{"id":179254,"date":"2018-08-30T04:48:02","date_gmt":"2018-08-30T08:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=179254"},"modified":"2018-08-30T04:48:02","modified_gmt":"2018-08-30T08:48:02","slug":"quebec-city-mayor-calls-immigration-increase-address-dangerous-labour-shortages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2018\/08\/30\/quebec-city-mayor-calls-immigration-increase-address-dangerous-labour-shortages\/","title":{"rendered":"Quebec City mayor calls for immigration increase to address \u2018dangerous\u2019 labour shortages"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Immigration topped Mayor R\u00e9gis Labeaume\u2019s newly released list of annual priorities, citing the urgent need to fill 17,000 job vacancies in the Quebec City region. (File Photo<\/a>: R\u00e9gis Labeaume\/Facebook<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The mayor of Quebec City is calling for an increase in immigration there to address what he says is a \u2018dangerous\u2019 shortage of labour.<\/p>\n

Immigration topped Mayor R\u00e9gis Labeaume\u2019s newly released list of annual priorities, citing the urgent need to fill 17,000 job vacancies in the Quebec City region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis dramatic lack of manpower is the most dangerous problem and can jeopardize our economic future,\u201d Labeaume said. \u201cIt is no longer the time for observations or studies or good intentions.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The mayor said the Quebec City region is only receiving six per cent of newcomers immigrating to the province each year, and that number should be at least 10 per cent.<\/p>\n

This would translate to around 5,300 newcomers per year, or an increase of around 2,000 over current levels.<\/p>\n

Election issue<\/h3>\n

Labeaume\u2019s call comes as Quebec\u2019s political parties jockey for position in advance of the province\u2019s October 1 general election.<\/p>\n

He said Quebec\u2019s next government also needs to improve the province\u2019s immigration system to reduce application processing times and generally make the immigration process easier, notably the recognition of foreign professional experience and degrees.<\/p>\n

Lebeaume further emphasized the need for French-speaking immigrants, noting that most people living in the Quebec City region speak French as their first language.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a French city and there are two ways to succeed in immigration: to get a job and to speak the local language,\u201d Labeaume told journalists.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the jobs; if they speak French, it\u2019s going to be a total success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Labeaume challenged those now running for office to say how many more immigrants they would be ready to accept if elected.<\/p>\n

Philippe Couillard, leader of the ruling Quebec Liberal Party, welcomed Labeaume\u2019s challenge, saying\u00a0recent changes<\/a>\u00a0that his government has made to the province\u2019s immigration system will help.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve provided the tools to better distribute newcomers around the province,\u201d Couillard said.<\/p>\n

Changes introduced to Quebec\u2019s immigration system include a new\u00a0Expression of Interest system for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.<\/a><\/p>\n

The new system\u00a0will allow immigration authorities to select immigration candidates who match labour market needs in regions around the province.<\/p>\n

Quebec City is the capital of Quebec and one of Canada\u2019s oldest, most picturesque cities. Its walled Old Town is famous for its cobblestone streets and European charm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The mayor of Quebec City is calling for an increase in immigration there to address what he says is a …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":179255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-179254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-immigration","mauthors-stephen-smith","mauthors-cic-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=179254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/179254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/179255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=179254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=179254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=179254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}