The Albertan Minister of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour, Ric McIver, has lauded the government of Canada’s immigration plan for 2015. The plan, which aims to increase the annual number of new permanent residents accepted by Canada to between 260,000 and 285,000, was announced last Friday.

In a statement published on the government of Alberta’s website over the weekend, Mc Iver stated that the plan will help Alberta to address labour shortages, both now and over the coming years. "It looks to me like the ministers are listening and trying to move in a direction that's helpful," said McIver, who met with federal Immigration Minister Chris Alexander and Employment Minister Jason Kenney in Ottawa recently.

“We applaud our federal counterparts on these latest efforts to improve Canada’s immigration system for current and future generations. We are pleased to see an increase to the provincial nominee program nationally. This is a first step as we continue to work with the federal government toward a greater increase to the provincial nominee program, which has been very effective in meeting Alberta’s unique needs across all skill levels.

"Given that Canada is expected to approve between 260,000 and 285,000 individuals to come to Canada as permanent residents in 2015, we are very pleased to see an increase in overall immigration levels and a greater emphasis on increasing economic immigration. This will help address Alberta and Canada’s need for more workers to complement our existing labour force, understanding full well that Alberta’s position has always been that Canadians have the first opportunity at available jobs.

"Alberta’s economy is strong, and our labour market is unique. Unemployment is below five per cent. So, it’s no surprise that in 2013, more than 100,000 newcomers made the decision to call Alberta home. Despite this, we still have an expected labour shortage of almost 96,000 workers in the next decade. The need for labour in Alberta is clear. The simple reality is that we have jobs without workers and workers without jobs. Our challenge is in finding permanent workers to fill permanent positions across the province.”

Alberta’s new Premier, Jim Prentice, has made it known early in the tenure of his government that he views immigration as part of the solution to the province’s labour shortage. Federal Minister of Employment, Jason Kenney, recently stated that Alberta should look to new permanent residents rather than the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. Minister McIver’s comments are in line with that point of view. Alberta’s booming economy is driven by the natural resources sector, with large deposits of oil and natural gas in the province.