Canada needs 30,000 new immigrants in agri sector: Report
Darpan News Desk IANS, 19 Apr, 2023 02:09 PM
Toronto, April 19 (IANS) Canada needs 30,000 permanent immigrants over the next decade to either start up their own farms, or take over existing ones, to address a looming labour crisis in the agriculture industry, says a new study.
According to a Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) research, 40 per cent of Canadian farm operators will retire by 2033, placing agriculture on the cusp of one of the biggest labour and leadership transitions in the country's history.
Over the same period, a shortfall of 24,000 general farm, nursery and greenhouse workers is expected to emerge, and in 10 years, 60 per cent of today's farm operators will be over the age of 65, that is, close to retirement.
Amidst all this, 66 per cent of producers do not have a succession plan in place, leaving the future of farmland in doubt, the study said.
Canada's agricultural sector is among the most diverse in the world though the degree of demand for foreign workers differs significantly by province and operation.
When it comes to more highly-skilled farm operators, Canada has always welcomed them from India, the Netherlands, China, the US and the UK.
However, in case of immigration of low-skilled labourers, better policies are needed because the Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program, which remains a critical source of low-skilled labour, is just a provisional solution to a chronic issue, the study said.
Many of these TFWs who develop skills essential to seeding and harvests, must return to their home countries for short periods, and if they are unable to return to Canada, the country's on-farm workforce is dramatically reduced.
RBC researchers said that a pathway to permanent residency for experienced TFWs will immediately address this type of shortage.
Canada had started an agriculture-specific immigration pilot programme in 2020 to give a path to permanent residency for non-seasonal workers with experience, which is set to end in May 2023, a CBC News report said.
As of February 2023, more than 1,500 people have been admitted through the program in Ottawa province.
A department spokesperson told CBC that they are assessing the pilot programme "and the possible extension beyond its scheduled expiry".
The spokesperson added that giving migrants permanent residence "is not the solution to labour shortages".
Immigrants who arrived in Canada over the past five years had an employment rate of 70.7 per cent, a higher rate than October 2019, pre-pandemic, the Labour Force Survey data 2022 released by Statistics Canada said.
The meeting comes after Canada's premiers met in Victoria last July, where they asked Ottawa to boost the Canada Health Transfer, the money each jurisdiction gets for health care, to 35 per cent, up from what they said amounts to 22 per cent.
The new linear synchronous motor (LSM) launch coaster will occupy the previous location of the retired Corkscrew Coaster, and construction will begin in 2023 with opening targeted for 2024. This is the largest single attraction investment made by Playland and signals a bright future for Playland.
The Squamish Estuary trail network, a conservation area next to the mountain community's downtown centre about 60 kilometres north of Vancouver, will be closed until further notice. Bears are stressed at this time of year, as they seek food ahead of denning, which is expected in a few weeks as the weather cools.
The findings are based on data released by the guild Friday on all productions signed by its 860 director members in 2021. The report says women directed 40 per cent of DGC-signed feature films and 43 per cent of episodic television last year.
The Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association negotiates for a range of union positions, including medical technologists, lab workers, pharmacists, psychologists, social workers and physiotherapists.
