A new immigration agreement has been signed today by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Diane Finley, the Alberta Minister of Employment, Immigration, and Industry, Iris Evans, and the Premier of Alberta, Ed Stelmach. The Agreement for Canada-Alberta Cooperation on Immigration is a commitment from the federal government to work collaboratively on immigration matters with the Province of Alberta. It is designed to address Alberta’s labour force needs and the needs of newcomers to the province.

With a booming economy, Alberta has been trying to increase the number of immigrants to the province to help solve the labour shortage problem. Alberta Premier, Ed Stelmach has been pursing a “made-in-Alberta approach to immigration” since he took office last December.

The new agreement entails:

• The provincial government will be able to nominate a larger number of immigrants (under Provincial Nomination) who possess the skills needed in Alberta for priority processing by the federal government.
• A new pilot project to fast-track the entry of foreign health-care workers who have applied to come to Alberta.
• More involvement by the Alberta government in the recruitment and marketing strategies done overseas to attract immigrants to Canada.
• A commitment to establishing mechanisms to make it easier for Alberta to obtain the labour force it needs to meet employer demands.

The Agreement for Canada-Alberta Cooperation on Immigration builds on the established relationship between these two governments on immigration issues. It highlights the importance of settlement and integration services and the need to involve all community stakeholders (municipalities, service providers, and the private sector) in making immigrants feel at home in Alberta.