{"id":228670,"date":"2019-08-29T20:01:08","date_gmt":"2019-08-30T00:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=228670"},"modified":"2019-08-29T20:01:08","modified_gmt":"2019-08-30T00:01:08","slug":"new-brunswick-eyes-major-increase-in-immigration-over-next-five-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2019\/08\/29\/new-brunswick-eyes-major-increase-in-immigration-over-next-five-years\/","title":{"rendered":"New Brunswick eyes major increase in immigration over next five years"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Government of New Brunswick is calling for a significant increase in immigration to the province over the next five years to address the economic and social challenges posed by its ageing population. (Pexels Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Government of New Brunswick is calling for a significant increase in immigration to the province over the next five years to address the economic and social challenges posed by its ageing population.<\/span><\/p>\n

The government\u2019s new\u00a0population growth strategy<\/a>\u00a0would see the number of economic immigrants settling in New Brunswick each year reach 7,500 by 2024.<\/p>\n

This would raise New Brunswick\u2019s immigration rate to almost one per cent of its total population and nearly double the current number of immigrants settling in the province.<\/p>\n

\u201cPopulation growth is crucial to the future success of our province,\u201d New Brunswick\u2019s Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour, Trevor Holder, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe attraction and retention of new Canadians is critical to helping us increase our province\u2019s population and meet the needs of our employers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report says around 120,000 jobs will become available in New Brunswick over the next 10 years. Statistics compiled by the New Brunswick Multicultural Council (NBMC) show the province\u2019s labour force losing 110,000 workers during this same period, primarily to retirement.<\/p>\n

The report notes that New Brunswick\u2019s current working-age population is too small to fill these opportunities and its declining birth rate means this situation will only worsen if immigration is not increased.<\/p>\n

\u201cInternational migration is a key strategy to lessen the impact of this decline,\u201d the strategy reads.<\/p>\n

A key concern outlined in the strategy is New Brunswick\u2019s ability to support critical social services like health care. The report says the number of working-age individuals in New Brunswick for each senior citizen decreased from 4.6 to 3.1 between 2008 and 2018 and could reach 2.3 by 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will have a significant impact on the province\u2019s ability to fund economic and social services,\u201d the report says. \u201cIn the short and long term, to meet the needs of supporting an ageing population with a shrinking tax base, New Brunswick needs to encourage movement into the province to improve our population outlook.\u201d<\/p>\n

Building momentum<\/h3>\n

The strategy says increasing immigration to the province will be achieved mainly through the\u00a0New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program<\/a>\u00a0(NBPNP) and the\u00a0Atlantic Immigration Pilot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The NBPNP allows New Brunswick to nominate a set number of eligible skilled workers, entrepreneurs and international graduates from New Brunswick\u2019s post-secondary institutions for permanent residence each year.<\/p>\n

The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program is an employer-driven federal-provincial partnership launched last year to help employers in the Atlantic Canada region hire foreign workers to fill labour gaps.<\/p>\n

The province\u2019s allocation under these programs is 2,100 in 2019, the strategy says, up from 625 in 2014.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to build on this momentum and focus on continued population growth and the increased migration of newcomers who meet the targeted economic and labour market needs of the province,\u201d the strategy says.<\/p>\n

Among other goals, the strategy also calls for achieving an immigrant retention rate of 85 per cent by 2024 and raising the number of French-speaking immigrants by two per cent annually over the next five years up to a total of 33 per cent of all immigration to the province, which recognizes both English and French as its official languages.<\/p>\n

7,500 target \u2018very achievable\u2019<\/h3>\n

The government\u2019s strategy echoes\u00a0the findings of a report<\/a>\u00a0issued last November by the NBMC, which also called for increasing immigration to the province to one per cent of New Brunswick\u2019s population.<\/p>\n

Alex LeBlanc, executive director of the NBMC, told\u00a0CIC News<\/em>\u00a0the province\u2019s target is \u201cvery achievable\u201d and the timeframe will allow the province to prepare support systems that will help communities to properly welcome and assist newcomers as they settle in New Brunswick.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis strategy really symbolizes the transformation New Brunswick is going through,\u201d LeBlanc said in a phone interview. \u201cWe are, as a province, fully behind the value of immigration, the contributions that newcomers make, and are committed to welcoming many more people to New Brunswick in the years ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Plan of Action<\/h3>\n

New Brunswick aims to achieve its population growth targets through a\u00a060-point action plan<\/a>\u00a0based on four broad objectives:<\/p>\n