Gordon Nixon, the president and chief executive of The Royal Bank of Canada says that Alberta and the rest of Canada need to increase the number of immigrants coming into the country and take advantage of the skills they bring with them.

At the Immigrant Access Fund in Calgary yesterday, Mr. Nixon said, "We must significantly increase these efforts and others if Canada is going to have the necessary human resources to compete in today's global economy. ...Make no mistake, Canada is in a Global war for talent. We must be a destination of choice for skilled immigrants and professionals or we will not succeed. ...If we do, we will have an unrivaled advantage. If we don't, we will face an uphill battle just to maintain our quality of life."