‘We Can’t Take Immigrants for Granted’: Minister Mendicino
‘We Can’t Take Immigrants for Granted’: Minister Mendicino
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino and other panelists at the virtual event titled “Changes to immigration policy during COVID-19” on Friday (July 9). (Credit: CERC Migration via Twitter)
The federal government is foreshadowing a major overhaul of the immigration intake system so that it does not pit low-skilled workers against highly qualified applicants, reports Local Journalism Initiative reporter, Fernando Arce.
By Fernando Arce
Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has emphasized the need to modernize Canada’s immigration system so that future public health crises don’t threaten the economy the way COVID-19 has, though he was scant on details about how to achieve it.
Speaking at an online event on Friday organized by First Policy Response, Mendicino said bringing immigrants into the country is critical for the Canadian economy, while also recognizing the “contributions (of immigrants) that we took for granted before the pandemic.”
“We believe that we are an open country, an inclusive country, but our system needs to be transformed, needs to be modernized, so that it can accommodate the great demands that are placed on it,” he said.
Mendicino believes the $1 billion slated in the 2021 budget to “modernize and transform” the immigration system will lead “not only to better service…but to faster outcomes” for people trying to immigrate into the country. As he sees it, it is part of a “shift in the paradigm in the way we talk about immigration,” which should include getting rid of discriminatory practices like “ranking immigrants one against the other” – namely those considered low-skill versus those with higher qualifications.
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