Meeting of Ministers responsible for Canada Immigration
Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers, responsible for immigration, meet today for the third time since 2002. Their aim and intent for this meeting was to discuss and develop a shared vision of Canada’s future immigration system and to encourage a stronger partnerships not only between Federal and Provincial territories, but also with from cities, communities and employers in all areas of Canada.The Minister announced:
"Today’s realities demand an approach with early input from our immigration partners, stakeholders and non-governmental organizations, as well as much greater levels of involvement and commitment from every corner of this great land,” said Judy Sgro, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. “We’ve made good progress over the last few months. Today we’ve agreed to explore even more innovative and collaborative ways in which we can continue to build an even stronger immigration program for the 21st century."
The ministers agreed to work together on an Immigration Framework for attracting, settling and retaining newcomers in all regions of Canada. The Framework will lay the foundation for a more responsive immigration program, which includes stronger partnerships between federal and provincial/territorial governments, and opportunities for increased participation from cities and communities, large and small, and from employers and others.
A federal-provincial-territorial working group will discuss the proposal for Canada’s Immigration Framework over the coming months. Ministers agreed to meet again in June 2005 to review progress.