Final Report - Robertson Stromberg LLP

Transcription

Final Report
Strategies to Combine Immigration with Agri-value Growth
Photo Source: USDA
Prepared for:
Saskatchewan Agriculture & Food
&
Western Economic Diversification
July, 2006
PREPARED BY:
Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation Inc.;
Ken Ziegler, Robertson Stromberg Pedersen LLP
Final Report
Strategies to Combine Immigration with Agri-value Growth
Prepared for:
Saskatchewan Agriculture & Food
&
Western Economic Diversification
July, 2006
PREPARED BY:
Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation Inc.;
Ken Ziegler, Robertson Stromberg Pedersen LLP
600-105 21st St. E.
Saskatoon, SK S7K 0B3
Tel: (306) 652-7575
Fax: (306) 652-2445
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.thinkrsplaw.com
502 45th Street West
Saskatoon, SK S7L 6H2
Tel: (306) 384-4491
Fax: (306) 244-4497
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.agrivision.ca
Final Report
Strategies to Combine Immigration with Agri-Value Growth
July, 2006
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This project was undertaken with the financial support of Saskatchewan Agriculture & Food,
Western Economic Diversification and the supporting Investors of Saskatchewan Agrivision
Corporation Inc.
Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation Inc. and Ken Ziegler, Robertson Stromberg Pederson would
like to thank all of those who participated directly in this consultation process. Thank you for your
help and your views.
More specifically, we wish to express our appreciation to following members of the the Project
Advisory Group which provided overall guidance to the project workplan:
•
Brian McKinstry - Executive Director, Saskatchewan German Council
•
Elaine Burnett - Immigration Consultant
•
Pat Lorje - Past MLA and Consultant on Immigration
•
Kerney Korchinski - Business Owner
•
Joe Garcea - Professor, University of Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation Inc. & Ken Ziegler, Robertson Stromberg Pederson
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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 4
2.0 Sources of Information………………………………………………………………………. Page 4
3.0 Key Findings…………………………………………………………………………………… Page 5
3.1 Findings from the Literature Review
3.2 Findings from the Immigration and Agriculture Seminar – October 20, 2005
4.0 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 8
5.0 Recommendations…………………………………………………………………………… Page 9
6.0 Literature Review……………………………………………………………………………. Page 14
7.0 Immigration and Agriculture Seminar – Summary of Speakers Notes……………. Page 41
8.0 Appendix: Immigration Profiles………………………………………………………….. Page 53
8.1 City of Winkler – Winkler, MB
8.2 Northern Steel Industries – Tisdale, SK
8.3 Prudhomme Trucking Ltd. – Regina, SK
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1.0
July, 2006
Introduction
Up-to-date and innovative immigration programs and policies can build on Saskatchewan’s
economic strength and cultural vitality. Though a disproportionately high number of immigrants
coming to Canada end up in the major metropolitan centers, immigration remains a crucial
challenge for rural Saskatchewan given the issues faced by rural communities in attracting and
retaining immigrants. Successfully attracting and retaining immigrants can be a key component of
a rural community’s economic development strategy. This report maintains that effective
immigration policies and programs can attract immigrants and investment capital, which will help
sustain and grow rural communities across Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan Agrivision Corporation Inc. (“SAC”) is examining the linkages between immigration,
investment and value-added agriculture. The reason for this is that with one of the highest rates of
out-migration in Canada, particularly youth out-migration, rural Saskatchewan struggles to maintain
an agriculture and commercial business base. This became amply clear during the "Double the
Population" conferences hosted by SAC and the University of Saskatchewan in 2002 and 2003.
Those conferences revealed that although all sectors of the provincial economy (mining, oil & gas,
forestry, knowledge, agrivalue) must contribute to the revitalization of rural Saskatchewan, the
sector with the most potential for growth, expansion and job creation was the value added
agriculture sector, because it is the least developed compared to other Canadian provinces.
Some policy analysts have recently concluded that it will be difficult at best to maintain and grow
rural Saskatchewan unless we first see significant growth in the major centers of Saskatoon and
Regina. In turn, this requires the attraction of people and capital to these major hubs, and this will
come in part from a much expanded and more successful immigration strategy. This report is
designed to provide some insights on issues, options and strategic directions in attracting and
retaining immigrants which can make a contribution to the development of Saskatchewan’s rural
and urban areas.
2.0
Sources of Information
This report is based on information gleaned from three major sources. The first is the Immigration
& Agriculture conference hosted in Saskatoon by SAC on October 20, 2005 to examine the state of
the existing immigration policies and practices in Saskatchewan as compared and contrasted to
those of the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta.
The second major source is a comprehensive literature review for which the principal focus was on
understanding the existing immigration practices and policies in Saskatchewan and other
jurisdictions. That review revealed that there is a shortage of published material linking
immigration policies to attracting people and capital to rural Saskatchewan and the revitalization of
rural economies.
The third major source is the insights of the author and the members of the Project Advisory Group
all of who are aware of issues and options related to the attraction and retention of immigration in
Saskatchewan and elsewhere.
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3.0
July, 2006
Key Findings
The following set of main findings of the project arise from the literature review and the Immigration
and Agriculture Seminar held on October 20, 2005 in Saskatoon.
3.1
Findings From the Literature Review
The literature review of published works on Saskatchewan’s immigration practices, programs and
policies reveals that most of it provides a description of the problems of attracting and retaining
immigrants to the urban and rural areas of the province, rather than with the means by which to do
so. The key findings in that literature can be summarized as follows:
•
Inter-provincial migration has resulted in a net loss of population for Saskatchewan in 25
out of the last 31 years;
•
Saskatchewan has one of the highest rates of youth out-migration in Canada;
•
Saskatchewan attracts much less than its per capita share (allocation) of immigrants;
•
Three quarters (3/4) of immigrants to Saskatchewan end up in either Saskatoon or Regina;
•
In absolute terms, Saskatchewan is the only province in western Canada to experience
decline in rural population. Most other jurisdictions in Canada are experiencing a slight
increase in rural population for a host of reasons;
•
Saskatchewan has an increasing labour shortage, particularly in rural areas. As the baby
boom generation retires, it is imperative that Saskatchewan attracts skilled workers,
management and professionals for business to continue to operate;
•
The pervasive negative Saskatchewan attitude and our failure to correct it impacts the
ability to attract and retain immigrants from other provinces and abroad;
•
To achieve rural population growth, objective strategies must focus on a combination of
business development, retention of rural residents, encouraging inter-provincial and
international immigration and providing support systems for families once landed;
•
Immigration is primarily an urban phenomena. Increasing international immigration into
rural Saskatchewan through community development projects may not succeed against
the appeal of larger centers for most immigrants, unless there is a substantial reason and
effort to do so;
•
In order to attract and retain immigrants the province and Canada (government and the
business community) must have better immigration policies, better immigration recruitment
strategies, better processing systems, better settlement and support services, better
employment and career opportunities, better access to education, training and other
amenities, and a more welcoming community;
•
Caution must be taken when placing some immigrants in rural areas. The need for a
welcoming community, and a support system for immigrants is critical if we wish to retain
immigrants in rural settings;
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•
An opportunity exists to attract more foreign farmers and foreign capital to rural
Saskatchewan. Among some European farming communities there are disincentives for
capital investments in agriculture and other impediments to ongoing investments. Many of
these farm families are looking for settlement alternatives in rural communities abroad and
the vast majority immigrating to Canada have settled in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario
because it is easier;
•
Manitoba, has adopted a much more intentional and aggressive strategy to recruit skilled
workers and business immigrants in recent years. They have demonstrated year-over-year
growth and have successfully increased provincial population 10% (by 100,000 people).
•
Saskatchewan has many existing ethnic and cultural groups, both formal and informal.
These existing groups are a valuable resource when attracting immigrants and should be
empowered to assist and attract new immigrants.
3.2
Findings from the Immigration and Agriculture Seminar – October 20, 2005
The Immigration and Agriculture Seminar hosted by SAC in Saskatoon on October 20, 2005 was
attended by influential people from throughout the province to discuss both immigration policy and
practices in Saskatchewan, and also compare and contrast them with those of Alberta and
Manitoba. Those attending the Seminar represented a broad cross section of rural Saskatchewan,
including industry, local community representatives, government agencies, employer groups and
skilled labour. The conference speakers and delegates discussed various issues and options in
attracting immigrants to the Prairie Provinces and the unique experiences that each province has
had in growing key rural economies through focussed attraction of immigrants and foreign capital.
A summary of the key findings from the Seminar include the following:
•
Immigrants from target markets such as the Netherlands choose jurisdictions like Alberta
and Ontario because of a higher concentration of particular kinds of industry and ethnically
similar communities. In particular, intensive livestock and supply management are areas
more appealing to these immigrants. They also look for off-farm employment opportunities
for spouses who are often professionally educated.
•
Community consensus and commitment must exist for a successful immigration strategy in
both rural regions and urban centers;
•
Immigration must be a non-partisan issue. From a political perspective all political groups
in the province must endorse and actively support immigration initiatives for it to be a
province wide success;
•
Full disclosure must be made to perspective immigrants. Any tendency to over-sell or
misrepresent has devastating effects on program success, retention rates and future
immigration program initiatives;
•
Market Saskatchewan aggressively in target countries! The province does have many of
the attributes immigrants are seeking, but we are failing as good advocates of our own
potential;
•
Improve available settlement services dealing with issues such as housing, language,
employment counselling services within ethnic communities, schooling and health care;
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•
Speed up the accreditation process to the extent possible and encourage professional
associations to improve their foreign credentialing;
•
Recognize that immigration is a long term process and success happens over periods of
time;
•
As with all projects, there will be set backs. Accept that there will be some failures and
plan to work on better policies based on lessons learned;
•
Celebrate and publicize success stories as much as possible to build community support
across the province for the benefits of immigration;
•
Recognize that immigration is a long-term investment that positively affects the economic,
cultural and social future of the province;
•
The prairie region, generally speaking, has been particularly weak in attracting
entrepreneurial immigrants;
•
There must be policies which help to evenly disburse immigration throughout the country
particularly across the rural/urban divide;
•
Immigration is largely an urban phenomenon. Most of the source countries for immigrants
are highly urbanized and many immigrants tend to seek out urban environments. This
works against settlement in rural Saskatchewan but can benefit larger urban hubs;
•
Aggressive use of the education system, particularly Universities, as a recruitment device
leads to more successful immigration experiences. International students make ideal
immigration pools of people able to settle and succeed in Canada;
•
Recognizing that the emerging agriculture economy has many opportunities for
entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, a better job must be done to promote these
opportunities and raise awareness among potential immigrants in order to attract them to
rural settings;
•
Government policy makers and the general public must recognize that immigration is
about bringing in future generations who will develop roots in Saskatchewan. Avoid short
term thinking by focusing only on immigrants who meet or satisfy a particular short-term
employment need;
•
Immigration policy must focus more heavily on retention. Retention rates for immigrants in
Saskatchewan are well below the national average;
•
At a minimum, a significant increase in immigration is critical to maintain the status quo in
Saskatchewan. Attracting capital, skilled workers, professionals, semi-skilled workers,
students, and health care workers is essential to maintain the existing economy as well as
provide the human resources for growth;
•
Immigration will be a key part of the solution to address the critical business succession
issue in rural and urban Saskatchewan, where it is estimated 70% of the successful and
viable businesses will transfer ownership in the next 10 years;
•
Saskatchewan is not well known within Asia, where 80% of new Canadians come from.
The presence of community, good jobs, lifestyle, housing, education, health care are
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critically important to these new Canadians and Saskatchewan does not appear on the
radar screen in any of these countries;
•
Programs that reduce processing times and costs are attractive to perspective immigrants.
Conversely, during long wait periods business opportunities fall through the cracks;
•
If Saskatchewan continues to focus on primary (commodity) agriculture, forestry, mining,
uranium, etc., with little value added manufacturing in any sectors, there will be little to
encourage population growth. Immigration must be linked to expanding business
opportunities;
•
Immigration policy must recognize that First Nations leaders are concerned that new
immigrants take away potential employment opportunities. There is a need for public
awareness. There must also be a clear recognition that immigration is a source of job
creation rather than being a job taker.
4.0
Conclusion
Immigration is very much an urban phenomenon in Canada. While the vast majority of immigrants
to Canada head for the large centres of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, there are some
immigration programs which successfully attract and settle immigrants in smaller centres and the
more rural regions of the country.
There are common features among successful immigration programs in Canada. They require a
variety of immigrant categories within an immigration program, which meet the needs of both the
immigrant and the Province. A strong recruitment and settlement strategy, welcoming communities,
strong settlement and support services, and an entrepreneurial business climate offering both
quality jobs and risk/reward opportunities head a long list of known criteria for any successful
immigration program in Canada. Add to this list communities with world-class education, health
care, telecommunications, security and safety, and good transportation systems, which are key
components of any successful immigration program.
It is a given that Saskatchewan must be competitive in all these areas in order to attract, settle and
retain immigrants. Simply being a nice, comfortable place with friendly people and relatively cheap
land is not enough to get the job done. The province faces world-class competition for immigrants
and investment capital and must offer a competitive immigration program, and equal amenities and
opportunities in order to get a fair share of immigrants coming to Canada.
The Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (“SINP”) has implemented policies and programs
addressing many of the competitive challenges in the immigration marketplace. Positive changes
to the skilled worker category such as: substantial broadening of the employment categories;
revisions to the Student Program allowing foreign students to stay in Saskatchewan following
graduation; the creation of a Family category designed to reunite extended family members; and
the reworking of the business Entrepreneur category all go toward substantive change designed to
make the SINP competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada.
Some believe that rural Saskatchewan is in a terminal death spiral. It is argued that other regions
of the North American Great Plains have emptied out, following a pattern dating back to the 1930’s,
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so it is inevitable that Saskatchewan will follow suit. This position believes it is not realistic to
expect an immigration program can be used to sustain and rebuild rural communities in
Saskatchewan. In the view of this report, this is not necessarily the case.
Saskatchewan has many natural advantages which other regions in the Great Plains of North
America do not enjoy. First and foremost, it is one of the most culturally diverse and innovative
people in all of North America. In a long list of natural resources, Saskatchewan can count access
to the last great untapped water supply on the continent, vast energy reserves including oil and
gas, uranium, wind and solar, and more recently ethanol, as well as minerals, forestry. And the
land base has a capacity to produce world class food products unmatched almost anywhere else in
the world.
Saskatchewan can and must continue to follow an aggressive and innovative immigration policy.
Other provinces in Canada, with fewer resources and opportunities have succeeded with focused
and strategic immigration policies. Saskatchewan can and will do the same.
The recommendations are designed to add to the existing program and create ways and means to
attract more people and investment to Saskatchewan.
5.0
Recommendations
An examination of the relationship between immigration, investment attraction and value-added
agriculture opens up a number of policy recommendations which can in turn form a basis for further
action. The SINP has recently undergone a number of substantive changes designed to make the
provincial immigration program competitive with other similar programs throughout Canada. The
challenge faced is extending the success flowing from these changes beyond the major urban
centres to smaller communities and rural areas in Saskatchewan.
The following recommendations are intended to do just that. These recommendations are not
“nice to do”, but “imperative to do”:
1.
Community Ventures of SINP.
Recommendation: As a highest priority, it is recommended that Saskatchewan Immigration create
a Community Ventures Category of SINP to support community-driven projects where external
capital, international managerial skills and marketing, and the attraction of skilled labor is
necessary for the project to go forward.
There are many community projects proposed throughout the province. Typically, missing from the
project is the necessary capital investment, and access to an overseas market for products or
services produced from the project. Additionally there is a pressing need to access management,
and a skilled labor supply before these projects can be launched.
This category would allow proponents of a community project to involve international investors in
the venture. Some investors may take an active role in the operation of the project either as
management or as a skilled worker, but in most cases the investors would place capital in the
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project in return for shares in the Venture and permanent residence status granted through the
SINP.
The community category would apply to ventures such as slaughter plants, hog barns, food
processing facilities, manufacturing plants, ethanol plants and other community value-add ventures
of a like nature. There is a large pool of international investment capital that can be made to work
in a productive and innovative way for Saskatchewan communities. The criteria needs to be
developed for this category but would include:
• the project must have the support of the local community. The project can be either a
private or a co-operative venture
• the project must be designed to keep an existing industry in a local community, or serve to
expand an existing industry in the community
• alternatively, the project must be designed to bring a new industry to the community and
province
• several communities can join together as joint proponents of a project for the region
• overall, the project has to create meaningful employment so that people can stay in local
communities
• additionally, the project should attract skilled workers, managers and other expertise from
overseas to work in the project
• in return for a capital investment in the project, the international investor will receive a
share interest in the Venture, and permanent resident nomination by SINP
• the Venture will have the right, over time, to purchase the share interest from the investor
2.
Saskatchewan Desk
Recommendation: Set up a Saskatchewan Desk in International Canadian Offices. It is imperative
that Saskatchewan Immigration have a high profile presence in all International Canadian Offices
with a Saskatchewan Desk in key locations. The intent is to promote Saskatchewan immigration
through a presence in the target country, to serve as a point of contact to facilitate the attraction
and settlement of immigrants to Saskatchewan, and to give priority status to immigrants coming to
Saskatchewan.
In various countries throughout the world, people involved in agriculture are on the move.
Examples include Holland, Germany, United Kingdom and Ireland. The disincentives to capital
investments in agriculture, and other ongoing impediments to doing business in many of these
places has frustrated people involved in agri-business, and they will move. The question is where
they will go. A targeted approach in these countries through the use of a Saskatchewan Desk will
serve as a point of first contact, and will also help stream immigrants to SINP. Additionally, the
Saskatchewan Desk can serve as a local advisor to immigrants through the application process.
Priority processing must be granted to immigrants once they have been nominated by
Saskatchewan under SINP. The Saskatchewan Desk can serve as liaison and facilitator within the
Embassy to stream and prioritize provincially nominated candidates. The SINP must have a
significant competitive advantage within the target countries with priority processing of immigrants
destined for Saskatchewan.
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3.
July, 2006
Processing of Applications under SINP
Recommendation: Set the standard for the fastest processing times in Canada and have this
advantage promoted. Improve processing times for applications in all categories of SINP quicker
than any other provincial nominee programs in Canada.
Recent changes to the operations and administration of the SINP are designed to significantly
improve the turn around time for applications under the provincial nominee program. None the
less, Saskatchewan needs to dramatically improve upon processing times in order to be
competitive with other jurisdictions in Canada. Beyond all other factors, a favorable answer to ‘how
quick’ will attract the interest of a large number of immigration consultants and their clients. Setting
the Canadian standard will ensure Saskatchewan receives its fair share of immigrants
4.
Foreign Ownership of Saskatchewan Farmland
Recommendation: Without question, Saskatchewan must amend the Farmland Security Act to
permit foreign ownership of farmland.
The most recent amendments to the foreign ownership laws in Saskatchewan involved a debate
over amending the rules to allow non Saskatchewan residents to purchase and own Saskatchewan
farmland, and also involved a debate over amending the rules to allow non Canadian residents to
purchase and own Saskatchewan farmland. The changes to the Act did not allow for foreign
ownership of Saskatchewan farmland. A prospective investor must be able to locate a suitable
piece of land and be in a position to close the deal before he/she proceeds with the nomination
process.
The myopic public policy which effectively excludes foreign ownership of farmland results in a
severe opportunity loss for Saskatchewan. The message to international investors is that they are
not welcomed in Saskatchewan. Farmers, agri-business and investors from a number of counties
throughout the world including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Holland, Germany among others are
on the move and looking for jurisdictions where they can invest capital, acquire land holdings and
set up business operations. An open and free market will attract investors from foreign countries.
5.
Regional Immigration
Recommendation: Saskatchewan should establish a regional immigration strategy together with
the provinces of Manitoba and Alberta.
In the race to attract immigrants, Saskatchewan has been losing to Manitoba and Alberta.
Saskatchewan must adopt policies competitive with Manitoba and Alberta and/or partner with them
on specific immigration strategies. But in the larger scheme of things, the western region as a
whole has been losing out to the major urban centres of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.
Competition among the provinces for their fair share of immigrants has been fierce at times, and
while some provinces have been relatively successful in attracting immigrants to this point, it will be
a challenge for the smaller markets to remain competitive going forward. In the smaller markets, it
will be an uphill battle if provinces continue to work independently of each other.
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A western regional immigration strategy will raise an awareness among immigrants that there are
places for them to settle in Canada other than Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. Saskatchewan
can be very competitive within the western region and will benefit greatly from a better awareness
of the entire region among potential immigrants.
6.
Municipal Immigration
Recommendation: Municipalities must be on record with Saskatchewan Immigration with specific
immigrant requirements and with established programs to receive new entrants
As a general rule, the major urban centres and the surrounding districts are the engines of growth
for Saskatchewan. The specific needs for these communities, whether skilled workers, business
entrepreneurs, health care workers, students or farmers are best known by them. If we empower
these urban centres, they can work to target, attract and settle immigrants who will meet the
specific needs of the community.
7.
Work with Immigration Consultants
Recommendation: Saskatchewan should adopt a policy to work with private sector immigration
consultants in advancing the goals of SINP.
In many cases, immigration consultants control where people move, and where their capital is
invested. It is the nature of the business that immigration consultants send their clients, our new
immigrants, to provinces where they are welcomed and accepted by the provincial nominee
program, and where they are paid for the services they provide. The success enjoyed by both
Alberta and Manitoba has in large part resulted from the work of these agents. Whether it is
German immigrants moving into southern Manitoba, or Dutch immigrants moving into central
Alberta, the common feature is an immigration consultant directing their clients and the client's
investment to a pro-immigration consultant program.
8. Relocating Immigrants from within Canada
Recommendation: Saskatchewan should adopt a strategy to attract recent immigrants from other
regions of Canada to the province.
The Wide Open Future campaign, or a similar public awareness tool, should be used to attract
recent immigrants from other parts of Canada to Saskatchewan. Recent immigrants to Canada
who have settled in the highly populated areas of Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver find that the
high cost of living, quality of life, the job opportunities, availability of affordable housing and
business investments are not easy to come by. Relocating to Saskatchewan opens the door for
many opportunities for these people. Farm owners, skilled workers, business entrepreneurs,
health care workers and students would relocate and settle in Saskatchewan if they knew of the
opportunities here and the campaign encouraged them to come.
Immigrants to Canada come seeking a better way of life for themselves and their families. The
ability to reunite the family is a primary focus of most immigrants in Canada. The family category of
SINP gives Saskatchewan a competitive advantage over many other provinces. Targeting specific
groups of recent arrivals to Canada can be an effective way to achieve this goal. For example,
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Vancouver continues to attract significant numbers of immigrants from Asia. Once settled in
Vancouver, these immigrants would like to reunite their family but without a program category
similar to the family category in Saskatchewan, they are severely restricted in their ability to do so.
By relocating to Saskatchewan, establishing residence here and then either taking up employment
or starting a business these immigrants can enjoy the benefits of this program and bring their
extended family to join them in Saskatchewan.
9. Foreign Students
Recommend: Focus on Attracting Foreign Students to Saskatchewan
Many schools throughout Saskatchewan are suffering from low student enrollments. Looking
forward, student numbers will continue to slide in many school districts. Unless we see settlement
of younger families in many of the school districts, the trend lines are clear. Inevitably, this will lead
to school closures and amalgamations in smaller towns and communities throughout the province.
The effects of this downturn in student numbers will not rest solely with the local school districts.
The lower numbers of students graduating from high schools throughout the province has a direct
impact on the performance of our post secondary institutions in Saskatchewan. The University of
Saskatchewan and the University of Regina have already recognized the need to attract
international students in order to maintain a critical mass of students.
School Districts suffering lower student numbers should seek out and attract international students
at the Grade 10 to Grade 12 level. This is a rapidly growing opportunity, which rural Saskatchewan
could capitalize. Upon graduation, these international students can attend University, SIAST or
other trade schools in the province. These students can obtain permanent resident status in
Saskatchewan by working here, or starting a new business
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6.0 Literature Review
Introduction
For purposes of this project, literature which highlights innovative immigration programs and
practices developed in or targeting rural areas have been sought. There are various sources of
information including conference material, governmental releases, newspaper articles, and books.
From these materials, a lot of statistics have been generated. The emphasis is either on
increasing immigration to Saskatchewan in general or increasing the population in rural
Saskatchewan.
Most of the literature on immigration and rural Saskatchewan addresses the lack of it and the
reasons for the lack as opposed to solutions to this growing concern. The literature which speaks
directly to the issue in any detail is sparse.
There seems to be universal recognition that these problems need to be addressed as soon as
possible however, there do not seem to be a lot of solutions on how to do so. Those few solutions
exist in an isolated fashion with little set recourse to information sharing and collaboration to learn
from them.
Sources
The most useful sources of information on attracting immigrants to rural Saskatchewan are the
summaries of recent conferences held in the province. These conferences were attended by
scholars, representatives from various government industries, rural communities, and occasionally,
immigrants themselves. All the conference material has been located on various websites. As
such, one can only wonder how many conferences in the past with relevant material have taken
place that either was not posted on the internet or whose past sites have since been removed.
Another significant source is government releases on various government websites, both federal
and provincial. A lot of these publications have been generated in response to Saskatchewan's
centennial year. The majority of the research is very recent as it is internet based,
Other sources include articles in newspapers such as The Western Producer and a few
publications of the Canadian Plains Research Centre (CPRC) which briefly addressed the issue of
successfully attracting and retaining immigrant to rural communities in Saskatchewan.
Generally, there is not much material which that specifically addressed the crux of attracting
immigrants to rural Saskatchewan. Usually, it would be briefly mentioned alongside the interest of
increasing immigrants to Saskatchewan in general or within an article geared towards increasing
the general population in rural Saskatchewan. Unlike Manitoba, the issue does not appear to have
been specifically addressed at length in or for Saskatchewan.
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Statistical Analysis by Liisa Cormode and Maria-Laura Basualdo
Numerous statistics are available regarding the recent struggles Saskatchewan is facing with
respect to the decreasing population in Saskatchewan be it from the lack of immigration or interprovincial migration. Liisa Cormode, Ph.D. and Maria-Laura Basualdo, M.A. presented the
following statistics:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Inter-provincial migration has resulted in a net loss of population in 25 out of the last 31
years and is the basic reason why the province’s population hasn’t grown. The loss of
population because of migration is also an issue in several other provinces including
Newfoundland, Quebec, and more recently, B.C.
In terms of their age structure, Saskatchewan’s inter-provincial in-migrants and outmigrants are similar to those in other provinces – many are youth but overall trends in
inter-provincial migration are mirrored in each of the age groups. Saskatchewan has one of
the highest rates of youth out-migration in Canada.
Alberta is the destination for an ever-increasing proportion of out-migrants from
Saskatchewan, accounting for 60% in the most recent year. It is also the single largest
source for in-migrants, accounting for 50% in the most recent year.
In migrants from the Atlantic provinces and Alberta tend to be in their late twenties and
early thirties. Out migrants to Alberta, B.C. and the North tend to be in their twenties.
Saskatchewan attracts very few international migrants; those who come tend to be
younger than the province’s current residents.
Nine out of ten recent immigrants originally destined for Saskatchewan come from three
immigration groups with approximately the same frequency – skilled workers, family class,
and refugees.
On a net basis, Saskatchewan retains just over one half (57%) of immigrants who
originally come to the province, one of the lowest rates in Canada.
18% of Canadian residents are immigrants compared with 5% of Saskatchewan residents.
One in four immigrants living in Saskatchewan came to Canada after 1990; the majority
(56%) came after 1970.
Recent immigrants are more likely to come from Asian countries – 42% do so – than their
earlier counterparts. Among Saskatchewan residents who immigrated to Canada before
1961, 87% came from Europe.
More than one half of recent immigrants are members of a visible minority group.
71% of recent immigrants are in the 20 to 59 age group (compared with 52% of nonimmigrants). 52% are women.
Although 71% of recent immigrants report a language other than English as their mother
tongue and 61% use a language other than English at home, 95% can speak English well
enough to carry on a conversation.
Recent immigrants are, compared with non-immigrants or those who came to Canada
before 1981, more likely to report a non-Christian religious affiliation or no religious
affiliation at all.
Recent immigrants in the 15 to 24 age group are more likely to be going to school – 68%
did so in the 2000-2001 academic year – than non-immigrants.
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•
•
•
•
July, 2006
Completed education levels among immigrants, particularly those who immigrated after
1961, are much higher than among non-immigrants. More than one quarter have a
university degree.
Recent immigrants with a post-secondary education tend to have degrees, diplomas, or
certificates in the physical sciences including engineering. They are less likely than nonimmigrants to have one in commerce, business administration, or in the trades.
Recent immigrants, particularly men, are more likely to be employed than non-immigrants
although the rate of employment is not as high as one would have expected given their
high levels of education and relative youth. Those who migrated from 1961 to 1980 have a
very high attachment to the labour force, however, with 60% working full-time throughout
2000.
Employment income among recent immigrants tends to be low, partly because
employment for women is concentrated in low paying industries. Nevertheless, a much
lower proportion of their income (11% in 2000) comes from government transfers than for
the non-immigrant population (14%). Many of these women will be refugees.
Three quarters (74%) of recent immigrants live in Regina and Saskatoon. Larger centres
tend to have a higher proportion of recent immigrants than smaller ones although Prince
Albert and Yorkton have relatively few immigrants, given their size, and Swift Current has a
relatively high proportion.1
Analysis by Pavel Peykov
Pavel Peykov explores population and immigration dynamics in his 2005 publication produced for
SIPP. Therein he notes that Saskatchewan has the highest proportion of children (0-14 years of
age) and seniors (65+ years of age) of all Canadian provinces). He also notes that:
Between 1997 and 2002, a total of 8,565 immigrants settled in the province.
Skilled workers, family class, and refugees are the predominant majority of
immigrants in the province. Refugees are the most numerous group, accounting
for 34 per cent of the total immigrant population, while skilled workers represent 33
per cent of the total, and family class immigrants account for 24 per cent. The
remaining group comprised business persons, provincial nominees and ‘other’
immigrants. Unfortunately, Saskatchewan does not seem to be a preferred
destination for immigrants, especially among skilled workers. The province
accounts for 3.2 per cent of the total Canadian population, yet it receives less than
1 per cent of the immigrants to the country. Saskatchewan also has one of the
lowest immigrant retention rates in Canada. Fifty seven per cent of all who
immigrated between 1991 and 2001 still resided in Saskatchewan in 2001,
compared to the national average retention rate of 82 per cent.
… the number of immigrants to Saskatchewan, as a percentage of the total
population in the province, has been steadily declining over the last century. In
Liisa Cormode, Ph.D. and Maria-Laura Basualdo, M.A., Destination Saskatchewan: Increasing Attraction and
Retention of Inter-Provincial Migrants, Executive Summary appended to Open Up Saskatchewan, Report on
International Immigration and Inter-Provincial In -Migration Initiatives to Increase the Population of the Province of
Saskatchewan, September 2003 available at http:// www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/ 2003/09/30-729-attachment.pdf
1
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Final Report
July, 2006
2001, immigrants made up 5 per cent of the Saskatchewan population, which is
well below the national average of 18 per cent. In contrast, in 1930, they were
approximately 35 per cent of the Saskatchewan population, which was much
higher than the national average of 22 per cent. (page 2)2
The demographic changes in the prairies have been documented by John Allan:
[Saskatchewan] has both the highest provincial percentage of its population under
twenty (29%) and the highest provincial percentage aged 65 and over (15%). It
also has the lowest percentage of population in the core labour-force-participation
years 20-64 (56%). This has profound fiscal implications. Moreover, the
province’s labour force is Canada’s oldest, with the proportion aged 55 and over
being 29% higher than for that for the whole country. Clearly, the challenge of
financing the health, educational and social expenditures required by this age
distribution is, and will continue to be, particularly daunting. 3
John Allan also considers how these demographic changes in Saskatchewan compare with
Manitoba and Alberta:
Both immigration and inter-provincial migration have contributed to a widening of
the demographic differences between Saskatchewan and Manitoba on the one
hand, and Alberta on the other. With respect to immigration, none of the Prairie
provinces attracted a share of immigrants in the 1990s commensurate with their
shares of the total Canadian population. Nonetheless, Alberta did gain some
130,000 immigrants, four times as many as Manitoba and almost ten times as
many as Saskatchewan. Thus, immigration has widened the population gap
between Alberta and its neighbours, relatively and absolutely.
Interprovincial migration has a similar effect, with both Saskatchewan and
Manitoba losing population to Alberta. Indeed, more than half of Saskatchewan’s
out-migrants moved next-door to Alberta. More than 43% were young people
aged 15-29, precisely the people that a province with the nation’s oldest labour
force can least afford to lose. Alberta’s quinquennial net gain from interprovincial
migration was almost 120,000. This was the largest such gain, both relatively and
absolutely, in the country. Moreover, 57% of this net gain comprised people not
yet thirty. In contrast, Saskatchewan’s net loss of 24,900 represented 2.7% of its
population aged five and over, and, in relative terms, was second only to that of
Newfoundland and Labrador. With a net loss of 1.8%, Manitoba had the third
largest migratory loss among the provinces.
While both of the Saskatchewan CMAs experienced net population losses as a
result of internal migration, it is interesting that, in both cases, half or more of the
people who were attracted to the cities moved from the smaller towns and rural
Pavel Peykov Attracting Immigrants to Saskatchewan . Final Destination or a Stopover? SIPP Briefing Note (The
Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy: Issue 7, May 2004 available at http://
www.uregina.ca/sipp/sipp_briefing_papers.html
3 John R. Allan, Demographic Change: A Prairie Perspective. Presented as part of the CRIC Papers: A Changing
People: Being Canadian in a New Century by Centre for Research and Information on Canada, April 2003. 11-12.
available at http://www.uregina.ca/sipp/special_articles_papers.html
2
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July, 2006
areas of the province. This continued an established trend that, since the census
of 1981, has seen rural municipalities (“RMs”) lose more than a quarter of their
population, and most of the smaller centres at least 10%. Since a substantial part
of these decreases is attributable to a declining rate of natural increase and the
loss of younger age groups to the urban centres, the population that remains in
the small communities and rural areas is disproportionately older, giving rise to a
variety of inter-related policy problems. 4
Clearly, there is no shortage of statistics for the troubles faced by Saskatchewan when it comes to
immigration and interprovincial migration. Rural communities, as indicated above, are more
susceptible to this population decline. This is evidenced in the Rural and Small Town Canada
Analysis Bulletin which follow.
Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins
Statistics Canada publishes Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins on its website from
time to time. The following general statistics have been generated.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
In 1996, 31.4 percent of Canada’s population lived in predominantly rural regions.
Each Atlantic Province, Saskatchewan and the Yukon and Northwest Territories have
more than 50 percent of their population living in predominantly rural regions.
Rural metro-adjacent regions are the fastest growing rural regions. These regions
represent one-half of the population in predominantly rural regions.
Predominantly rural regions in Newfoundland and Saskatchewan show continuous
population decline.
Net migration is strongest toward rural metro-adjacent regions.5
Rural and small town regions of Canada experienced net in-migration between
1971 and 1981, net out-migration between 1981 and 1991, and net in-migration
again between 1991 and 1996.
In rural and small town Canada, in-migration exceeds out-migration in all age
classes from 25 to 69 years of age.
At the provincial level, rural and small town regions of British Columbia, Alberta
and Ontario have net in-migration. Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and
Newfoundland and Labrador have net out-migration. Migration has little overall
effect on the rural and small town populations of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
Island and New Brunswick.
Within rural and small town Canada, there is an association between higher
educational attainment and increased mobility.6
John R. Allan, Demographic Change: A Prairie Perspective Presented as part of the CRIC Papers: A Changing
People: Being Canadian in a New Century by Centre for Research and Information on Canada, April 2003. 11-12.
available at http://www.uregina.ca/sipp/special_articles_papers.html
5 Roland Beshiri and Ray D. Bollman, Population Structure and Change in Predominantly Rural Regions, Rural and
Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins Statistics Canada Vol. 2, No. 2 (January 2001) available at http://
www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/ english/bsolc?catno=21-006-X&CHROPG=1 - 69k 6 Neil Rothwell, Ray D. Bollman, Juno Tremblay and Jeff Marshall, Migration to and From Rural and Small Town
Canada Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins Statistics Canada Vol. 3, No. 6 (March 2002) available at
http:// www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/ english/bsolc?catno=21-006-X&CHROPG=1 - 69k 4
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Final Report
July, 2006
•
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Immigrants tend to prefer urban to rural: in 1996, they made up 27 percent
of the population in predominantly urban regions, compared with 6 percent
of the population in predominantly rural regions.
•
Recent and new immigrant groups intensified this urban trend: those who
arrived between 1981 and 1996 made up only 2 percent of the
predominantly rural region population, but 13 percent of the predominantly
urban region population.
•
In predominantly rural regions, immigrants had a higher level of education,
compared with the Canadian-born: a lower proportion had less than a high
school diploma and a higher percentage were university graduates.
•
In predominantly rural regions, immigrants who arrived before 1981, when
compared to the Canadian-born,
o had a higher employment rate,
o were more likely to work in professional services, and
o had higher employment incomes
•
In predominantly rural regions, recent and new immigrants (who have
arrived since 1981), when compared to the Canadian-born,
o had a lower employment rate,
o were more likely to work in sales and services, and
o had lower employment incomes.
•
Immigrants in the rural northern regions had more favorable socioeconomic profiles than in other regions.7
Predominantly rural regions attracted about 12,000 immigrants in each of 2001
and 2002, down from a recent peak of 23,000 in 1993.
When census divisions are ranked in terms of the share of their population who
are new immigrants, 9 of the top 30 were predominantly rural regions (4 in
Manitoba, 3 in Alberta and 2 in British Columbia).
New immigrants in all types of regions are much more likely to have a university
degree.
New immigrants in all types of regions report lower earnings.
In rural non-metro-adjacent regions, one-quarter of the new immigrants are
working in primary sector occupations.
Immigrants in rural northern regions are more educated and report higher
earnings and higher employment rates.8
The above bulletins, however, do not focus specifically on Saskatchewan.
Roland Beshiri and Emily Alfred, Immigrants in Rural Canada Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins
Statistics Canada Vol. 4, No. 2 (December 2002) available at http:// www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/
english/bsolc?catno=21-006-X&CHROPG=1 - 69k -
7
8 Roland Beshiri Immigrants in Rural Canada: 2001 update Rural and Small Town Canada Analysis Bulletins Statistics
Canada Vol. 5, No. 4 (June 2004) available at http:// www.statcan.ca:8096/bsolc/ english/bsolc?catno=21-006X&CHROPG=1 - 69k -
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Final Report
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Canada West Foundation Publication
In June 2003 the Canada West Foundation released The Rural West: Diversity and Dilemma, a
study that looked at the relevant data on western rural issues in an attempt to further our
understanding of the myths and realities of this region. The report is based primarily on Statistics
Canada data obtained by Canada West Foundation. A summary of the findings are as follows:
• Across the West, the rural population has increased by 3% over the past 50 years and by
1% over the past 20. Only Saskatchewan has witnessed an absolute decline in rural
population.
• Urban population growth in western Canada has significantly outpaced rural growth.
Between 1971 and 2001, the proportion of the western population which lives in rural
areas decreased from 29.7% to 20.4%.
• The current migration trends demonstrate that across the West increasingly more people
are moving to the rural areas on the fringe of cities. These metro-adjacent rural areas
have grown 24% from 1981 to 2001.
• Young people between the ages of 15 and 24 accounted for most of the net loss in rural
migration across the West for the period 1991-1996. For persons of working age (25-65),
each of the rural western provinces actually gained residents through migration.
• Rural income disparities between the provinces are rather large. In 2000, the average
total rural income in BC was $50,984, followed by Alberta at $49,387—more than $8,000
(15%) above total rural incomes in Saskatchewan ($41,353) and Manitoba ($40,736). The
Manitoba and Saskatchewan totals are also below the national rural average of nearly
$46,000.
• Nearly two-thirds of employed persons in the rural West (64%) are employed in servicerelated positions. The rural region has responded well to the need to retool itself in a
service driven economy as changing employment trends have brought growth industries of
trade, health care, manufacturing and tourism to greater prominence in the area.
• Rural household expenditures are less in absolute terms than are urban household
expenditures. In British Columbia, expenditures by rural households are only 87% of those
in urban households; 80% for Alberta, 75% for Saskatchewan, and 89% for Manitoba.
• Rural residents are somewhat more likely to identify with their local community and
province than are urban residents who, in turn, are more likely to identify with broader
political communities—Canada, North America and the world.
• The attitudinal differences between urban and rural residents are not particularly
pronounced. By and large, urban and rural western Canadians live within a common
media environment and both have been shaped by common educational curriculum and
experiences. The rural and urban worlds in western Canada co-mingle in so many
respects that the cultural distinctions are not great. 9
9 Jason J. Azmier, Liam Stone. The Rural West: Diveristy and Dilemma June 2003, Canada West Foundation
available at http://www.cwf.ca/abcalcwf/doc.nsf/Publications?ReadForm&id=C97D5293703250BD87256D400056
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Rural Canada: Moving Forward or Left Behind Conference November 2001
"Rural Canada: Moving Forward or Left Behind?" was a Conference held by the Saskatchewan
Institute of Public Policy ("SIPP") on November 22-24, 2001. The conference sought to examine
the current challenges facing rural Canada in an increasingly urbanized country and globalized
economy. It examined the contemporary challenges facing rural Canada and explored strategies
employed by rural communities to respond to them.
Dr. Michael Rushton presented the paper "Economics, Equity, and Urban-Rural Transfers" wherein
he concludes as follow:
Rural Canada: Moving Forward or Left Behind? The question is wrong.
It is the welfare of Canadians that matters, not the level of economic activity in a
particular place. When we analyze policies affecting the welfare of Canadians, we
do so by looking at whether policies are increasing the total wealth of the nation,
and at how the total is distributed, with particular attention to those at the bottom of
the income scale.
When policies are directed at trying to increase economic activity in one place at
the expense of another, such as efforts to “revitalize” the rural economy, we lower
the total wealth of the nation, and adopt what is an ineffective way to increase the
economic opportunities of the worst off. In no way should all this be taken to mean
that we should take active government measures to hasten rural-urban migration.
What it does mean is that so far as possible government current spending,
investment, and taxation should be neutral across regions and industry, providing
public infrastructure where its economic value is highest, and redistributing income
on the basis of individual circumstances, not on whether a family lives on a farm or
in a small town.
People currently living in rural areas are only as rich as they are because of past
out-migration. Our income per person would be tremendously lower if we had the
same distribution of population now as sixty years ago. The high standard of living
Canadians enjoy is the result of living in a dynamic, not static, economy. We
cannot simultaneously say that we want to maintain strong economic growth and
keep our rural areas looking just the way they always have. Romanticized notions
of the goodness of rural life are no escape from the real works of economic
growth, and should have no place in government budgetary policy. (pages 15-16)
10
Though Dr. Rushton presents an interesting analysis, it does not discuss the role of immigration for
the development needs of rural Saskatchewan. A similar omission is evident in the remarks to that
same conference in which Ralph Goodale, the senior federal cabinet minister from Saskatchewan
10 Michael Rushton , Economics, Equity and Urban-rural Transfers SIPP Public Policy Paper No. 7"Rural Canada:
Moving Forward or Left Behind?" Conference, Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy on November 22-24,
2001available at http://www.uregina.ca/sipp/documents/pdf/rushton.pdf.
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Final Report
July, 2006
at the time, noted that the solutions and strategies for growth and sustainability come from rural
people themselves. However, immigration was not mentioned as a potential solution.11
Clearly, more economic analysis and political consciousness raising is required regarding the link
between immigration and sustainable rural development.
Action Committee on the Rural Economy March 2002
In the Final Report of the Action Committee on the Rural Economy (ACRE) that was submitted to
the Government of Saskatchewan in March 2002, the following observations were made:
The negativity about rural Saskatchewan is just as harmful to the world beyond
rural Saskatchewan…The view that rural Saskatchewan is in terminal decline,
does not make it an attractive place for new immigrants, whether they are from
urban Saskatchewan, outside the province or outside the country. Why would
some new potential immigrant move to rural Saskatchewan, buy a house and set
up a business when they are told that it “is in a death spiral?” The same is true of
outside investment, why would someone want to invest in a project when all a
person hears is doom and gloom?12
The attitudes about rural Saskatchewan clearly need to change. Such a change ought to begin
within the people of the province themselves.
A key recommendation in the report was that the Government of Saskatchewan should devote
more resources to immigration concentrating on ensuring that the Provincial Nominee Program
(PNP) (as it then was, now the SINP) is fully utilized with a more aggressive marketing approach
and making the PNP a permanent agreement and negotiate with the federal government to
increase the number of nominees (as the province feels necessary) under a future PNP.
Specifically the Government of Saskatchewan should ensure that the needs of the agricultural and
rural sectors be taken into account as the province considers broadening the scope of skills it will
consider under the PNP. It is recommended that the Government of Saskatchewan discuss with
the federal government a Federal/Saskatchewan agreement on migrant workers similar to
agreements with other provinces.
The report considers the changing market place and attempts to use immigration as a way to
facilitate the evolving marketplace.
The transition to new crops, new markets and new strategies requires new skills,
capital, information and a willingness to change. Given this situation, it will be
necessary to consider all options to enable existing producers to change their
management practices and to attract the right people with the right skills to lead
change.
11Ralph Goodale, PC, MP Notes for Remarks from Rural Canada: Moving Forward or Left Behind? Conference,
Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy on November 22-24, 2001 available at http:// www.nrcan.gc.ca/media/
archives/speeches/2001/200184_e.htm
12 Final Report of the Action Committee on the Rural Economy (ACRE), submitted to the Government of Saskatchewan
in March 2002 available at: http://www.rd.gov.sk.ca/acre/CommunityEvolution.pdf
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July, 2006
Recent news stories indicate that many farmers from other nations, who are facing
restrictions on their farming operations, are looking at Saskatchewan and the
prairie region as an opportunity to relocate their farming operations.
Immigration could be utilized to bring producers into the province that have
experience in growing products which take full advantage of irrigation
opportunities.
The government should make a concerted effort to attract immigrant farmers and
farm workers to rural Saskatchewan.
To achieve the rural population growth objectives, it is recommended that
strategies focused on retention of rural residents, encouragement for interprovincial in-migration, international immigration and support for families be
considered as elements in this plan.13
Finally, the report proposes that that farmers and agriculture workers be considered as a priority
and that potential partnerships be developed with First Nations for the utilization of labour and
Treaty Lands as well as provincial farm lands.14
Canada West Foundation
Based on the previously mentioned statistics in the Canada West Foundation study of June 2003,
the authors articulated the following policy implications:
• It is difficult to make sweeping generalizations or judgments on the rural West as
a whole. There is no “one size fits all” policy solution for the West, and the issue
may be as complicated as requiring a community by community solution.
• The lines between the urban and rural Wests are increasingly blurred. Rural
residents are often entangled in the urban economy, and urban residents are
episodically part of the rural West through their recreational and business
pursuits. While we all live predominantly in one form of community or another,
urban or rural, few of us live exclusively in one.
• Documenting the existence of an urban-rural gap, or even rural-rural gaps, is not
a call for governments to “close the gap.” Some of those gaps may be beyond
the reach of public policy, reflecting as they do a transformation of western
industrial states that has been going on for centuries.
• The economic pressures on rural communities cannot be automatically equated
with economic hardship. Even though a great deal of contemporary policy work
identifies urban centres as the drivers of the new knowledge-based economy, in
many respects rural communities are doing quite well.
Final Report of the Action Committee on the Rural Economy (ACRE), submitted to the Government of Saskatchewan
14 Final Report of the Action Committee on the Rural Economy (ACRE), submitted to the Government of Saskatchewan
13
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A multitude of reasons remain to pull immigrants and young persons towards the
cities that won't easily be overcome by policy. Increasing the flow of
international immigration into the rural West through community development
projects may not succeed against a city's appeal to the urban backgrounds of
most immigrants, and the strength of ethnic communities in the West’s major
urban centres.
The rural West is already considerably diversified; economic development
strategies need to be more sophisticated than merely bringing new industry to
the West The rural West lacks the human capital and industrial infrastructure to
accommodate many types of economic activity and new development needs to
recognize these limitations. While there may be pockets of ready labour in
some rural regions, it is not reasonable to believe that this labour pool can plug
into any project with the same levels of success. 15
The struggles faced by Saskatchewan, be it the lack of immigration or the consistent out-migration,
require a solution tailored specifically to meet Saskatchewan's needs.
Presentations to the Double the Population Conference in 2003
The University of Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan Agrivision co-hosted the “Innovation
Saskatchewan: Double the Population” conference on June 5 -6, 2003 at the U of S. Some of the
speakers and facilitators who focused on important aspects of the relationship between the
population needs of Saskatchewan and immigration were Dr. Graham Parsons, Dr. Joseph Garcea
and Ken Ziegler.
Dr. Parsons presented the key points in the “Double the Population” paper which focused on
population trends, immigration and Saskatchewan’s competitive advantage and research capacity.
In his presentation he noted that Saskatchewan’s population trends in Saskatchewan as compared
to Manitoba and Alberta. He also noted that Saskatchewan was experiencing labour market
shortages, an increasingly aging population, an increase in the number of Aboriginal youths in the
population, and the fact that the urban areas of Saskatchewan are growing significantly largely at
the expense of rural areas.
The author makes the following observations and recommendations with respect to immigration:
Saskatchewan was once the recipient of significant shares of the national streams
of foreign immigration. This is no longer the case. In addition domestic outmigration has contributed to the loss of skilled workers, leaders, incomes and
capital from the province.
Human Resources Development Canada (HDRC) reports that over 40,000
immigrant farmers came to Canada between 1998 and 2002. Of these, only three
percent came to Saskatchewan. Why so few when the farming opportunities are
15 Jason J. Azmier, Liam Stone. The Rural West: Diversity and Dilemma June 2003, Canada West Foundation
available at http://www.cwf.ca/abcalcwf/doc.nsf/Publications?ReadForm&id=C97D5293703250BD87256D400056
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so large with a retiring group of farmers? Land legislation with foreign ownership
restraints play a factor as do lack of knowledge, assistance and perceived
environment for wealth accumulation and retention.
Around the world there is a growing competition to both attract and, equally
important, retain immigrants. As populations age special incentives, language
training and nurturing are being provided for immigrants. In Saskatchewan this
special attention is seen most clearly in provincial attempts to attract and retain
doctors for the health care system.
Doctors, however, are one small element in the labour market and the tip of a
labour market shortage that within a very few years will have created shortages
throughout western economies and in many sectors. Saskatchewan must face this
reality and immigration policy, domestic and international, must become a priority
for attention simply to compete with other jurisdictions, maintain the status quo and
grow.
The results can be significant. Manitoba has created a Manitoba Immigration
Council of business leaders with the objective of attracting 10,000 immigrants a
year to the province. Early experience with their program suggests that once
attracted they are able to keep 80% of their immigrants within the province.16
The author suggests a planning partnership should also be created to double Saskatchewan’s
population because a new planning framework is needed. The author finishes by suggesting that
the status quo has not worked for many years and is now clearly threatening the fiscal position of
the province but also the foundations of the society in Saskatchewan and, as such, it is time to
adopt new models for the province.
16 Dr. Graham Parsons, Double the Population Double the Population Conference: June 5 & 6, 2003, Place Riel
Theatre, Arts Building, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon available at
http://www.agrivision.ca/innovation2003.htm
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July, 2006
Dr. Joseph Garcea’s presentation to the conference focused directly on the relationship between
immigration and population. He suggested the following six means for attracting and retaining
immigrants at the conference. Although his suggestions do not specifically pertain to immigrating to
rural Saskatchewan, many of his suggestions can be applied to rural Saskatchewan.
1. Better Immigration Policy
Improve the provincial immigration policy.
Adopt and implement a more purposeful and proactive provincial immigration policy.
2. Better Immigration Recruitment Strategy
Improve the provincial immigration recruitment strategy.
Establish a more purposeful and proactive provincial immigrant and refugee
recruitment strategy.
The current ‘Provincial Nominee Program’ which provides the provincial government to
‘nominate 150 immigrants per year is simply inadequate.
The actual number of nominees in 2001 was 41.
By contrast Manitoba had 972.
The Saskatchewan number should be much higher and more businesses and
organizations should recruit needed skilled employees through that program.
3. Better Settlement & Support Services
Improve settlement services upon arrival.
Improve access to language training.
Improve essential support services such as adequate housing, transportation and
childcare.
Improve information-sharing, co-operation and program and service delivery
coordination among governments, service providers and communities.
4. Better Employment/Career Opportunities
This is the most critical factor to attracting and retaining immigrants and refugees.
To assist immigrants and refugees with employment/career opportunities we should
• Improve employment/career opportunities for existing and prospective immigrants.
• Improve the recognition (and if necessary the upgrading) of foreign credentials for
various professionals and technicians.
• Improve mentorship initiatives.
5. Better Access to Education and Training
Improve access to Post-secondary education both for immigrants and their children.
Improve access to Technical and Professional/Training Programs for immigrants &
their children.
Improve access to our universities and colleges for foreign students and facilitating
their stay or return to Saskatchewan upon completing their studies.
6. Better Welcoming Community
Successful settlement and retention requires a welcoming community.
Improve the quality of receptivity and respect for immigrants and refugees.
Improve connections among newcomers to create social support networks.17
Dr. Joseph Garcea of the University of Saskatchewan excerpt from presentation - Immigration as a Strategy for
Population Growth Double the Population Conference: June 5 & 6, 2003, Place Riel Theatre, Arts Building, University
of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon available at http://www.agrivision.ca/innovation2003.htm
17
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Final Report
July, 2006
In his presentation Dr. Garcea noted other means for attracting and retaining immigrants which
include coherent and complimentary policies wherein the following proper polices would be
synchronized to meet the same end result: Population Policy, Immigration Policy, Economic
Development Policy, Social Development Policy, Education & Training Policy, and Aboriginal
Policy. A proper organizational infrastructure for immigration and integration is also needed for
effective policy development and programming. He also suggests the need for good educational
and training infrastructure since research reveals that access to educational and training
institutions is absolutely essential for attracting and retaining immigrants. Employment and a
welcoming community are the other major factors.
There has been a lot of discussion on training, mentorship and professional certification. Dr.
Garcea suggests that it is time to move beyond discussion into action. He also speaks of a
balanced approach which requires the balancing of policies and programs to improve economic
and social conditions for existing residents in Canada either before or at the same time as
developing policies and programs related to immigration and integration. To ensure that regions
benefit from immigration and refugee flows and to ensure that immigrants and refugees benefit
from coming to Canada, it is imperative to ensure that the existing population in this country is
experiencing positive economic and social conditions. If Aboriginal Canadians, Non-Aboriginal
Canadians and Prospective Canadians (New or Recent Immigrants and Refugees) are not
experiencing positive economic and social conditions, the legitimacy of any initiatives designed to
attract and retain immigrants and refugees to Saskatchewan is likely to face substantial questions,
criticism and legitimacy problems.
Dr. Garcea proposed three models which Saskatchewan could emulate. These include the Quebec
Model, the Manitoba Model or a Hybrid of the Quebec-Manitoba Model.
1. Quebec Model
Highly Developed Organizational, Policy and Program Framework.
Extensive Human and Financial Resources.
2. Manitoba Model
Moderately Developed Organizational, Policy and Program Framework which includes
a large unit within the government and an immigration council.
Moderate Human and Financial Resources.
Winnipeg has agreement with Immigrant Sponsoring Agencies to cover the cost of the
financial Guarantees that are required for sponsorship.
Goal of 10,000 Immigrants per year.
3. Hybrid Quebec-Manitoba Model
This is a hybrid of the other two models.
It fits somewhere between the two.18
Dr. Joseph Garcea of the University of Saskatchewan excerpt from presentation - Immigration as a Strategy for
Population Growth Double the Population Conference: June 5 & 6, 2003, Place Riel Theatre, Arts Building, University
of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon available at http://www.agrivision.ca/innovation2003.htm
18
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Final Report
July, 2006
Dr. Garcea states that Saskatchewan should strive at least for the Manitoba model but, if it truly
serious about increasing immigration it should consider moving a bit beyond it toward the Quebec
model.
The author suggests that a major window of opportunity which exists today is that the current
federal minister of immigration is committed to a strategy of “regionalization of immigration”. The
central objective of that strategy is to shift some of the immigration from the 3 metropolitan centres
(Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver) to the so-called second-tier and third-tier urban centres such
as the largest cities in Saskatchewan. The means by which to do this would be to treat immigrants
and contractual temporary workers who would sign a contract that they would live and work within
a particular region of Canada for at least three to five years. If they complied with that requirement
they would be able to receive landed immigrant status and then be free to move to anywhere in
Canada.
The other major window of opportunity is being provided by the existing consensus that
Saskatchewan needs to become more proactive and creative in dealing with our economic and
population problems. He states that this consensus is most evident among leaders in the local
business communities.
At the same conference Ken Ziegler was the moderator of a Breakout Session which addressed
Immigration as a Strategy for Growth. He suggested that there may be several barriers to the goal
of doubling the population such as:
• Our communities may not be as welcoming as we think we are. As well, there may be a
negative perception by others of Saskatchewan which would include not only how we see
ourselves, but how others throughout Canada and internationally see us;
• Immigration is often seen as a world wide competitive venture and the timing of identifying,
attracting and bringing new immigrants is a big issue;
• There is a lack of population policy and immigration policy;
• There are limited available resources which makes our ability to accommodate immigrants
into various institutions, such as school systems, universities, etc. somewhat limited; and
• Social issues constitute another obstacle including language barriers, local support
systems, lack of clusters that exist in other regions. 19
Ziegler proposes that the key to overcoming such barriers include working at becoming a
welcoming society in order to help new immigrants to gain a sense of home, spreading the
"Saskatchewan message ", targeting immigrants who will satisfy current skill shortages,
developing programs to broaden our existing economic base, scrutinizing our programs so
Saskatchewan is competitive and allocating resources to this area and lastly, clearly develop a
population and immigration strategy.20
Ken Ziegler. excerpt from presentation Breakout Session#1 "Immigration as a Strategy for Growth", Double the
Population Conference: June 5 & 6, 2003, Place Riel Theatre, Arts Building, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
available at http://www.agrivision.ca/innovation2003.htm
20 Ken Ziegler. excerpt from presentation Breakout Session#1 "Immigration as a Strategy for Growth", Double the
Population Conference: June 5 & 6, 2003, Place Riel Theatre, Arts Building, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
available at http://www.agrivision.ca/innovation2003.htm
19
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Final Report
July, 2006
Open Up Saskatchewan 2003
In September 2003, Pat Lorje presented a report on international immigration and inter-provincial
in-migration initiatives to increase the population of the province of Saskatchewan called "Open Up
Saskatchewan". The Open Up Saskatchewan report which was based on the premise that
increasing the population of Saskatchewan through immigration should be a priority of the
provincial government. It recommended greater flexibility in the efforts made to attract more people
to the province. A number of the specific recommendations are reproduced as follows:
3. That the Immigration Branch develops a pilot project on a priority basis to allow for
admission of long haul truck drivers directly through the SINP and that this pilot project be
reviewed after one year.
4. That the Immigration Branch reserve the right in policy to make similar arrangements for
other semi-skilled workers as the need arises and where strict criteria established for the
protection of Saskatchewan workers has been met.
…
6. That the Immigration Branch broaden the Business Category beyond its current focus on
economic diversification and a limited number of economic sectors.
7. That the Government of Saskatchewan negotiates with the Government of Canada to reestablish an immigrant investor program with strong safeguards, building on the lessons
learned from the past program.
8. That any new immigrant investor program contains a strong residency requirement.
9. That the Department of Industry and Resources be responsible for all aspects of program
administration other than those exclusively related to immigration.
…
20. That the Government of Saskatchewan, especially the Departments of Learning and
Health, work with Saskatchewan's Regulatory Associations to help facilitate changes in
their policies and practices in order to guarantee the fair and equitable treatment and the
inclusion of qualified, foreign trained professionals and tradespersons.
21. That the Immigration Branch devote one FTE (full-time employee) to assisting government
departments and regulatory association's efforts enhance recognition of foreign trained
professionals and tradespersons.
22. That the Government of Saskatchewan, in consultation with settlement agencies, establish
a pilot project, based on the model proposed in A Key Approach to Foster the Retention of
Newcomers in Saskatchewan, for a newcomer internship program.
23. That the Government of Saskatchewan increase its annual funding for settlement services
to $600,000.
24. That the Immigration Branch devotes no less than two FTE's to assist existing agencies
with settlement services.
25. That the Department of Culture, Youth and Recreation actively explore funding possibilities
for a volunteer recruitment and screening program, with specific reference to the needs of
settlement-serving agencies.
26. That the Saskatchewan - Canada Agreement on Provincial Nominees be renegotiated to
increase the cap on nominations from 200 per year to 500 per year over the course of the
next 3 years, 1000 over the next 5 years and 1500 over the next 8 years with provisions to
re-visit the agreement annually.
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Final Report
July, 2006
27. That the Government of Saskatchewan increases the staff complement of the Immigration
Branch to 25 FTE's over 3 years and that dedicated resources be provided for promotion
of the SINP both abroad and to Saskatchewan communities.
28. That the Government of Saskatchewan, in partnership with local communities, contract
with qualified agents to perform S.W.O.T. analyses for communities preparing to welcome
newcomers.
29. That the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association (SUMA), the Saskatchewan
Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) and interested REDA's develop an appropriate
model to encourage expanded sponsorship arrangements with the objective of improving
immigrant retention.
30. That the Government of Saskatchewan consult with all REDA’s to determine if co-terminus
boundaries with the Health Authorities would be helpful to the REDA’s.
31. That the Immigration Branch review their criteria for allocating points for candidates, and
also publicize the fact that additional points are given for applicants with family members
who have already established permanent residency in Saskatchewan.
32. That the Government of Saskatchewan provide a specific provincial income tax reduction
equal to the costs incurred by immigrants for all fees associated with landing in Canada.
33. That the Government of Saskatchewan encourage the Government of Canada to provide a
transfer of a portion of the revenues obtained through processing fees paid by provincial
nominees to the province performing the administrative functions associated with the
nominees' application.
…
36. That the Government of Saskatchewan, especially the Immigration Branch, thoroughly
review all recommendations offered in the report Destination Saskatchewan with the report
being made available on line at the Immigration Branch website.
…
41. That the Government of Saskatchewan, in co-operation with business organizations and
economic development agencies, encourage Saskatchewan employers to take a more
active role in the promotion of our province by better advertising job vacancies.
42. That the department of Community Resources and Employment, in co-operation with its
federal partner HRDC establish Can Sask as a comprehensive, one stop employment
recruitment and registration center by means of automatic linkages to other agencies
through the Sask Jobs website.
43. That the Government of Saskatchewan, through the Our Future is Wide Open campaign
and other avenues, aggressively promote the Sask Jobs website as Saskatchewan's one
stop meeting place for employers and job seekers.
44. That CanSask be assisted in increasing its efforts to engage employers.
45. That the Government of Saskatchewan, in co-operation with its federal partner in
CanSask, HRDC, develops and implements a province-wide version of the Family
Attraction Program.
46. That the new Family Attraction Program be advertised aggressively, especially through the
Our Future is Wide Open campaign.
47. That the Department of Culture, Youth and Recreation examine ways to offer assistance to
cultural organizations seeking to promote Saskatchewan across Canada as a desirable
place to live.
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Final Report
July, 2006
48. That the Government of Saskatchewan establish a program similar to the Manitoba
Comebacks program to attract former residents to return to live and work in
Saskatchewan. 21
While numerous recommendations were made, it can be seen that only a few were addressed
specifically to the needs of rural Saskatchewan. However, the majority of the recommendations
could also apply to the need for immigrants in rural Saskatchewan.
Attached to the Pat Lorje's report were several brief articles regarding immigration and
Saskatchewan. Liisa Cormode, Ph.D. and Maria-Laura Basualdo, M.A. recommend that the
Government of Saskatchewan should develop a comprehensive strategy to attract and retain
people from other parts of Canada. This should encompass smaller strategies aimed at key groups
of potential migrants such as Skilled and Highly-Skilled Personnel, Entrepreneurs, Farm OwnerOperators, Former Residents, and Recent Immigrants Who Have Settled Elsewhere in Canada.
The authors conclude that a strategy to attract people from other provinces and countries would
probably be more successful than a strategy to stop current residents from leaving.22
Felicitas Katepa-Mupondwa wrote that if the government of Saskatchewan intends to increase it
population by as much as 100 %, most of this population increase will need to come from
increased immigration. This would result in serious socio-economic and environmental implications
that would require active citizenship engagement and comprehensive ex-ante analysis of the
benefits and potential problems associated with such significant quantitative and qualitative shifts
in the population. The author states the need for research in order to assess the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with increasing immigration to selected rural and
urban areas of Saskatchewan.
This research should result in recommendations for use by local and provincial government policy
makers and other public and private sector stakeholders. A detailed consultation at the local level
should initiate a critical dialogue and contribute significantly to a sense of local ownership,
responsibility and increased participation in a process that will undoubtedly change the social
landscape of the region. Specifically, Katepa-Mupondwa states:
By identifying potential investment and employment opportunities for immigrants,
this research will contribute significantly to harnessing the full potential of
immigrants for the benefit of both the immigrants and Saskatchewan. Immigration
is important to Canada as a whole and therefore this research may have
components that may be adopted by other provinces for the benefit of Canada as
a whole.
…
Pat Lorje, Open Up Saskatchewan, Report on International Immigration and Inter-Provincial In -Migration Initiatives
to Increase the Population of the Province of Saskatchewan, September 2003 available at http://
www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/ 2003/09/30-729-attachment.pdf
22 Liisa Cormode, Ph.D. and Maria-Laura Basualdo, M.A., Destination Saskatchewan: Increasing Attraction and
Retention of Inter-Provincial Migrants, Executive Summary appended to Open Up Saskatchewan, Report on
International Immigration and Inter-Provincial In -Migration Initiatives to Increase the Population of the Province of
Saskatchewan, September 2003 available at http:// www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/ 2003/09/30-729-attachment.pdf.
21
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Final Report
July, 2006
The conduct of this research requires technical expertise, as well as active
participation from local public and private organizations across the province,
including local government councils, chambers of commerce and other business
and voluntary sector organizations.23
Dastageer Sakhizai opines that the primary factor causing out-migration is unemployment and
under-employment. Many immigrants and refugees leave Saskatchewan because they are unable
to find meaningful work that accommodates their skills, knowledge and experience. Economic and
social integration of newcomers has been a matter of national concern and therefore, has been the
focus of studies by many researchers. Barriers to equal opportunities for meaningful employment
include: lack of knowledge of official language, lack of social network and contacts helpful in job
search, and lack of perfect compatibility between the work skills and education and the new job
demands. The lack of established procedures to adequately recognize the work experience and
education acquired in the home societies, and overt discrimination on the part of employers and
systemic discrimination around the qualification recognition. To foster retention of the newcomers
in Saskatchewan, it is essential to address these barriers, ideally with long-term strategies.24
The Western Producer
The Western Producer has had a series of articles specifically addressing immigration to rural
communities in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
One article addresses how African refugees have been placed in rural Saskatchewan. It was noted
that the families did not chose to move to rural Saskatchewan or even Canada. The Canadian
Embassy selected them from a list of refugees in the Kenyan camp.25
There are cautions for placing refugees in rural areas. To ensure immigrants settle into the
community, they must be prepared for what they are coming to. Also, there should be two or more
families settle together in a rural district so they can offer mutual comfort and support. Rural
placements are often subject to “secondary migration” because the immigrant goes looking for his
ethnic culture, largely found in pockets in urban areas. Immigrants and refugees bring a lot of job
skills, life experiences and persistence with them. Contrary to the myth that they take jobs from
Canadians, most are hard-working and fill jobs no one wants. Immigrants tend to be
entrepreneurial and set up their own business. 26
23 Felicitas Katepa-Mupondwa, Increased Immigration to Rural and Urban Saskatchewan, Analysis of Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats appended to Open Up Saskatchewan, Report on International Immigration
and Inter-Provincial In -Migration Initiatives to Increase the Population of the Province of Saskatchewan, September
2003 available at http:// www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/ 2003/09/30-729-attachment.pdf.
24 Dastageer Sakhizai, A Key Approach to Foster the Retention of Newcomers in Saskatchewan. August 2003
appended to Open Up Saskatchewan, Report on International Immigration and Inter-Provincial In -Migration Initiatives
to Increase the Population of the Province of Saskatchewan, September 2003 available at http://
www.gov.sk.ca/newsrel/releases/ 2003/09/30-729-attachment.pdf.
25: Diane Rogers Refugees start over in rural Saskatchewan June 14, 2001 Western Producer available at:
26 Diane Rogers Census shows trends, problems June 14, 2001 Western Producer available at: http://
www.producer.com/
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Final Report
July, 2006
The programs for immigrant farmers have also been summarized as well as the frustrations
experienced by farmers who have immigrated to Western Canada. A large cause for stress and
uncertainty in the past has been waiting to find out whether they will be approved to immigrate to
Canada as it can take more than a year for federal immigration officials to make a decision on their
visa applications. Pressures faced by these farmers include the fact that many of the applicants
are simultaneously trying to sell a farm in one country and buy one half-way around the world. 27
Immigrant farmers have suggested that the province is missing a chance to attract others with
ideas and capital with the affordable land prices, good standard of living, the education and health
care systems that amount the world’s best and the social and cultural values were similar to what
the a lot of European families would be leaving behind.28
European farmers bring new ideas, new capital and a wide range of experience and production
techniques to the Canadian farming sector. By doing so, they lend efficiency and diversity to the
Western economy. Saskatchewan should be doing more to attract foreign farmers and foreign
capital. Existing conditions in many European countries are disincentives for capital investments in
agriculture urbanization is an ongoing concern and pollution is a huge problem.29
There are various reasons why European farmers are immigrating to rural Canada. They are often
attracted to the area by affordable land prices, which seem to be the biggest lure for European
farmers. Highland prices, the demise of marketing boards, protection subsidies that favour large
landowners and a variety of new regulatory policies that govern production and marketing are
some of the factors convincing European producers to look abroad. There are also a variety of
intangible qualities such a safe environment for children, smaller schools, less urbanization and
one of the highest quality of life standards in the developed world and the allure of Western
Canada is more than many families can ignore.30
A couple that had moved from Scotland buying a grain and cattle operation in rural Manitoba in
1995 advises other people thinking of immigrating to Western Canada to farm to proceed
cautiously before buying a farm. While the land in Western Canada seems affordable to
Europeans, but the Prairies are less productive, due partly to the region’s limited moisture.31
Ian Bell, Immigration programs help cut through red tape January 15, 2003 Western Producer available at: http://
www.producer.com/ and Brian Cross, Immigrants See Opportunities, January 15, 2003 Western Producer available at
http:// www.producer.com/
28 Brian Cross, Immigrants See Opportunities, January 15, 2003 Western Producer available at http://
www.producer.com/
29 Brian Cross, Ideas Investment add stability to farming, January 15, 2003 Western Producer available at http://
www.producer.com/
30 Ian Bell, The Prairies: land of promise. January 15, 2003 Western Producer available at http:// www.producer.com/
31 Ian Bell, Unexpected Challenges January 15, 2003 Western Producer available at http:// www.producer.com/
27
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Final Report
July, 2006
Carlton Trail Regional Economic Development Authority
On June 6, 2005, The Carlton Trail Regional Economic Development Authority (CTREDA)
released a Briefing Note wherein it planned to undertake the “Successful Integration of Workers
into Rural Saskatchewan” project to address issues encountering employers, communities and
immigrant workers subsequent to their arrival to rural Saskatchewan.
The purpose of the Successful Integration of Immigrant Workers into Rural Saskatchewan Initiative
is to make the immigrant worker transition as easy as possible for the employer, the employee and
the employee’s family and to ensure that, once the immigrant worker is employed in rural
Saskatchewan, every effort will be made to successfully integrate the worker into the workplace
and the worker’s family into the community on an ongoing, long-term basis.
This initiative will be developed and launched in central Saskatchewan but the program will be
adaptive to anywhere in Saskatchewan.
The objectives of this project are to address current and future labor shortages in Saskatchewan;
create awareness among employers and community leaders of the challenges of bringing immigrant
workers into rural Saskatchewan communities; help educate employers, community leaders, service
delivery organizations and volunteers in a process for successfully integrating immigrant workers
into a community; create a welcoming, safe, comfortable environment for immigrant workers and
their families; and create a resource book and training materials for employers and rural
communities on how to successfully integrate and retain immigrant workers.
The project will be conducted in three phases. Phase I of the project will include a relatively small
focus group session with some local employers, municipalities, service providers, immigrants and
potential project partners to discuss issues related to integration of immigrants into the workplace
and rural Saskatchewan. Phase II will involve organizing a major seminar (taking in a much larger
service area than CTREDA) to address issues from an immigrant worker perspective, employer
perspective and community/service provider perspective. Phase III will be the development of a
"handbook" as well as training materials for employers and rural communities on how to
successfully integrate and retain immigrant workers.
Canadian Labour and Business Centre
In October 2005, the Canadian Labour and Business Centre had a conference called "Engagement
with Regional Stakeholders on Integrating Internationally-Trained Workers into the Workforce". It
consisted of five Canadian Roundtables in Fredericton, Hamilton, Victoria, Saskatoon and Windsor.
The main objective of these roundtables was to hold consultations with local and regional
stakeholders on integrating immigrants into the workforce in the five locations above. The
roundtables were designed to elicit local and regional perspectives on possible solutions to the
labour market integration challenges facing immigrants and to learn about local initiatives and
models, particularly those involving business and labour that have been designed to meet the
labour market integration challenges.
The Roundtable in Saskatoon attracted various participants from all over the province. There were
mixed views regarding the effectiveness of current immigration related programs and services.
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Final Report
July, 2006
Concerns were expressed about the processing time required for obtaining landed immigrant
status. The Saskatchewan Immigration Nominee Program was deemed a positive change,
however, processing times were considered to be too lengthy. It was generally agreed that more
efforts should be directed at attracting immigrants to meet the current and future labour market
needs in the province. Critique went to the role the province plays in the immigration arena. With
respect to attracting and retaining professional immigrants, it was noted that immigrants involved in
the trades or agriculture seem to be adjusting better within the province, and perhaps future
immigration policies in Saskatchewan should focus on these industries or occupations. Other
industries that were assessed were the oil and gas industry in the province, the trucking industry,
the over abundance of University trained immigrants and shortages of trades persons. A larger
emphasis on recruiting trades people was discussed as opposed to generally attracting universityeducated people. Some of the other problems, aside from lack of employment opportunities that
impede immigration, were an unwelcoming environment, which includes harsh climate,
discrimination, access to language training, lack of Canadian work experience, and recognition of
credentials.
Best practices from each of the Roundtables were also considered. In Saskatoon, the discussion
focused on the employer sponsored initiatives. The general point was made that the most
successful practice for integrating and retaining immigrants in the community requires a community
support plan whereby the whole community is involved, such as business, health care providers,
religions organizations, educational groups, etc., and acts as a mentor to the new families.
Rural towns in Saskatchewan can provide very effective support groups and become very
accepting communities, since many Saskatchewan based manufacturing companies are located in
rural areas. Saskatchewan is also one of few provinces that have sent temporary practice licenses
to physicians (especially those moving to rural areas) thus, allowing them to practice while
preparing for their Canadian Medical Licensing Exams.
In the search for a solution various addresses and recommendations were made. However, there
was no mention as to increasing the number of immigrants to rural areas despite discussion on
improving the provincial nominee program, whereby they would consider the assets of foreign
entrepreneurs and skilled workers. There is a section devoted to integrating immigrants into local
labour markets. A general comment was made that the challenge of immigrant's labour market
and community integration requires a community solution. The role of the government was broken
into two areas, fiscal and financial incentives to businesses and support for language and training
and upgrading the Temporary Worker Program.
The role for business and labour was also considered. A view of a business representative was to
have workplace trials where skilled immigrants could acquire community experience. More multiculturalism training in the workplace was also argued for. Unions can provide support services for
immigrants. Local unions are also structured to provide services such as language and cultural
training to new comers.32
32 Canadian Labour and Business Centre. Engagement with Regional Stakeholders on Integrating InternationallyTrained Workers into the Workforce October 2005 available at http://www.clbc.ca/Research_and_Reports/
Archive/report10120501.asp
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Final Report
July, 2006
A presentation titled "National and Provincial Trends and Issue on Immigration Saskatchewan and
Canada" by the Canadian Labour and Business Centre was presented at the conference.
Statistics were presented on the number of immigrants to Saskatchewan per year versus how this
compares with other provinces. Assessments were presented as to the type of immigrants which
comes to the province, such as skilled levels, age, income, education, places of birth, and
Saskatchewan's retention rates. The key observations which followed the presentation were that
as the province is facing a demographic crunch, strategic importance of immigration of
Saskatchewan is increasing. The immigration profile in the province is different from the rest of
the country. Attracting and retaining immigrants in the province may be a major challenge.33
Canadian Rural Economy Research Lab
In September 2005, the Canada Rural Economy Research Lab released a policy brief by Fulton,
Olfert and Partridge. The policy brief examined whither it is realistic to expect that Saskatchewan
can double its population in 20 years. The authors propose that loss is a characteristic of most
locations in the Great Plains region from West Texas to Saskatchewan and larger Great Plains
cities mostly escaped the trend of population losses. They make the following recommendation:
Policy Principles
• Policymakers must recognize that population growth will be slow at best and
design policies and programs for this context.
• Governments must be more innovative in service delivery and jettison
programs that are no longer effective. The focus must be on providing
amenities that make this a good province in which to live and do business.
Policy Recommendations
• The policy agenda must include encouraging Saskatchewan’s cities to prosper
as all residents have a stake in their success.
• Policies must be adopted that facilitate the integration of Aboriginal people into
the province’s economic and social mainstream while maintaining cultural
identities.
• Education and training must be a priority to ensure a productive and
innovative labour force. To this end, polices to be considered include interprovincial agreements for access to specialized education and training, as well
as excellent early childhood education and care.
• Innovations are needed in Saskatchewan’s rural governance, including
layering larger regional jurisdictions, anchored on urban centres, over the
current municipalities.
• Saskatchewan’s local governments need more taxation tools including local
option sales and fuel taxes.
• Saskatchewan cannot effectively compete with its neighbors with its current
inadequate north-south transportation links to the U.S. A major north-south
Canadian Labour and Business Centre. National and Provincial Trends and Issues on Immigration Saskatchewan
and Canada March 18, 2005 Saskatoon Sk. Engagement with Regional Stakeholders on Integrating InternationallyTrained Workers into the Workforce October 2005 available at http://www.clbc.ca/Research_and_Reports/
Archive/report10120501.asp
33
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Final Report
July, 2006
corridor would facilitate competitive value-added goods and services
production.34
There is no mention of international immigration as a recommendation.
Books
While there are numerous books specifically addressing rural communities in Saskatchewan, the
precise topic of immigration to rural Saskatchewan is not a focal point for any of these books.35
Although they do note that the existing structure of the rural systems is an impediment to economic
development, immigration is not emphasized as a means for improving the situation.
There are books which indicate where immigration records are kept from 1867 to present however
did not provide a particular analysis regarding the current dilemma of the lack of immigration to
rural Saskatchewan.36
A recent article provided statistics as to the opinions of some people in rural communities in
Saskatchewan.
Table 2. People Respondents Would be Uncomfortable Having as Neighbours.
Groups
Mentioned
People of different race
3.3%
Native people
13.0%
Jews
2.9%
Recent immigrants
7.3%
Homosexuals
32.4%
People with AIDS
30.0%
Drug addicts
72.0%
Heavy drinkers
56.6%
Emotionally unstable people
50.4%
The 2002 survey also measured the degree of social exclusion with regard to
several groups of people. These groups included ethnic minorities (such as
people of different race, Native people, Jews, and recent immigrants) and social
minorities (homosexuals, people with AIDS, drug addicts, heavy drinkers, and
emotionally unstable people). Respondents were asked to select those groups
they felt uncomfortable having as neighbours. The results indicate that social
rejection is focused mostly in the social minority categories, with at least one-third
Murray Fulton, Rose Olfert, Mark Partridge. Population Growth - Double or Nothing? Preparing for Saskatchewan's
Next 100 Years. September 8, 2005. Canada Rural Economy Research Lab. Available at www.crerl.usask.ca
35 Jack C. Stabler, M. Rose Olfert, Saskatchewan's Communities in the 21st Century: From Place to Regions, Regina:
Canadian Plains Research Center 2002; Jack C. Stabler, M.R. Olfert, Murray Fulton. The Changing Role of Rural
communities in an Urbanizing World: Saskatchewan 1961-1990. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center 1992; Jack
C. Stabler, M.R. Olfert, The Changing Role of Rural communities in an Urbanizing World: Saskatchewan Update to
1995, Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center 1996
36 Irene M. Spry and Bennet McCardle. The Records of the Department of the Interior and Research Concerning
Canada's Western Frontier of Settlement. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Center, University of Regina, 1993
34
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Final Report
July, 2006
of the respondents rejecting them, and in the specific case of drug addicts, more
than two-thirds.37
Although the groups were more apt to discriminate against people who are considered social
minorities, the results are nonetheless unfavourable for immigrants or those intending to
immigrate, especially for immigrants of a different race. (Presumably, this means different to the
Caucasian race.)
MANITOBA’S POLICY AND PROGRAM DOCUMENTS
Manitoba, in comparison, has been pursuing a much more aggressive strategy to recruit skilled
workers and business immigrants in recent years, and has had its quota continuously increased by
the federal government. In 2002, Manitoba accepted the largest number of provincially nominated
immigrants in Canada, 1,519, which speaks to the province’s commitment to attracting foreign
nationals as an effective tool for meeting local labour and economic needs. Prior to the latest
Canada-Manitoba agreement, signed in 2003, which abolished the limit on provincial nominations,
Manitoba could accept up to 1,500 immigrants under the federal-provincial agreement. As a result
of its aggressive and effective approach to immigration, Manitoba receives federal funds for the
administration and delivery of settlement services, and has more discretion in determining its
immigration planning policy. 38
Their current action strategy for economic growth contains the following:
• defines a target of 10,000 immigrants per year
• Strengthens settlement, adult language training and qualifications recognition
• Increase provincial nominee steam
• Implement young immigrant farm program
• Increase immigration so that all areas of province will benefit
• Attract skilled francophone immigrants
• Attract international student s to Manitoba
• Establish Manitoba immigration council39
The results of Manitoba's aggressive strategies are apparent in the following figures:
Year
# of Immigrants
1998
3,014
1999
3,711
2000
4,644
2001
4,588
2002
4,621
2003
6,492
Polo Diaz and Mark Nelson."The Changing Prairie Social Landscape of Saskatchewan: The Social Capital of Rural
Communities" Managing Changing Prairie Landscapes eds. Todd A. Radenbaugh and Glenn C. Sutter. Regina:
Canadian Plains Research Center 2005
38 Pavel Peykov Attracting Immigrants to Saskatchewan Final Destination or a Stopover SIPP Briefing Note (The
Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy: Issue 7, May 2004 available at http://
www.uregina.ca/sipp/sipp_briefing_papers.html
39 Gerry Clement, Maintoba's Immigration Policies and Programs. CRRF-RDI National Rural Think Tank. April 28, 2004
Manitoba Labour and Immigration available at http://www.brandonu.ca/rdi/ruralimmigration.html
37
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Final Report
2004
July, 2006
7,41440
How the above data ranks in comparison to Alberta and Saskatchewan is shown:
Province
2003 2004
Change
Alberta
15,834 16,468
+ 4.0%
Saskatchewan 1,668 1,941
+16.4%
Manitoba
6,500 7,426
+14.3%41
The early statistics for Manitoba are encouraging especially in comparison to Saskatchewan. They
are actively evaluating their programs and projects, acting on recommendations and sharing what
works. They also invite practitioners and researchers to help define future regionalization policy.
Manitoba has worked specifically at increasing the population in rural Manitoba. The Canadian
Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) and Rural Development Institute (RDI) partnered in
delivering National Rural Think Tank 2005- Immigration and Rural Canada: Research and Practice,
which was held in Brandon, Manitoba on April 28, 2005. The event drew fifty invited participants
representing the areas of policy, research and community from across Canada.
Objectives of the event were to identify and clarify the pertinent issues surrounding rural
immigration policy, research and practice; to inform participants of the existing policy and
opportunities surrounding rural immigration within the framework of “the present rural reality”; to
connect the perspectives of research, policy and application by engaging interests, opinion and
expertise from broad fields; to provide an opportunity for networking, facilitating future follow up on
the theme; to mobilize people and ideas towards a national rural immigration agenda; and to
promote active participation and contributions from all in attendance. 42
Manitoba has clearly moved beyond mere discussion of the issues to developing an actual
immigration strategy for attracting immigrants to rural communities. They have identified the
difficulties and as such have formulated strategies to overcome such difficulties. They are working
towards achieving this by identifying and formalizing roles of the people responsible for
immigration. As well, their strategies are focused toward long term settlement and integration of
such new arrivals. They have identified the challenges for immigrants and have an understanding
that jobs remain crucial in both attracting and retaining immigrant. Manitoba's Provincial Nominee
Program continues to be a valuable tool for rural business other wise unable to satisfy their needs
for labor. Lastly, Manitoba is working to challenge their communities' implicit assumptions about
cultural and linguistic capacities in order to make for a more desirable atmosphere for immigrants,
one where they can develop personal tiles to their new region.
Gerry Clement, Maintoba's Immigration Policies and Programs. CRRF-RDI National Rural Think Tank. April 28, 2004
Manitoba Labour and Immigration available at http://www.brandonu.ca/rdi/ruralimmigration.html
41 Rob Vineberg,Regional Immigration Strategies: A Policy-Research Perspective . CRRF-RDI National Rural Think
Tank Citizenship and Immigration Canada, available at http://www.brandonu.ca/rdi/ruralimmigration.html
42Final Report of Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) and Rural Development Institute (RDI) National
Rural Think Tank 2005 http://www.brandonu.ca/rdi/ruralimmigration.html. See appendix 1 for excerpts.
40
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CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS
This literature review reveals that Saskatchewan has a lot to learn from its neighbour to the East
given their aggressive strategies and remarkable success with recruiting immigrants to their rural
communities. However, Saskatchewan cannot solely rely on its neighbour's success. It must come
up with an immigration strategy which is tailor-made to the needs of Saskatchewan. This seems to
already be in its initial phases consider the current literature available on the topic via conference
material, governmental releases, newspaper articles, and books. However, it is necessary to move
beyond statistics and generally focussing increasing immigration to Saskatchewan or increasing
the population in rural Saskatchewan to specifically designing and implementing and program
where the focus is entirely on recruiting immigrants to our rural communities. Successfully
attracting and retaining immigrants can be a key component of a rural community’s economic
development strategy.
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7.0 Immigration and Agriculture Seminar – Summary of Speakers
Notes
1.0
Introduction
1.1
Overview of SAC
• Since it is the mandate of Saskatchewan Agrivision is to focus on the “farm gate
forward”. In order to deal with post-farm-gate, value-added agriculture it is
important to deal with a range of infrastructure issues, such as: transportation,
immigration, seasonal/migrant labour, water supply, investment capital, etc.
• The SAC “Double the Population” conferences, held 2 and 3 years ago,
occurred at the same time as the last provincial election. There was talk among
the political candidates of immigration strategies including increasing the
population by 10,000 per year for the next 10 years. This created significant
dialogue. Since that time, Manitoba has quietly increased population and will
achieve their target of 10,000 a year.
• The second SAC Double the Population conference concluded that all sectors of
the economy must contribute [i.e. potash, forestry, agriculture, tourism, mining,
etc] but the sector with the most potential for growth, expansion and job creation
was within value-added agriculture.
• There is an acute shortage across North America for skilled and semi-skilled
labour – part of the solution for Saskatchewan is immigration
• A recent U of S study down played any significant population growth for the
province [referring specifically to the article in The Star Phoenix, page A2,
October 20, 2005]. SAC’s assessment is that this study is valid and the
reasoning is sound if the plan is to ‘stick to status quo’. However, if
transformative change is undertaken, significant population growth is not only
possible but achievable
• Regrets from SAC President, C.M. (Red) Williams, who was not present at the
Seminar due to meetings in Ottawa presenting to the federal government on an
agricultural solution for the grains industry and a second presentation to a
Senate Committee on the imperative for a Prairie Regional Water Strategy.
• Regrets from Neil Ketilson, Chair of SAC Board of Directors, who was in Regina
making a presentation to a SARM convention
• Don Kunaman, a member of the SAC Executive Board of Directors will act as
Chair for today’s Seminar.
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July, 2006
CIBC – Agriculture Division Immigration Project
• CIBC was represented by Leo Zyerveld and David Beckie. CIBC is a Sustaining
member of SAC and a strong supporter over the past five years. Zyerveld and
Beckie made a presentation on CIBC’s work and activities in support of
increased immigration across western Canada.
• CIBC has 19% of the agriculture market share in Canada and 23% in the prairie
region.
• It is the only bank of the ‘big 5’ that maintains an Agriculture Division. The
Credit Department is located in Calgary.
• CIBC Immigration Project – Ag Immigration Specialists are located in Alberta
and Ontario. Their role is to pre-screen people interested in moving to AB and
ON, specifically from the Netherlands, and meet with persons interested in
moving to Canada to work in the agricultural sector.
• The CIBC role is to review business plans, determine viability, maintain ongoing
contacts with interested parties and follow-up until a decision is made.
• The CIBC program pre-screens entrants and accelerates immigration process.
In some cases, it shaves 3-4 months off the usual processing time and has
generally met with success.
• Most immigrants choose AB and ON for settlement because livestock and
supply management are typical backgrounds from applicants from the
Netherlands, therefore these areas are most appealing to entrants. There are
pockets of activity in SK and the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program is
available in the province.
• Promoting and supporting increased value-added capacity in rural SK is part of
CIBC’s overall objective in this field.
• CIBC has yet to formulate official immigration policy. The CIBC project is an
example of how the financial industry can also play role in bringing in “keen
immigrants interested in Western Canada.
• CIBC has financed 22-25 families in Western Canada, mostly from the
Netherlands who are highly skilled and educated, looking for opportunities
outside of the “highly regulated” market in the Netherlands.
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July, 2006
The Manitoba Experience – Jim Carr
• Jim Carr is Executive Director of the Business Council of Manitoba, formed in 1998 in
response to the failure of the Winnipeg Jets hockey franchise. There was a need to
speak for united interests of business leaders and therefore 50 CEOs of Manitoba’s
leading companies formed the Business Council.
• A survey of CEO’s in Manitoba revealed that the “people of the province” were
considered to be the greatest asset.
• Development of Western Canada has always been highly dependent on immigration.
In 1998, 3000 immigrants per year were entering Manitoba – which is less than
proportional share of immigrants entering Canada
• Began to lobby government for increased immigration in order to resolve skilled labour
shortages. Both provincial governments announced a goal to bring in 10,000
immigrants per year – using the provincial nominee program. The Federal government
has the final say but recruitment is left largely to the provincial government and
agencies within province.
• Specific targets were set in each sector with a priority on selecting “the most likely to
succeed” in this specific environment. The attraction to keep people in the prairies is
more than just a good job; it is also a welcoming community. Selected immigrants
groups with skill sets that were likely to succeed in the MB social and economic
community were targeted
• To date, 60% of provincial nominees continue to live in MB. 77% plan to stay in MB for
next five years and 94% of principal applicants are employed. NOT a single provincial
nominee was on social assistance because target groups that were likely to stay in
province and thrive were selected and identified. It is very important to target the right
nominees
• For example, a large Jewish community in Buenos Aires, of mostly highly skilled
professionals, was looking to relocate as a community. The Jewish Council of
Manitoba and the provincial government went on a recruiting mission to Buenos Aires
and many of these families chose to relocate to MB. They have adapted very well to
Winnipeg.
• Another example - Thousands of German-speaking immigrants have integrated into
the Winkler/Steinbach/Morden area south of Winnipeg, resulting in an economic boost
in several rural communities. The unemployment rate in the region is 0%. This
experience can be replicated in other rural communities through targeted settlement.
• In 2002, MB had 1,527 provincial nominees, comprising 72% of all Canadian “nominee
immigrants”. By comparison, SK had just 73. MB’s rate of increase has been
exponential since 2002 to nearly 8,500, whereas SK’s has just doubled.
• Does SK want more immigrants? This question must be answered. There may be
long period of adjustment to the cultural/linguistic/racial differences. In order to be
successful there must be community consensus. A provincial immigration policy will
NOT be successful if there is significant resistance in public opinion.
• Political consensus is crucial. Contentions in Manitoba were about speed of process,
not about the objective of the nominee program. There must be consensus among all
political parties about immigration/population growth.
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Federal immigration policy is geared towards those with Masters degrees and PhDs –
the professional class. We have “lost sense of dignity in the trades” and there is a
screw loose in our thinking, and screw loose in immigration policy!
Skills accreditation is a major obstacle. Canada has an antiquated system of
recognizing skills and qualifications from other countries. Manitoba has fast-tracked
accreditation, skill assessment and remedial programs for physicians. In return for this
accelerated program, and for passing exams, immigrants are given internships in rural
MB. This is paralleled in other professions. Incentive increases in comparison to other
Canadian provinces if waiting times are shorter
Lack of English is a significant disadvantage for new immigrants. MB encourages
community / government / private sector support for language development across the
province. The attitude of employers is crucial and employer training may be necessary
for retention.
There can be a characterization of refugees / immigrants as potentially dangerous,
e.g. media attention to ethnic gangs, etc. This must be overcome with positive
examples.
In summary, here are the keys to success:
1. Community consensus must exist on the issue of immigration
2. Make it a non-partisan issue – opposition parties should ideally participate in
development of policy. MB hasn’t had to contend with cheap political sniping on
this issue, which is certainly important for success.
3. Don’t mislead prospective immigrants. Avoid the tendency to oversell the
province, as this will not lead to lasting settlement. Inform the prospective
immigrants that they need to learn English / French in order to succeed in Canada.
4. Market Saskatchewan aggressively. The high quality of life, space, clean air,
clean water, and cohesive communities, etc. are assets many immigrants would
love to have.
5. Increase settlement services. Immigrants need help with housing, language,
employment counseling, services within ethnic communities, schooling, etc.
6. Fast-track accreditation processes where possible, but do so safely and
responsibly.
7. Don’t forget significance of the humanitarian component of refugees and don’t just
focus on the short-term needs. Immigration success happens over time.
8. Be prepared for setbacks. Negative press will occur, individual cases will not
succeed and some communities will have bad experiences.
9. Celebrate and publicize success stories as much as possible and welcome
immigrants.
10. See immigration as investment in economic, cultural and social future of the
province – diversity as strength and not a liability - a platform for growth.
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July, 2006
The Alberta Experience – Dr. Roger Gibbins
• Roger Gibbins is president of the Canada West Foundation (CWF) and spoke in
general about prairie regional immigration with a focus on the Alberta experience.
• There is an interest in skill shortage issues. The CWF held a conference on
immigration in 2000 and has numerous reports about immigration in Western Canada.
• The Alberta situation has common factors with the other two Prairie Provinces. The
west was created through a massive wave of immigration in the 1880’s onward.
These were largely rural people looking for rural opportunities in a new land. In the
1930s immigration stopped, but picked up again in post-war era, largely bypassing the
prairies due to economic stagnation, etc.
• It is important to note that immigration after the war was coming from urban
environments with immigrants looking for industrial opportunities in urban
environments across Canada.
• More recently (1980-2000), ON has become even more popular as an immigration
destination. 54-55% of immigrants into Canada choose to settle in Ontario. In 2002,
10-11% of immigrants into Canada chose the Prairies. This region has been
particularly weak in attracting entrepreneurial immigrants.
• Key public policy issues include dispersion. How do we evenly disperse immigration
throughout the country and evenly disperse immigration across the rural/urban divide?
• Regional distribution. In 2003, 54% of immigrants chose ON; 20% PQ; 16% to BC;
and less than 1% to SK. Metropolitan Toronto appears as the predominant
destination.
o For every 1 immigrant that comes to Saskatoon, 5 go to Winnipeg, 48 go to
Vancouver, and 130 go to the city of Toronto
o Urban/rural: Most are moving primarily to urban centers – only 12% of
immigrants to Canada settle out of major cities
• Of the immigrants to AB, 57% settled in Calgary, 86% settled in either Calgary or
Edmonton. Why? Canada’s “source countries” are highly urbanized; therefore
immigrants from these countries seek out urban environments. The skill-sets they
have are more applicable in urban setting. Immigrants also come to areas with
religious / linguistic / cultural supports – this exacerbates existing problems of uneven
dispersion.
• Immigration patterns show a potential to exacerbate the urban / rural divide. There is
greater growth to urban centers at expense of rural communities, which makes things
more difficult for rural communities.
• AB’s immigration strategy has been doing very little compared to MB’s targeted
strategy. Strength of the AB economy has made province lazy. AB has benefited from
inter-provincial migration to address labour shortage
• AB has done reasonably well in attracting immigration despite not making an effort to
do so. Calgary is now the 3rd most ethnically diverse city in the country.
• Attracting skilled labour is an essential component of AB’s sustained growth. There is
a forecasted shortage of 100,000 jobs over the next ten years, which could lead to
major manpower shortages, causing capital loss.
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AB will use the provincial nominee program more aggressively and thoughtfully than in
the past. There will be aggressive use of universities as recruitment devices.
International students make “ideal immigration pools” of people who have been able to
succeed in Canada. The provincial government would like to grant “landed immigrant
papers” to those with University degrees or SAIT graduates, etc.
On October 5th the provincial government announced a new immigration policy aimed
at increasing AB’s share from 7% to 19% of national immigration. This strategy will
attempt to increase retention rates after 3 years. Currently, AB loses 25% of
immigrants who come into the province. These figures are problematic given the
strength of the provincial economy. Part of AB’s strategy is to get additional funding
from the federal government in order to parallel the support received by Ontario.
This new AB immigration policy signals a more competitive inter-provincial situation for
immigrants to Canada. There will be competition with ON for funding and competition
with other provinces for the attention of potential immigrants.
What would a rural immigration strategy look like? If employment opportunities are
available they are not highly visible. The emerging agricultural economy has lots of
opportunities, but must be emphasized and promoted as the “farm gate forward” part
of the agricultural economy in order to attract immigrants. There must be a thoughtful
well-developed plan.
There are supportive provincial policies, such as ESL and job training, BUT it must be
emphasized that these are long-term investments not just short-term.
The Provincial Nominee Program has been relatively successful in overcoming the
urban bias of immigration. Although not widely used, 45% of provincial nominee
participants in AB settle in rural areas.
To date, the Provincial Nominee Program has largely been a MB phenomenon. AB
and SK need to publicize illustrations of the MB success.
We have become picky about “the ideal immigrant”. Educational background, skills,
language, is all heavily weighted when considering potential immigrants. In the past,
policy was centered on “good character”. Immigration is a long-term investment.
Governments and the general public must remember that immigration is about bringing
in future generations in addition to just one person. Current policy has a tendency to
look too much at filling a very specific labour shortage. This very short-term thinking
and very limiting.
Discussions, program and policies of immigration focus too heavily on attracting
immigrants but not enough on retention.
There is a tendency to assume that immigrant pool is “bottomless”. AB’s major source
countries are China, India, and the Philippines. As the economies in these source
countries improve, the desire to immigrate to Canada will decline correspondingly.
Fears of terrorism and pandemics that outline their countries and communities will also
ebb immigration.
The current policy community has a pretty strong consensus that Canada’s economic
success depends upon immigration, BUT public opinion is not aligned with this
consensus. There are significant levels of opposition to immigration within Canadian
society at large.
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4.0
July, 2006
In summary, there are immediate needs to get the ball rolling, such as providing
employment training for employers and employees, ESL training, support, etc.
The Saskatchewan Experience – Ken Ziegler
• Ken Ziegler is a leading immigration expert in Saskatchewan and works with the firm
Robertson, Stromberg, Pedersen. Ken is preparing an immigration policy paper for
Saskatchewan Agrivision.
• Currently, SK population growth is slowing. Depending on the source of information,
the provincial population has been either in stagnation or decline.
• Concentration should be made on the demographic makeup of the population rather
than straight numbers. For example, SK has both the youngest and oldest populations
in Canada. What is missing is the key tax-paying demographic cohort, due to working
people leaving the province resulting in a shrinking tax base.
• This puts SK in the unenviable position of having the highest dependency ratio of any
region of Canada.
• Immigration is critical to even stay at status quo. Bringing in capital, skilled workers,
professionals, semi-skilled workers, etc. is essential for existing economic stability, let
alone thinking about growth.
• There is a critical succession issue in both rural and urban SK. Many business owners
are fast approaching retirement, leaving a gap in who will take over the business.
Farming is one classic example, but there are hundreds of successful businesses in
other sectors that need a buyer. Who will fill this void?
• This issue can be addressed in two ways. First is landed immigrants; and, second, the
Provincial Nomination Program. The latter will be the focus today (Saskatchewan
Immigrant Nomination Program).
• First, Saskatchewan should not shy away from using federal programs to settle the
province in addition to the provincial nomination program.
• Coming through federal immigrant nomination programs allows approved nominees to
be moved to the front of the line.
• There are four [4] broad categories of immigrants to Saskatchewan:
1. Skilled workers
2. Health care professionals
3. Business immigrants. These are intended to attract capital/management to
province. This initiative has been less than satisfactory, as it has not satisfied the
need to find new business owners, etc.
4. Farm owners. This involves attracting farmers from UK, Germany, and Holland
and has met with some success, but is still but a fraction of necessary immigration.
• SK/Nova Scotia are two provinces that are in the bottom-middle of the pack in terms of
attracting immigrants. NS has established a nominee program, which is drawing large
numbers from South Asia. This program is very successful and, within the last year,
has become the “darling” nominee program, eclipsing Saskatchewan’s figures.
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In SK, 40% of immigrants end up in rural areas, 60% in Saskatoon and Regina.
Typically immigrants to SK are medical professionals, farmers, and skilled workers.
Point of view of Immigrant: Current programs are designed to meet needs of
immigrants without follow-up or consultations with immigrants regarding their level of
satisfaction with system.
Immigration is a relatively urban phenomenon in Canada with Montreal, Toronto, and
Vancouver [MTV] the prime destinations. Currently, 75% of new Canadians end up in
these three cities and this number is growing over time as other immigrants are
eventually drawn to these centers.
Motivation for choosing a location: The presence of community, good jobs, lifestyle,
housing, education, etc., does not appear on the SK radar in these departments. So
what will be attractive about SK to potential immigrants?
Currently most immigrants are from SE Asia. 80% of new Canadians come out of this
region.
This pattern has emerged over the last few years. Among this SE Asian group, SK is
not known. These immigrants are generally familiar with Canada and regions of
Canada due to promotions and advertisements, but SK’s representation has been
lacking.
There must be a coordinated program to provide information about the province and
opportunities to interested parties.
Barriers: Programs have ability to be more attractive based on processing time and
cost factors. During long wait times, business opportunities can fall through.
Expedient processes are attractive in other areas – and SK must be much more
competitive with other regions in Canada based on the regional obstacles. Essentially,
SK must outdo other jurisdictions in Canada in order to attract the same number of
immigrants.
Passive investment: This is currently not an option in Saskatchewan. There are large
pools of capital that are available to be invested in projects that permit it. Currently, the
position is that the potential investor must reside in SK.
There are several examples where between 15 and 50 people, pooling investment
capital, are interested in investing in a food processing or manufacturing facility.
Perhaps only 2 of these 15 parties would work in the business, but these investors are
also very interested in Canadian citizenship. Currently, SK has no place for them, but
such investment has the potential to address the many succession issues in both
urban and rural communities. Foreign ownership is still a contentious issue. These
issues vary significantly across the province but the policy community must address
land ownership.
Rebuilding rural SK: There are numerous investors who are interested in
manufacturing, processing, and distribution who would like to be vertically integrated
rather than just on-the-land and dealing with middle-man. Much of this capital
investment would be foreign (see above) and build on market linkages that the
investor’s already have.
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July, 2006
Education: This is a trillion dollar industry. Foreign students studying in Canada for
both secondary and post-secondary is a huge growth opportunity for recruitment of
immigrants. Many schools in [rural] SK will cease to exist unless student bodies
expand. There are opportunities to use foreign student retention programs to expand
the work force.
Speaker Panel
Following the panel presentation on the Manitoba, Alberta and Saskatchewan experience on
immigration, the floor was open for questions and discussion for 60 minutes.
Is there a quota for immigration at the provincial level?
o Initially, MB was given quota of 400, but was eliminated over time – there is no
relative ceiling, agreement can be negotiated bilaterally
o SK is not currently operating under a quota – no ceiling
o Federal government has taken renewed interest in immigration and have a goal of
1% of population to be comprised of immigrants or roughly 300,000 annually –
answered by Carr/Ziegler
Does Canada need to have a population increase of 10 million, in the next ten years, to
sustain population growth, as recently reported in the media?
o Given that population growth is below replacement rate, it is necessary to bring in a
significant population to support infrastructure, tax base – Gibbins
How is it possible to promote immigration among the greater population?
o MB and SK were the most receptive to immigration in a recent Angus Reid poll.
Having said that, there was still significant resistance and intolerance - Carr
o If politicians and community organizations are united in the belief that immigration is
necessary and positive, then consensus can be built in order to move forward - Carr
o Huge support for immigration exists when issues are personalized. For example,
promotion of immigrants as potential farm buyers, business investors, etc. has
potential to increase popularity of the concept - Ziegler
o Farm ownership remains a contentious in Saskatchewan. Foreign ownership, even
out of province ownership, is an issue which remains problematic to attracting
investor immigrants - Ziegler
o Provincial Nominee Program (SK) is not without problems. Despite speeding up the
process, several applications have been thwarted by lack of coordination between
federal and provincial governments. For example, both levels of governments
simultaneously demanding the same set of original documents, etc. – Carr/Ziegler
o Rising political will has decreased flaws in MB’s system, but effectively the
nomination program creates competition with federal program, which can be
complicating – Carr
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Has the Olymel plant in Red Deer been a success story?
o The AB experience is that immigration and adjustment is not a quick process.
There is a tendency to look for temporary labour than to look for lasting employment,
which detracts from longer-term investment. There is too much of a tendency to
look for ‘quick fix’ in today’s immigration environment – Gibbins
With the current labour unrest in Brooks, AB as an example, can immigration, if done
too quickly or improperly, create tensions in community?
o Lakeside Packers may emerge from this dispute as a better employer, as they have
limited experience in union issues and little experience with large immigrant
population.
o Brooks scenario is unique in that significant amount of the workforce is drawn from
the Sudanese refugee community rather than through any provincial nomination
program. The question to whether or not this situation is indicative of a larger
problem with immigration, it certainly sheds light on some social tensions, but is not
a major crisis for immigration in AB – Gibbins
What is political fallout for AB’s immigrant policy?
o Situation at Brooks is not indicative of greater immigration scenario in AB. There are
examples of the province adapting to new social reality and, as such, there are
“rough spots” in this process – it is a learning experience (see above) - Gibbins
Should SK develop a protocol, which takes advantage of displacement as a result of
disasters – “humanitarian immigration”? (i.e. Hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc.)
o In MB, recruiting skilled labour was considered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
o Long-term thinking reveals that these people’s skills are needed at home. There
are also ethical implications that arise regarding the ‘brain drain’ from developing
countries or disaster-affected regions.
Can provincial governments take on more authority in terms of prescreening and
recruiting immigrants in foreign countries, thereby bypassing bureaucratic problems
at embassies, etc.?
o Essentially, no. If for no other reason than provincial governments do not have the
resources to prescreen interested immigrants at embassies or take on more
authority – answered by Ziegler
How bad does the situation at Canadian embassies have to get for the government to
devote more resources?
o Capacity of embassies must certainly be supported, as current standards are low.
The federal government may be more interested in this during an upcoming election.
o On a related issue, another advantage of provincial nominee programs is that most
application work can be done online.
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o Security concerns complicate the immigration process so it seems unlikely that the
situation at Canadian embassies will improve significantly in the near future –
answered by Carr
Is there credibility to the argument that the current population stagnation is a natural
depopulation of the Great Plains region, and if so, can anything be done to reverse
this trend?
o If we continue along the status quo, i.e. focusing on primary agriculture, forestry,
mining, uranium, etc. with little value-add manufacturing in any sector, no population
growth will occur.
o When the economic model or the business model changes, the future of the
province will change. If resources are carefully managed, economic growth will
occur, but this calls for a “different model”.
o In Ziegler’s opinion, it is not unrealistic to pursue a doubling of SK’s population IF
“transformative change” occurs.
o Gibbins: since the 1930s, AB’s population has grown at a rate four times greater
than SK’s population. Despite the disparity in population growth, the quality of life
indicators, including income, etc. do not differ significantly between AB and SK,
according to polls.
o The relationship between population growth and economic prosperity is a complex
one. It is more important to study quality of life and the demographic composition of
the population rather than the raw labour figures. Gibbins.
How can a balance be maintained between recruiting skilled labour from abroad and
providing training programs to First Nations youth?
o In MB, significant funding has been reserved to train under-skilled First Nations
youth in hopes of addressing some of the shortage of skilled labour
o There has been some concern amongst First Nations’ leadership in MB that the
influx of immigrants is taking potential employment from their communities, so
balance must be struck. This is related to the need for public awareness and public
opinion consensus – answered by Carr
In regards to population growth, why doesn’t SK make more of an effort to recruit
from other regions in Canada?
o Inter-provincial migration is directly related to the availability of jobs. In MB, an
effort has been made through the U of M to entice ex-pats back to the province, but
with relatively little success to date – answered by Carr.
o In Ziegler’s opinion, it is perhaps a more promising possibility to target immigrants
leaving another Canadian community after immigrating. For example, many
immigrants head immediately to Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver [MTV], only to find
cost of living prohibitive, especially for business startups. Therefore, Saskatchewan
offers good alternatives to these immigrants, already in Canada, but unhappy with
the MTV situations.
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Notes Prepared by: Mairin Loewen, Assistant to Prof Joe Garcia, U of S
Edited by: Al Scholz, Executive Director, Saskatchewan Agrivision
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July, 2006
Appendix: Immigration Profiles
A full appendix is included in the final report, which will include Immigration Profiles from
the City of Winkler – Winkler, Manitoba; Northern Steel Industries – Tisdale,
Saskatchewan; and Prudhomme Trucks Ltd. – Regina, Saskatchewan.
8.1
City of Winkler – Winkler, MB
Background
In the 1990’s, Winkler Manitoba was experiencing a high rate of business and economic growth.
Businesses in the industrial and agricultural sectors especially could not expand because of the
unfulfilled labour need. Attempts were made to alleviate the shortage through community
members that had connections with family members in Germany to ask if they would immigrate to
Winkler based on existing job offers, but the potential new immigrants did not fit within the federal
requirements.
In 1997, the City of Winkler and the Winkler Chamber of Commerce went to the Manitoba
Department of Citizenship and Multiculturalism to find out if immigration could be part of the
solution to the extensive amount of unfulfilled jobs in the Winkler area.
Several immigration initiatives were occurring at the same time. The Province of Manitoba was
developing a promotional campaign to attract immigrants to the province, negotiating a pilot project
with the Federal Government called the “Winkler Initiative” and negotiating the Provincial Nominee
Program (PNP). In 1998, Manitoba was allowed 200 immigration applicants through the PNP
program, which was successful in part because of the success of the Winkler Initiative, which
brought 50 families to the Winkler area
The PNP program has increased annually and in 2003 Manitoba set a target of 10,000 immigrants.
Success Factors
1. Winkler built on existing social, cultural and linguistic strengths. The Winkler area already
had strong religious, cultural, linguistic and geographic similarities to the people that were
being targeted and immigrated to this area, such as Russian-German immigrants.
2. Settlement was a priority. Settlement occurred from a variety of sources, including
immigration consultants, personal networks and community sponsored settlement
services. The settlement services office in Winkler is funded by the Chamber of
Commerce and provincial government.
The settlement programs used in Winkler and area were adapted for rural situations from
existing programs in Winnipeg. Brochures about the settlement services that were offered
were translated brochures into German to accommodate the large German immigrant
population.
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Final Report
July, 2006
Settlement services recognized the need to have a regional focus and so many of the
settlement services were provided to other communities in the region. Not all the
immigrants would settle in the City of Winkler, but the success of immigration in Winkler
depended on successful settlement in surrounding towns.
Successful settlement meant learning English. The province funded ESL classes, and the
program was delivered by going where the learners were. Language training was offered
in several communities and also in workplaces.
Having family, friends and a church community are important factors to facilitating
successful arrival and settlement (RDI pg. 17). The top 2 reasons for immigrants choice in
where to immigrate, other than Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, were: joining family and
friends (36%) and employment opportunities (32%) (Statistics Canada, Highlights of the
Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Canada, 2000-2001).
3. There was support for the initiative from many places
a. Community
i. The Winkler Chamber of Commerce formed an Immigration Integration
Committee and was the main contact for integration concerns.
ii. The openness of the community is supported by a 2000 Angus Reid poll
that showed Manitoba/Saskatchewan to be the most progressive and
tolerant region in North America.
b. Provincial Government
i. The Province of Manitoba was supportive of immigration as shown
through their reaction to the Winkler Initiative and provincial immigration
promotion strategies
c. Other organizations
i. The Business Council of Manitoba (BCM) is a major supporter of
immigration for the Province of Manitoba. The BCM membership consists
of the top CEO’s of large companies in Manitoba, which combine to
generate $35 Billion in revenue annually. The council works towards
Manitoba’s economic growth and community development and is able to
effect change on major policy issues because of the nature of the
organization. Immigration is one of 9 issues that the council believes is
important to the province
Lessons Learned
• Personal linkages and word of mouth facilitate immigration, settlement and retention, as
does previous exposure to an area from visiting.
• Make immigrant families aware of the existing continuum of services and settlement
agencies and provide linkages to these. Tell new immigrants about the settlement
services that are available even if they don’t ask for help as they may not know whom to
ask.
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Final Report
•
•
•
•
July, 2006
Convey accurate information and address information gaps. This includes the way the
immigration destination is portrayed in promotion activities as well as if credentials can be
transferred, how to start a business, etc.
Temporary housing is critical during the transition period and helps with making contact
with people in the community.
“You have to have a plan regarding the skills you want and how you will help immigrants
acclimatize… Everyone in the community has to be involved”, says Louis Tanguay,
President of the Winkler and District Chamber of Commerce speaking about the success
of Winkler in a Manitoba Chamber of Commerce press release in 2004.
(http://www.mbchamber.mb.ca/news/News%2004/immigrationremainsapriority.htm)
The school systems have had a difficult time keeping up with the growth. Funding is not
fast enough to handle the needs that 120 new students bring to a school district.
Summary
The success of immigration in Winkler was a result of a number of factors that were fostered in a
coordinated way that involved clear lines of communication. The City of Winkler and Winkler
Chamber of Commerce responded to a need from the business community for labour, the Province
of Manitoba assisted in negotiating with the Federal Government for increases in immigration and a
pilot project and the community supported the initiative.
It is important to note the importance of targeting immigrants that will feel at home when they
arrive. This means recognizing the existing religious, cultural, linguistic and geographic attributes
of the area and matching those with immigrant groups that are being targeted.
Benefits from immigration don’t stop with the immigrant families. The growth in population from
immigration also results in growth in population from schoolteachers, health care workers,
accountants, lawyers, professionals, service providers, etc.
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Final Report
8.2
July, 2006
Northern Steel Industries – Tisdale, SK
1.0 Background
The Town of Tisdale is in the heart of the northeast Saskatchewan agriculture belt only 30 minutes
drive from the larger Town of Nipawin to the north and the City of Melfort to the west.
The Town and surrounding region has a long history of innovation and excellence in agricultural
production, value-add processing and exporting including several alfalfa De-Hy, canola crushing
and honey production and processing companies. It has been a prosperous part of the province.
Over the past 25 years, the regional economy has diversified and expanded. In fact, the Tisdale
and Region is the only rural area that has reported an increase in population through the past three
census periods 1991, 1996 and 2001. In addition to a diversified agriculture base, light
manufacturing has been a major contributor to growth and sustaining a host of community and
business services.
During the past five years, Tisdale and region have felt the pressures of globalization as much as
other jurisdictions. This has resulted in smaller businesses shutting down or moving due to
continuous demands for economies of scale and leading edge technologies, which is chipping
away at the foundation of the community and the regional economy.
Key business leaders within the Region realized that people, the human resource base, is the
critical component to business success, whether it is efficiencies of production or leading edge
technology. This realization of the importance of specialized, skilled people led to action on a
number of areas including: retention of existing workers, attracting others from the Province or
other parts of Canada, and an immigration strategy to attract skilled workers.
2.0 Action
Northern Steel Industries, a major employer with deep roots in the community, is a metal
fabrication company that requires highly skilled trades people including qualified support personnel.
A shortage of qualified staff has been a limiting factor to sustaining and growing the business. The
firm decided to recruit from the Ukraine, in addition to regular recruitment activities, because of:
1. Increasing difficulty in recruiting qualified production staff from Canada;
2. An government program in Ukraine to assist qualified welders to emigrate;
3. A supply of qualified welders and metal workers in Ukraine; and,
4. The community was willing to support the firm in attracting immigrants.
Northern Steel Industries utilized the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program [SINP] and
made several recruitment trips to Ukraine with the support of the Canadian and Ukrainian
governments. To date, 32 qualified employees and families have immigrated in 2005-2006, with
nine deciding to leave over the past few months. Northern Steel Industries has an objective of
recruiting and retaining 50 workers from the Ukraine, which would create a critical mass for a local
Ukrainian community.
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Final Report
July, 2006
3.0 Lessons Learned
The key lesson, which has been reinforced within the community, is that economic survival is up to
the community. If there are economic and social changes to be made, local leaders must do it.
Other key lessons learned include:
1. Community support and acceptance into the community is absolutely critical to retaining
new immigrants and can be just as important as job quality;
2. Northern Steel Industries has provided support for new staff and HR services to improve
the training and acceptance within the work force;
3. Couples and families are more likely to make Tisdale their new home, if the children are
settled in school, the spouse is able to secure work and they develop roots in the
community;
4. English Second Language training is very important in retention and becoming part of the
community, and critical for spouses to eventually find employment;
5. Many spouses have post-secondary training and could be employed locally but the major
barriers are English language as well as the recognition of training;
6. Northern Steel Industries requires recruits to enter into a three-year employment contract
to avoid early departures and to recover costs of recruitment, training and production;
7. Church and community leaders have made special efforts to ensure there is adequate
socialization opportunities and provide a chance to meet others in the community; and,
8. It is the role and responsibility of each company to develop and implement the immigrant
recruitment programs they require. The community must provide the socialization support,
adaptation to Canadian lifestyles and employment opportunities to spouses.
4.0 Success Factors
The immigration project, initially led by Northern Steel Industries, soon became part of a larger
business and community initiative, within the Tisdale and Region that included:
1. Understanding what is required to retain the existing employee population who may be
considering a move away for a variety of reasons;
2. Attracting a skilled population, in a broadest sense, from other regions of the province
including workers from Ft McMurray and other northern areas that may be commuting from
the Region;
3. Focusing on the investments required in financing, infrastructure and core services [i.e. full
health services] to attract and retain skilled workers;
4. Developing an effective and focused immigration program, with strong community
endorsement and support, to augment other efforts in securing a stable, skilled work force;
and,
5. Ensuring the larger community had the willingness and resources to accept immigrants
into the community.
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Final Report
July, 2006
5.0 Recommendations
The following recommendations, based on the development of this profile, will support the
recruitment of immigrants for businesses in other Saskatchewan communities:
1. The Province to provide more assistance to companies in rural communities to pursue the
immigration opportunity;
2. Rural regions to develop an “inventory” of local employee expertise and what areas and
sectors there are shortages, in order for the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program
[SINP] to effectively recruit for the right skills;
3. The Province to follow-up with support for the Northern Steel Industries experience to
realize lessons learned, which can be applied to other communities, to avoid re-inventing
the wheel;
4. Companies and Government must develop as clear an understanding of the reality of
Canada, balanced with the expectations of immigrants, to avoid disappointment on both
sides after arrival and initial stay; and,
5. Communities must be committed to long-term support of immigrants to bridge the gaps of
cultural lifestyle, encourage integration and avoid separate communities.
6.0 Summary
Northern Steel Industries started the immigration process and now the community has mobilized to
take the experience to a new level. The Town of Tisdale, surrounding communities and
participating businesses, are aggressively working on improving the services of the Region with
the aim of attracting and retaining more people to work and live in the area.
A recent community initiative, a cross-organization strategic plan, has been developed to explore
other immigration opportunities, particularly in attracting immigrant farmers to locate in the region.
A stated goal is encourage immigration from a number of foreign countries and to create
communities within a community and build a truly international region.
The job will never be complete and the work will never be done, particularly if the local economy
continues to expand and the community continues to grow. Economic and population growth
within a rural region is not easy. It is hard work and there are lots of barriers and roadblocks, but it
can be done through visionary leaders and a community willing to stretch.
Profile Prepared by
Al Scholz, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Agrivision
Interviews with:
1. Rose Olson, Manager, HR, Northern Steel Industries
2. Rollie Zimmer, Mayor, Town of Tisdale
3. Betty Bauhuis, General Manager, Tisdale Credit Union
4. Doug Hay, Economic Development Officer, Kelsey Development Corporation
5. Dwight Percy, Percy Communications, [Business Consultant to Tisdale & Region]
Page 58
Final Report
8.3
July, 2006
Prudhomme Trucking Ltd. – Regina, SK
1.0 Background
Prudhomme Trucks Ltd. [PTL] is a customer driven company offering truckload services within
Canada. PTL serves all major centers between Montreal and Vancouver Island and has yards and
in-house city cartage service in Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina and Winnipeg. The
business, started by Denis and Monique Prud'homme, has grown from a single owner operator in
1990 to employing over 200 people in 2000.
Starting in 2003, PTL began to feel the effects of the shortage of long haul truck drivers in Canada.
The company quickly realized the need to become more innovative in recruitment efforts. A series
of circumstances led to choosing immigration as the direction to take in fulfilling the need for longhaul drivers.
2.0 Action
In the fall of 2003, the Saskatchewan Trucking Association (STA) in partnership with
Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program and HRSDC took part in a pilot program known as
Immigrant Worker Nominee Program. To date this pilot program has been successful in bringing
approximately 250 families to Saskatchewan, with the expectation to grow these numbers in the
years to come. Three companies were participating in the pilot program but the program was not in
the position to expand. PTL had to look for other ways to meet their recruitment needs.
Two viable options for the company emerged and included:
1. Attracting and training new local [Canadian] entrants into the industry; and,
2. Immigrating qualified drivers from overseas.
Initially, PTL looked at developing a partnership with SIAST to train new local entrants into the
transportation industry. Before the partnership was realized word was received that SIAST was
closing down the commercial truck driver-training program.
Immigration began to become a more attractive option, as the Canadian transportation industry
continued to be hampered by a steady decline of long haul drivers. The key question was, “How to
attract immigrate truck drivers from another country?”
In the fall of 2004, PTL hired a consultant to go to Holland on a research mission to see if there
were qualified candidates. There were qualified candidates. However, the consultant failed to
understand the essence of the business and the mission failed.
The next step was for PTL to go it alone. The firm placed an advertisement in a major newspaper
in the United Kingdom. There was limited response to the advertisement. It became clear that
advertising overseas was extremely expensive. A key learning was to make sure to aim for an
advertising medium that has impact.
Once the PTL recruitment system was in place, the implementation was done in a sequence of
three phases to maximize success and minimize challenges. These included:
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Final Report
July, 2006
Phase I: 10 drivers were interviewed and road tested in Regina at the PTL head office. The
first group of 10 drivers started work in March 2005;
Phase II: Drivers and spouses were interviewed in London, England. The second group of
drivers started work in June 2005;
Phase III: Drivers and spouses were interviewed in London, England. The third group of
drivers stared work in October 2005.
In partnership with the Saskatchewan Trucking Association, a training program was developed to
provide an intensive 5-day driving course. The course provides the skills necessary to challenge
the SGI Class 1A license. The Safety & Compliance Department provided a 5-day course on
hours of service, weights & dimensions, pre-trip inspections, etc. The overseas driver was
matched with a Prudhomme Trucking mentor drive for a 1-2 week period. The practical portion
allowed the drivers to put their new skills into practice.
A community support program was developed by PTL to ensure the basic needs for family
settlement was in place, including: affordable accommodation; transportation; childcare; schooling;
spousal employment; and language [ESL] support.
3.0 Lessons Learned
1. Each company must manage their own recruitment. Make sure the right immigration
consultant is hired. Key factors to consider include when engaging immigrant recruitment
consultants:
• Sign a memorandum of understanding;
• Ensure a clear set of expectations;
• Make sure that the consultant knows your particular business;
• Audit the consultants work regularly; and,
• Remember the consultant is representing your company, to a certain extent.
2. Be prepared to do what it takes. For example, there are different employment
classifications in different countries.
• Find out how your particular occupation is classified in the target country. All
occupations are coded under the following codes: A, B, C, and D.
• A/B – Post Secondary / Skilled Professions
• C/D – Semi-Skilled “on the job training”. Requires no post secondary education
In Saskatchewan, the provincial government will nominate A, B and apprenticeable
trades. Currently, commercial truck drivers are classified under the D category in the
National Occupational Classification Matrix.
As a result, PTL had the apply to the Human Resources & Skills Development Canada
[HRSDC] - Foreign Worker Program for authorization to employ temporary foreign
workers.
3. Be prepared for documentation. The HRSDC – Foreign Worker Program was a rigorous
program that required:
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Final Report
•
•
•
•
July, 2006
Development of a company Human Resources Plan;
Prove “rigorous” recruitment efforts have been done domestically;
Demonstrate on-going efforts to recruit Canadian youth, Aboriginals, and
Canadians in high areas of unemployment; and,
Development of an Employer / Employee contract.
4. Accept that there will be barriers, regardless of the efforts to ease the transition. Reoccurring barriers include:
• Misinterpretation of the employer / employee contract [sick leave,
holidays, days-off, etc.];
• Financial / budgeting constraints [mortgages, taxes, utilities, etc.];
• Affordable accommodations;
• Regulatory requirements; and,
• Community support and acceptance of the immigrant families.
4.0 Success Factors
1. Don’t give up. Continue to move forward on the strength of a trial and error approach to
finding a solution to the immigration challenge. There are few other options to meet labour
needs in Canada at this time.
2. Family settlement is a priority. PTL developed a plan that included basic, intermediate and
long-term settlement needs. Company staff and spouses assisted in the settlement
process, providing help with basic matters such as shopping, banking and meeting
neighbours.
3. The right people were hired. The recruitment process evolved to a focus on what the
business needed. Applicants were pre-screened for basic abilities as well as company
specific requirements such as driving at night and through mountains
4. Proper training was provided. Despite the experience, Canadian-based training was
critical to the applicant’s success. This included a course on safety and compliance
issues, a driving course and partnering the immigrant driver with a mentor driver.
5.0 Recommendations
1. That the Provincial Government expands the immigration categories. The provincial
nominee program did not cover semi-skilled workers so application had to be made to the
Human Resources & Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) Foreign Worker Program,
which is focused more on recruiting Canadians than immigrants.
2. That Federal and Provincial Governments make it easier for individual companies to meet
and manage their immigration recruitment needs. This includes support in provide ESL
language training and obtaining Canadian accreditation for employees and their spouses.
Page 61
Final Report
July, 2006
6.0 Summary
PTL aggressively stepped out and took control of their recruitment program. They willingly took the
risk to establish their own immigration program due to the limitations of what industry and
government programs could provide at the time.
In conclusion, the PTL experience in recruiting immigrants has been successful. Retention of
employees has been good. The experience demonstrates that an effective immigration program is
good for business, good for communities and good for the Province of Saskatchewan.
Profile Prepared by
Al Scholz, Executive Director
Saskatchewan Agrivision
Interview with:
Kevin Mooney, HR Manager, Prudhomme Trucking, Ltd. Regina
www.prudhommetrucks.com/
Page 62

Final Report - Robertson Stromberg LLP

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