Premier Danielle Smith at a news conference discussing the province's immigration system on March 27, 2024. (Government of Alberta on YouTube - YourAlberta)

By Justin Goulet

Alberta government requesting more control over provincial immigration system

Mar 27, 2024 | 12:16 PM

Premier Danielle Smith has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau related to Alberta’s immigration system.

The Smith government is asking Trudeau to re-evaluate Ottawa’s decision limiting the number of allocations for Alberta’s provincial nominee program in 2024.

Last week, the federal government told the province it would receive just 9,750 of these allotments. That is the same number the province received in 2023 and less than the 10,140 originally allocated by Ottawa for 2024.

“Alberta is growing and that is good news. Since January 2023, more than 100,000 new jobs have been created in our province and our employment rate has led the country even longer. At the same time, we continue to experience labour shortages that could be resolved by welcoming skilled workers from around the world, including evacuees from Ukraine, many of whom have the exact skills that our job market most needs,” says Smith.

“Alberta has long been the economic engine of Canada and we are once again requesting Ottawa respect section 95 of the Constitution and let us welcome the skilled individuals we need into our province on our terms.”

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As of February of this year, Alberta accounts for just under 12 per cent of the country’s population. However, it leads Canada in net employment growth, with 42.8 per cent of the country’s employment gains between January and February.

The Alberta government says by not providing an increase to the provincial nominee allocations, the Trudeau government is restricting the province’s ability to keep up with growing labour market demands, particularly as it relates to Ukrainian evacuees joining Alberta’s job market.

Officials say part of the province’s growth in population has resulted from an influx of Ukrainians evacuating due to Russia’s invasion of their country. The province is expecting a number of families to apply for permanent residency through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program.

A boost in the number of allocations from the federal government would aid new Albertans in filling positions in the province’s workforce, according to the Alberta government.

“Immigration is key to Alberta’s ability to address labour shortages and to grow our economy,” says Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism Muhammad Yaseen.

“This limitation imposed by the federal government on our provincial nominee program will be a very difficult pill to swallow, not only for businesses that need this skilled labour but also to the many Ukrainian evacuees who have the skills we need and wish to stay permanently in Alberta.”

The letter from Danielle Smith to Justin Trudeau can be read here.