New Brunswick has signed a new agreement with the federal Canadian government that will help the province address labour shortages and grow its population.
The agreement supports the province in its goal to help fill labour shortages and grow its population by welcoming more immigrants. An annex to the agreement, “French-Speaking Immigrants,” is the first of its kind. It outlines how Canada and New Brunswick will work together to attract and retain French-speaking immigrants, and bring in more skilled workers.
“I am pleased that Canada and New Brunswick have signed the first Canada-New Brunswick Immigration Agreement, which includes a focus on francophone immigration,” said Canada’s Immigration Minister, Ahmed Hussen. “We anticipate that this agreement will contribute to New Brunswick’s efforts to grow its francophone communities and meet its francophone immigration targets. I look forward to continuing a strong, collaborative relationship with New Brunswick under this new partnership in support of the province’s economic priorities.”
Donald Arseneault, the province’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, also expressed his delight at the agreement.
“I am very pleased to be the first province to have negotiated a francophone immigration annex,” he stated. “Maintaining the unique linguistic makeup of our province is a priority and we believe the annex will ensure both federal and provincial governments apply a francophone immigration lens when developing new programming and policies.”
This agreement will guide the relationship on immigration between Canada and New Brunswick for the next five years. It is the first comprehensive bilateral agreement on immigration between Canada and the province.
The agreement also aligns with the Atlantic Growth Strategy, which included the ongoing Atlantic Immigration Pilot Programme.
Article published 6th April 2017