The ruling Conservative government maintains a position that Canada is in dire need of young labor. Against the backdrop of an aging Canadian population and ambitious plans to transform Canada into a major player on the world stage, attracting a large number of immigrants seems quite logical. At least, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper clearly stated that increasing the number of immigrants will contribute to the flourishing of the Canadian economy.
Other leading parties, such as the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party, which have always positioned themselves as advocates of immigration and typically rely on immigrant support, are unlikely to oppose the government's plans to increase the quota on the number of immigration visas issued.
It is worth noting an interesting campaign by Canada's leading newspaper, the Globe and Mail, which throughout almost the entire spring of 2012 conducted a massive injection of information about the need to increase the number of accepted immigrants to 400,000 people per year. This looked like preparing the population for the idea of increasing immigration flows.
Starting August 1, 2012, the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada began actively seeking public opinion on what the level of immigration should be, including priorities in allocating quotas among different immigration programs. The submission period ends August 31. The consultations themselves and the relatively short time frame allotted for them may indicate that a decision on quotas has already been made, and it may well be that starting in 2013 they will be significantly increased. At least, even if temporarily, at least to clear the queues of applications awaiting processing.
At the same time, I do not rule out that the rules for staying in Canada to maintain permanent resident status may be changed. Let me remind you that until 2002, to maintain permanent resident status in Canada, one had to be in the country for at least half a year each year. The current requirement to be present in Canada for 2 years out of 5 in order not to lose status seems wrong and pointless to many. At least, given the huge number of people wishing to obtain permanent resident status in Canada, allowing those who already have it to be absent for three out of five years is indeed illogical. If a person wants to have such status, they should live with it in Canada.
Elena Ryabinina.
"Russian Toronto"