Impact of Canada’s throne speech on Canada Immigration

The priorities set out for the new session of the Parliament of Canada have several implications for the country’s immigration policies and the immigrants themselves. The Canadian government has emphasized that welcoming immigrants will remain a key priority of the new session of Parliament.

Each new session of Parliament begins with a Speech from the Throne, which describes the government’s objectives.

On September 23, the Governor-General of Canada, Julie Payette, delivered the official opening speech of the Second Session of the 43rd Parliament of Canada. The Governor-General is the federal representative of the Monarch of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II.

Canada’s economy to recover from COVID-19 with the help of immigration

Payette described four pillars of the government’s plan for the new session of parliament:

• Fight the pandemic and save lives
• Support people and businesses during the crisis for as long as it lasts. Either way, protecting the health of Canadians is the best solution for the economy
• Rebuild better to build a stronger Canadian economy
• Stand up for who we are as Canadians. A welcoming country, which celebrates two official languages, promotes gender equality and reconciles with indigenous peoples.

Immigration will be key to supporting the economic recovery from COVID-19 in Canada, Payette said. She noted: “Immigration remains an engine of Canada’s economic growth. As other countries shy away from the global talent that could help their economies, Canada has the opportunity, as we recover, to become the world’s leading destination for talent, capital, and jobs. When people choose Canada, help build Canada, and make sacrifices to support Canada, we should make it easier for them to officially become Canadians… As part of the short-term economic recovery and a plan for long-term growth. Over the long term, the government will use our advantage over immigration to maintain Canada’s competitiveness on the world stage.”

The announcement in the speech intersects with immigration in several other ways.

The Canadian federal government will continue to provide various economic and social supports throughout and beyond the pandemic to help strengthen the country’s standard of living.

This includes income support for individuals and businesses, including targeted support for women. Women have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic and immigrant women are no exception. Although immigrants have performed better economically since the onset of the pandemic, immigrant women still perform worse than immigrant men.

The federal government will also provide more financial support for those looking to buy a home in the country. The rates for homeownership are high among the immigrants moving to Canada, but with housing becoming more expensive across the country, these supports will make homeownership more accessible to Canadians and immigrants.

The Speech from the Throne itself does not go into the details of the implementation of the government’s plans. More details can be found in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new mandate letters to his ministers, which also includes Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino.

Reference is taken from CIC News