Jason Kenney, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says a program which allows provinces to tailor immigration to fit local labour needs is working but there are problems that need to be addressed.
The provincial nominee program, which will allow 42,000 immigrants to come into Canada this year, is particularly successful in the West but is struggling in the Atlantic provinces.
Mr. Kenney says nominees should meet minimum language standards and stronger links are necessary between their occupations and the jobs that need filling.
Speaking in Calgary, Mr. Kenney said some provinces have virtually ignored the language component.
He also said there is a correlation between provinces with lower language requirements and higher numbers of fraudulent applications.
He said he can't force provinces to toe the line, but pointed out the federal government has the final say on who gets to come to Canada.