New Brunswick negotiates immigration allocation increase

New Brunswick's provincial flag flies in Ottawa on Monday July 6, 2020. (Adrian Wyld)

New Brunswick negotiated an increased immigration allocation with the federal government, said a Friday news release.

The province will now receive 4,250 permanent resident nominations. This is an increase of 1,500 from a February announcement.

“Newcomers are critically important to addressing New Brunswick’s workforce demands, and we have continued to make that clear with our federal counterparts,” said Jean-Claude D’Amours, acting minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, and minister responsible for immigration. “We appreciate the federal government’s willingness to listen to our needs and their flexibility on this issue.”

New Brunswick will focus nominations on priority sectors including health, education and construction, said the release. The province agreed to accept 400 asylum claimants in the next two years as part of negotiations.

“With new federal funding through the Interim Housing Assistance Program, we’re also taking a more co-ordinated and sustainable approach to provide temporary housing and help asylum claimants settle and start building their lives in communities across Canada,” said federal Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Lena Metlege Diab.

During the two-year period, the federal government will spend $14.1 million through the Interim Housing Assistance Program. They will help asylum claimants with temporary housing as they transition to the workforce, said the release.

The increase was welcomed by the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Multicultural Council and employers, including Irving, that are having trouble filling labour shortages.

“With 51 per cent of small business owners in New Brunswick reporting shortages in qualified labour as their most important issue across the first quarter of the year, every opportunity needs to be seized to match skilled workers to jobs,” said Louis-Philippe Gauthier, vice-president, Atlantic Canada, of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business.

Representatives from the province will meet with asylum claimants who are interested in settling in New Brunswick during the coming weeks. The ones who move will be connected to support services.

D’Amours said the government will work with employers to address labour force problems.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.