CPC to Cut Barriers for Immigrants

[scribblet]

Not a bad plan, as apparantly Canada has a shortage of skilled workers. The only problem I have is that we need more help for unemployed or underemployed Canadians. Rather than keep people on welfare we should be paying to retrain and upgrade skillls. It is very difficult for someone to get an apprenticeship, and or go for apprenticehip/skills training unless they live at home or have some other method of financing it.

http://tinyurl.com/y48pld Toronto Star

Tory unveils plan to cut barriers for immigrants

Homa Nikmanesh came to Toronto from Iran expecting to be a chemistry teacher but spent a decade as a cleaner, bakery worker and receptionist instead.

"I thought: That's Canada ... you go through everything, then you pull yourself out," said Nikmanesh, 58.

Eventually, she and her husband, a mechanical engineer who also spent years working as an unskilled labourer, managed to get on their feet and open a chain of optical stores.

Yesterday, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory unveiled his party's plan to do away with barriers that keep skilled immigrants like Nikmanesh underemployed so long.

A key proposal includes working with universities, colleges and regulatory bodies to prepare and accredit workers in their homelands while they wait for permission to move here, a process that can take years....

[kimmy]

I agree it's a good idea. However, I have to point out that this proposal appears to come from the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, not the federal Conservatives.

-k

[jbg]

I agree it's a good idea. However, I have to point out that this proposal appears to come from the Ontario Progressive Conservatives, not the federal Conservatives.

-k

If the federal Parliament reads and passes the bill, who cares who's idea it is?

[cybercoma]

Not a bad plan, as apparantly Canada has a shortage of skilled workers. The only problem I have is that we need more help for unemployed or underemployed Canadians. Rather than keep people on welfare we should be paying to retrain and upgrade skillls. It is very difficult for someone to get an apprenticeship, and or go for apprenticehip/skills training unless they live at home or have some other method of financing it.

http://tinyurl.com/y48pld Toronto Star

Tory unveils plan to cut barriers for immigrants

Homa Nikmanesh came to Toronto from Iran expecting to be a chemistry teacher but spent a decade as a cleaner, bakery worker and receptionist instead.

"I thought: That's Canada ... you go through everything, then you pull yourself out," said Nikmanesh, 58.

Eventually, she and her husband, a mechanical engineer who also spent years working as an unskilled labourer, managed to get on their feet and open a chain of optical stores.

Yesterday, Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory unveiled his party's plan to do away with barriers that keep skilled immigrants like Nikmanesh underemployed so long.

A key proposal includes working with universities, colleges and regulatory bodies to prepare and accredit workers in their homelands while they wait for permission to move here, a process that can take years....

Employment increased by an estimated 51,000 in October following four months of little change. The unemployment rate declined 0.2 percentage points to 6.2%. Since the beginning of the year, employment has increased by 261,000 (+1.6%).

http://www.statcan.ca/english/Subjects/Labour/LFS/lfs-en.htm

One thing that concerns me, since unemployment is so low and there's an apparent demand for skilled labour... that means that there isn't enough labour for those skilled jobs. People are employed, as opposed to sitting around on welfare or sitting back instead of upgrading their skills as you've implied.

The problem I'm concerned with is the value of employment. I believe that flooding the market with labour will lower its value. Right now we're at the opposite end of the spectrum having not enough labour; however, this is something that should be watched carefully so it doesn't swing to a place where there is so much labour that the standard of living declines.