Kenney visits Pakistan to review and discuss immigration, manpower and investment issues with key Pakistani officials

On a two-day visit to Pakistan, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada (CIMC) Minister Jason Kenney held official bilateral meetings with Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani and heads of key ministries to discuss Canada-Pakistan relations with regards to immigration, employment of Pakistani citizens in Canada, and Canadian investment in Pakistan.

During these meetings, Prime Minister Gilani and Minister Kenney discussed regarding enhancing recruitment of Pakistani manpower by the Canadian entrepreneurs involved in development of new agricultural lands in Canada’s labor scarce provinces, and creating ways for employment of different categories of workforce from Pakistan. Minister Kenney assured Prime Minister that he will look at the possibility of making use of the skilled and semi-skilled labor from Pakistan for development of agriculture, construction and industrial sectors in some provinces of Canada.

Prime Minister hoped that Canada would also provide Pakistan with technical and financial assistance for upgrading the universities and vocational training institutions to train Pakistani manpower for this purpose. He stressed on the MOU to be drawn up between the two countries for development and up gradation of professional and technical institutes to maintain the standards that Canada desires.

The Prime Minister also took up the issue of inordinate delay in the processing of immigration cases of Pakistani nationals by the Canadian authorities. He urged that Pakistanis should be treated at par with immigrants from other countries. Minister Kenney agreed by the Prime Minister and assured that he will discuss with visa officers at the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad to review operations as well as facilitating the visa process for business travelers and international students.

The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude to the Canadian Government for doubling its economic assistance (CIDA) to Pakistan from $30 million to $60 million. Canada recently announced this increase, which will be used to strength local government institutions, basic health care for girls, and primary education for Pakistani children. Pakistan’s Foreign Minister also praised Canada’s continued assistance to Pakistan for human resource development and capacity building.

Minister Kenney informed Prime Minister Gilani that a Parliamentary Forum in Canada would be established next month to promote exchanges between elected representatives in Canada and Pakistan.

Before returning to Canada January 18, 2009, the Minister will also travel to Mumbai, where he will express Canada’s condolences for the terrorist attacks in November 2008, and visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar, and sites of importance particularly to the Jewish and Ismaili communities. In New Delhi He will be visiting the office of the Canadian Immigration Integration Project (CIIP) and addressing the Indo-Canadian Business Chamber. In Mumbai,

At the close of his visit to Pakistan, Minister Kenney said that the purpose of his visit to Pakistan was to look at the possibility of establishing a more close and friendly relations between the two countries.