Canada’s population grew faster in 2008 due to an increase in net international migration

As of October 1, 2008, Canada's population was estimated at 33,441,300, up 335,900 people, or one per cent, from January 1, 2008. All provinces and territories, except Northwest Territories, recorded population increase but demographic growth remained higher in Western Canada.

Based on 2006 Census counts, the Canadian Statistics Agency confirmed that this advance in population growth was mainly due to a rise in net international migration which, at 240,700, reached its highest level since the end of the 1980s.

This upward movement in net international migration was due to an increase in both the number of permanent and non-permanent residents.

Since the beginning of the year, Canada has received 194,600 new immigrants, 12,900 more than last year for the same period.

The number of non-permanent residents in Canada also rose by more than 79,500 from January to September. Higher net numbers of non-permanent residents were observed in almost every province and territory, especially in Quebec and in the four western provinces, where the levels topped 2008 highs.

The rise of net population inflows resulting from international migration from January to September 2008 has affected population dynamics in almost all regions of the country, except Northwest Territories. Every province saw their demographic growth increase compared with the same period of 2007.

However, demographic growth remained higher in Western Canada. Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and Yukon all had growth rates higher than the national level. East of Manitoba, only Prince Edward Island outpaced the national level.

For a fourth consecutive quarter, Alberta led all the other provinces in demographic growth, posting a rate of 0.72 per cent, nearly twice the national rate. The province's growth was mainly attributable to a resurgence in interprovincial migration and a strong increase in its number of non-permanent residents. Alberta's rate of growth in non-permanent residents has been the highest of all the provinces since the fourth quarter of 2006.

Saskatchewan had the highest net interprovincial migration rate in Canada in the third quarter of 2008. Its population has been growing at a faster rate than the national level since the second quarter of 2007.

Manitoba and British Columbia both posted demographic growth above the national level in 2008. Manitoba posted its highest quarterly increase between April and July since the third quarter of 1982.

In Eastern Canada, all Atlantic provinces recorded population increases for a second consecutive quarter. Prince Edward Island continued to lead the region in demographic growth with an increase of 0.67 per cent, mainly the result of the highest net international migration rate in Canada. In the third quarter of 2008, the population of Newfoundland and Labrador experienced its highest growth rate since the second quarter of 1991, primarily as a result of strong net interprovincial migration.

For a fourth quarter in a row, Ontario's demographic growth, +0.37 per cent, was below the national level, even though the province registered its lowest net outflow in interprovincial migration since the first quarter of 2007.

Quebec's demographic growth was its highest since the second quarter of 1991. An increasing number of births and a third-quarter record in net international migration more than offset the province's large net outflow in interprovincial migration.

Yukon led the northern territories in demographic growth for a third consecutive quarter. Since the beginning of 2008, Yukon has been the only territory with net inflows in both interprovincial and international migration.

Canada's rate of natural increase in 2008 remained relatively stable compared with the same period of 2007, with the number of births and deaths increasing in a similar fashion.

Canada invests in employment programs to facilitate social participation of newcomers and unemployed workers

To help newcomers participate in the workforce and contribute to their communities, government of Canada delivers necessary training, skills and opportunities in partnership with communities and stakeholders, and provides them essential funding to support these initiatives.

Now to help 3,700 newcomers to Canada, unemployed workers aged 45 or older aiming to re-enter the workforce, as well as assist employers in addressing local skills shortages in Lower Mainland area of British Columbia, federal government has initiated three S.U.C.C.E.S.S. projects.

One project, Tomorrow’s Workplace, aims to generate an understanding of skills shortages issues among employers and involve them in creating solutions by offering employer outreach and networking opportunities. This project is delivered through the Labour Market Partnerships program.

The Employment Resource Centre project will enable S.U.C.C.E.S.S. to help unemployed recent immigrants, who are legally entitled to work in Canada, prepare for and find employment through access to a self-serve resource centre, workshops, and the development of individual work plans. Through the Experience for Hire project, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. will provide unemployed workers aged 45 or older with employment counseling on labour market trends, job search techniques and career goals that will allow them to obtain employment or become self-employed. Both of these projects are delivered through the Employment Assistance Services program.

Established in 1973 and incorporated in 1974 as a non-profit charitable organization for the purpose of promoting the well-being of Canadians and immigrants, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is now a multi-service, multicultural immigrant serving agency in British Columbia. With a network of 11 branches in Lower Mainland area, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. is delivering program in culturally sensitive ways to meet the needs of new immigrants and unemployed workers. Approximately 70 per cent of the S.U.C.C.E.S.S. annual operating fund comes from the three levels of government. In 1979, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. became a member of the United Way of the Lower Mainland. In 1994, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. received the Citation for Citizenship Award for its contribution to new immigrants’ settlement and integration. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. was accredited by the Council on Accreditation in January 2004 for the achievement of best practice standards.

Canada announces substantial increase in annual settlement funding to provinces and territories other than Ontario and Quebec

To help newcomers settle, adapt and integrate into Canadian society, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), in partnership with provinces, territories and settlement providers, has been delivering programs and services to migrants of more than 40 nationalities for over 16 years, and providing stakeholders necessary funding to support these initiatives.

To continue this collaboration, CIC has released details of federal annual funding to its primary partners to help increase the uptake of immigrant settlement programs in the coming year.

According to this annual support, provinces and territories, other than Ontario and Quebec, will be allocated more than $240 million in federal funding during the financial year 2009-10, which represents an increase of over $40 million, or more than 20 per cent, over the previous year.

This annual allocation is part of CIC’s five-years, $1.4 billion "additional settlement funding package" to provinces and territories, other than Quebec, since 2006-07, and used for the development and continuation of important programs and services, such as language training and employment services, that help newcomers integrate and succeed in Canada.

The allocations for 2009-10 also reflect a funding formula that is based on the number of newcomers, and which gives additional weight for refugees to account for their unique settlement needs. For example, the Prince Edward Island will be receiving nearly $2 million in funding which represents an increase of 43 per cent over the previous year, while British Columbia will be receiving more than $120 million in funding but it represents an increase of only 13 per cent over the previous year. The formula also provides a capacity-building amount for each jurisdiction, recognizing that jurisdictions are at different places in terms of settlement service provision.

Funding for Ontario is provided under the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA). Through this Agreement, the Government of Canada has increased funding for Ontario by a total of $920 million over five years. This covers basic settlement services, enhanced language training, portal and administration costs.

For Quebec, the Canada-Quebec Accord (CQA) provides the government of Quebec with an annual grant, the amount of which is calculated using a formula set out in the Accord. Quebec has responsibility for all settlement services. For 2009-10, the estimated amount is $234.2 million.

Nova Scotia unveils a new business loan program to help newcomers start, expand or buy small businesses

Nova Scotia has introduced a simplified business loan program for newcomers to the province who wish to establish their own small businesses and generate jobs.

The new Immigrant Small Business Financing Program (ISBFP) is a joint initiative of the Nova Scotia Cooperative Council, the Credit Union Council of Nova Scotia, local Credit Unions, the Department of Economic Development and the Office of Immigration. Administered by the Nova Scotia Cooperative Council, the pilot project will be available solely through credit unions across Nova Scotia to offer up to $150,000 loan to immigrants, who have lived in Nova Scotia for less than five years, to help start, expand or buy a small business.

Local credit unions will begin taking applications for this purpose in mid of January next year.

This simplified approach will not only help ensure immigrant entrepreneurs have the opportunity to become small business owners in Nova Scotia and generate jobs, but also help getting business loans in a timely manner, which is usually difficult in Canada as banks and other lending institutions generally do not recognize international credit history of many new immigrants.

"Access to economic opportunities are key factors in a new immigrant's decision to stay or leave the province," said Immigration Minister Len Goucher. "By setting up businesses, new immigrants will also establish stronger roots in local communities, roots that will help newcomers integrate and, ultimately, settle in Nova Scotia."

To support this business loan program, department of Economic Development will invest $2 million in a loan guarantee, which will be reviewed annually, while the Office of Immigration will provide $100,000 a year for operating and other costs, such as business counselling, administration, technical services and legal costs.

The ISBFP is an extension of the existing Small Business Financing Program, which is also administered by the Nova Scotia Enterprises Cooperative and delivered through credit unions. It has helped more than 350 companies create and maintain 2,300 jobs.

"We've helped establish new businesses and empower entrepreneurs with the support they need to create employment for themselves and others," says Dianne Kelderman, chief executive officer of the Nova Scotia Cooperative Council. "We have had great success and now, with a program for immigrant entrepreneurs, we see the opportunity for even greater growth."

In Nova Scotia, there are more than 30,000 small businesses, representing 92 per cent of all businesses in the province. In 2007, more than 150 newcomers interested in starting a new business sought assistance from the Metropolitan Immigrant Settlement Association.

Canada's electricity sector needs to hire 25,000 engineers and skilled trades people within the next six years

A new report reveals that Canada’s electricity industry is facing serious labor shortages that could power down an industry which fulfills Canada’s energy demands and employs some 100,000 people.

In its current release of workforce planning report, Canada’s Electricity Sector Council (ESC) has showed that electricity industry faces an immediate shortfall of 1,300 positions every year for the next three years and needs to replace nearly 30 percent of industry positions, or approximately 25,000 people within the next six years, to meet Canada's energy demands – currently rising by one percent each year. More importantly, the rate of workforce retirement will reach 29 per cent within the next four years alone, especially the retirement of transmission system workers is expected to jump more than sevenfold next year and nine fold by 2012.

Report warned that an aging workforce, coupled with low recruiting numbers and a continual increase in demand from domestic and export markets, are converging to create a problem that could impact the supply, transmission and distribution of power in Canada.

"Retirements are likely going to stay high for another four to five years and then take another couple of years to stabilize," says Damon Rondeau, a human resource planner at Manitoba Hydro and chair of the ESC's labor market information project's steering committee. "Part of the problem is the traditionally stable nature of the electricity industry, a long-service, low-turnover segment of the economy. The entire electricity sector grew substantially in the 1960s and 1970s in response to growth in the Canadian economy and these people are all retiring now."

"We do forecast some (more) retirements," says Erin Kurchina, vice-president of human resources for Calgary-based energy distribution, supply and service company Enmax. "They're not excessive and we've been able to manage our staffing levels through redeployments and the succession planning (for all staffing levels) that we've done. We've also partnered with the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society to help us explore the recruitment of international immigrants."

The workforce planning report suggests that the industry must to do a better job promoting itself as a career path at a time when enrolment in electrical engineering programs is falling and competition for skills from other industries is rising. This is includes working more closely with post-secondary institutions to develop programs relevant to the sector. An emphasis on recruiting foreign-trained workers and underemployed groups, such as women and visible minorities, would also help alleviate the crunch, it recommended.

The ESC is also working on a number of initiatives to ensure that the sector has enough employees to meet the retirement crunch. For example, it's partnering with associations, labor organizations and educators in the energy sector and has provincial working groups in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia working directly with the energy ministries in each of those provinces. The ESC’s Electricity First work program also provides wage subsidies to small and medium-size companies that offer employment to recent engineering and technical graduates. It's further working to create a national HR strategy and is developing sector-specific online tools, such as templates and tracking forms, to help organizations prepare for the radical demographic shift in the electricity workforce.

The Electricity Sector Council is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Canada with support from participating sector communities of business, labor organizations, educators and stakeholder associations. The Council provides human resource and workplace development support to workers employed by the electricity, renewable energy industries and related cogeneration, energy efficiency, and manufacturing and service/consulting industries. Through its research and work with industry employers, the Council is resolving issues such as recruiting and retraining workers, facilitating school-to-work transitions and developing sector and career awareness strategies.

Canada announces new funding to help under-represented labor groups facing barriers to employment

Canadian federal government has announced new funding for an innovative employment program aimed at helping under-represented people prepare for jobs in high-demand occupations in the Surrey, a fast-growing urban area in the British Columbia with a diverse population and increasing labor requirements.

This program will be delivered through the Surrey Community Services Society (SCSS), which is a not-for-profit, accredited organization offering case-management services for the past nine years, and has been delivering a variety of other successful employment programs since 1985.

SCSS will be provided $3.4 million in funding under the Government of Canada’s Employment Assistance Services (EAS) program to launch and run Whalley Employment Resource Centre project between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2010. During this period, the project will help almost 10,000 unemployed persons in under-represented labor groups, such as Aboriginal people, people with disabilities, youth and immigrant communities, and other people facing barriers to employment, to acquire the skills, knowledge and experience they need to obtain and maintain fulltime employment in specific high-demand occupations in retail, wholesale, trade and construction, information technology, recreation, professional and technical businesses.

"Canada is built on a promise of opportunity; the chance to work hard, raise a family and make a better life regardless of cultural background, gender, age, disability or official language," said Ms. Dona Cadman, MP for Surrey North. "In supporting this project, the Government of Canada is helping these participants share in that promise by removing barriers to finding employment."

Government of Canada’s EAS program provides funding to organizations that offer employment services to help clients re-enter the labor market. Funding for the EAS program was provided for in the March 2007 federal budget. All unemployed Canadians have access to a range of services under the EAS program. However, some EAS offerings are available only to clients who are eligible to receive Employment Insurance (EI) benefits, or who have recently been receiving EI benefits.

Employment Assistance Services include providing clients with information about the labor market, helping to prepare résumés, career-planning services, employment counselling, diagnostic assessment, help with job-search skills, job-finding clubs, and job-placement services.

Eligible recipients of EAS funding are businesses (including federal Crown corporations and provincial/territorial Crown corporations), organizations, individuals, public health and educational institutions, municipal governments, and band/tribal councils, as well as some provincial/territorial government departments and agencies. These entities act as employers or service coordinators under the program.

This project has been reviewed to ensure compliance with Service Canada’s administration of its grants and contributions programs, and is subject to review under the Financial Administration Act.

Filipinos mark the highest rank in permanent residents and temporary workers combined in 2007

For the first time, the Philippines has become Canada's largest source in providing the highest number of permanent residents and temporary workers combined in 2007.

A recent analysis of Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s (CIC) quarterly statistics on new permanent residents and foreign workers by the Association for Canadian Studies (ACS) showed that the Philippines has surpassed China and India by sending 19,064 immigrants and 15,254 temporary workers (total 34,318) to Canada in 2007.

The change in the Philippines’s ranking is mainly due to a significant rise in number of Filipino temporary workers in Canada between 2006 and 2007 that soared from 8,466 to 15,254. This over 90 per cent upsurge was the highest single year increase in the number of Filipino temporary workers in Canada since 1998. In 2007, the Philippines was positioned second within the top source countries for temporary foreign workers after the United States.

On the other hand, a 10 per cent decline in the permanent residents to Canada between 2005 and 2007 was reflected in the drop of number of immigrants entering Canada from major source countries. For example, immigration from China, still the top source, decreased by one-third between 2005 and 2007, dropping to a 10-year low, while immigration from India, the second-largest group, also dropped by 20 per cent in the same period. Amongst other significant declines in source countries were Pakistan which declined by over 20 per cent over the previous year. On the contrary, immigration from the Philippines, the third-largest group, gone up nearly 9 per cent over the same two year period and have more than doubled in the past decade. The Philippines has also been among the top five source countries for permanent residents for over 25 years.

Filipino immigrants have also showed the strongest labor market performance in a study of all immigrants who had landed in Canada between 2001 and 2006, compared with immigrants, aged 25 to 54 and born elsewhere in North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Oceania and Asia. The study used the results from the Labor Force Survey (LFS) that was made possible through a partnership with Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), CIC and Statistics Canada. It showed that in 2006, many very recent immigrants in the core working-age group (aged 25 to 54) had experienced some difficulties in the labor market, compared with the Canadian born. Only those born in Southeast Asia, particularly those from the Philippines, had unemployment rates, employment rates and participation rates more or less at par with the Canadian-born population of core working age. In fact, very recent Filipino-born immigrants had an unemployment rate of 5.4 per cent, which was only slightly higher than 4.9 per cent for the Canadian born.

At present, nearly half a million Filipinos living in Canada while most Filipino temporary workers are teachers, nurses and caregivers in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, of them two-thirds are women.

"Despite their numeric significance, Filipinos have a low profile in Canada. They are primarily focused on sending their salaries to their families back home," said Flordeliz Dandal, executive director of the Kababayan Community Centre in Toronto, a newcomer-settlement group. "They don't care about politics, and they don't yet have time to engage in Canadian political life unless they have been here a long time."

The Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan are especially interested in recruiting temporary foreign workers from the Philippines and have forged agreements with the Philippines government for this purpose.

Alberta has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Philippines government in October 2008 to help fill labor shortages in its oil and gas industry as well as construction sector for its infrastructure projects with 10,000 highly skilled Filipino workers and professionals. British Columbia has also signed a two-year memorandum of understanding with the Philippine government in January 2008 to help fill provincial labor shortages in the tourism, hospitality, retail, and construction sectors with skilled Filipino workers. British Columbia employers have also participated in the Province’s first ever job fair in the Philippines in October 2008, provided Filipinos with the opportunity to explore employment opportunities in British Columbia’s hospitality/tourism and transportation sectors. In 2008, Western Canada has recruited between 30,000 and 40,000 skilled Filipino workers.