During the February session I spoke of the need for the government to establish a territorial nomination system to help speed up the immigration process for foreign skilled and semi-skilled workers who wish to become permanent residents of the Northwest Territories. Most provinces and the Yukon have an agreement with the Government of Canada that allows them to play a more direct role in selecting immigrants who wish to settle in their jurisdiction. Unfortunately, the response from the Minister indicated that the government did not see a role in facilitating the recruitment of skilled immigrants to the NWT.
Like other jurisdictions in Canada, we face serious challenges in finding and attracting skilled workers to meet the employment needs and demands of our booming economy. Our unemployment rate is at an all-time low, and both large and small employers are struggling to recruit and keep qualified employees.
The current federal immigration process is not well-equipped to respond to the need for skilled and semi-skilled workers in a timely manner. We need to find a proactive way to assist employers in recruiting qualified immigrants for jobs that cannot be filled by our local residents. I believe we can provide this type of service and maintain our commitment to training and employment opportunities for northern residents, including our possible new ones.
This is not an either/or situation. An effective labour force development strategy for the Northwest Territories would include a balanced mix of training, recruitment and employment of both skilled residents and semi-skilled foreign workers.
Again I ask the Minister to establish a support service program to our employers of the North, to help hire people and keep their businesses contributing.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
