Canada's Government Advised to Increase Immigration

A Canadian Government Committee has been advised that raising immigration targets to approximately 1% of the population, or between 300,000 and 330,000, is the best solution to reducing backlogs in the system. Current backlogs of between 240,000 to 265,000 are insufficient according to the Chinese Canadian National Council. "We cannot reduce the backlog unless we increase the immigration target range," he advised the Commons' committee. The sentiment was reinforced by Status Now, a second group present at the hearings.

Both groups were critical of the governments plans to introduce amendments to the Act and Regulations, which they feel give too much power to the Minister of Immigration. Conservative MPs attending the hearings were unreceptive to the recommendations of these groups, suggesting that their own modifications to the current system are a preferable way to reduce the backlogs and tackle shortages which exist in Canada's Labour Market.