper boy

BIDEN BAD

CLINTON

OBAMA

I never had the privilege of going there

TRUMP slams CANADA for even thinking of fighting back against the MASTER OF NOTHING BUT BULLYING

PP says he would do better than CARNEY by bowing to the cock of Trump and not upsetting him so much

EPATEIN FILES HAVE GONE AWAY FOR GOOD - NOTHING TO SEE JUST CLINTON

ourr Leadership is top notched so glad TRudeau and PP are gone

Elbows up bitch. What an embarrassment.

Elbows up is what you type after gargling semen. You say it a lot...sad.

TRUMP ART OF THE STUPID

Canada sucks. If we can't beat that measuring stick it is really sad.

Ouch. Poor Fail and Deep.

18 hours ago, ArcticCrusher said:

Ouch. Poor Fail and Deep.

That makes no sense what so ever

TRUMP calls everything HIS like Gulf of Mexico You need a better hero

He's never made sense. His flock keeps duping him.

I see a shadow.

Elbows up, just another 289000 more to go.

A talk with our Prime Minster while PP does selfies about himself

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1013446790970851

Are elbows still up.

Crashing our economy. Good thing Carney has 95% of his assets invested in the USA and less than 0.5% in Canada.

He's really there for you.

Attacks on CARNEY mean he is doing very well, very successful in business, smart economic polices, worldwide respected

But hey PP has no seat and used slogans he sounds like he would handle TRUMP and USA TRADE with ease.

AC our STOCK MARKET IS RECORD HIGH seems your hate is in the wrong place again

37 minutes ago, ArcticCrusher said:

Are elbows still up.

Crashing our economy. Good thing Carney has 95% of his assets invested in the USA and less than 0.5% in Canada.

He's really there for you.

You really don't understand much about TRADE and Economics so keep getting your info from TIKTOK DAD

You look stupid

AC did you know OUR Governments don't sell stuff to USA or any country Government is not a business and sell nothing.

Who sells to USA? I'll wait for you to find out

anyone heard of EPSTEIN did he do something wrong? I can't remember so I guess it was nothing after all

No information on the topic I sure hope TRUMP gets us this info as he is one awesome President

USA unemployment is up so to cure that stat TRUMP FIRED the person that released that report and now hired someone that will release what TRUMP APPROVES

YUP THIS HAPPENED

EPSTIEN is a fake person that was never alive TRUMP said so

AND THE EPSTEIN FILES ARE FINALLY DEAD AS ORDERed BY PEDO PREZ TRUMP

AC you said you would never stop seems you have been told to halt as TRUMP is on the list so forget about it

CARNEY is doing very well against the beast TRUMP - Smart man always wins over a no so smart bully

While TRUMP charges his people high tariffs Canada has removed tariffs so not to punish Canadian businesses - AC doesn't understand this and is angry we don't pay tariffs