From left: Ontario Immigration Minister Charles Sousa, Indira Naidoo Harris, and CEMA Chair Madeline Ziniak (Photos: Alexander Gershtein of CEMA)
Ontario is establishing an expert roundtable on immigration that will help build strategy and examine ways in which immigration can best support Ontario’s economic development, Charles Sousa , the province’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and Minister responsible for the 2015 Pan Am Games told members of the Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA) and Omni TV.
The announcement was made at a special “editorial board” meeting between the minister and both editorial staff from OMNI and members of Canada’s premiere ethnic media association, CEMA.
The roundtable will consist of business people, employers, academics and other experts within the field of immigration. It will provide its recommendations to the government in the summer 2012.
Here are some facts provided by the minister about Ontario immigration:
- Ontario receives more immigrants the all the Western provinces, all the Atlantic provinces and the three territories combined.
- Newcomers make up 30 per cent of Ontario’s labour force.
- The Federal Skilled Workers Programme has a current backlog of over 300,000 applicants, many of whom have expressed a desire to make Ontario their home.
