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".
Ravi Kahlon, who announced the new initiative at an afternoon news conference alongside Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, said there are currently about 117 people living on East Hastings Street, 70 of whom have expressed a desire for housing.
The RCMP say that police arrived and found two victims with multiple gun shot wounds. They say officers immediately provided first aid until Emergency Health Services arrived and transported the victims to hospital.
Adam Loria, a spokesman for Calgary Emergency Medical Services, says all the people sent to hospital are adults. He says six people were in life-threatening condition and four received serious injuries.
37-year-old Craig Truckle of Nanaimo and of no fixed address has been arrested in connection with the March 12th shooting which sent a 39-year-old man to hospital with serious injuries. At approximately 11 pm on Wednesday Truckle was arrested without incident in downtown Nanaimo by front line officers and taken into police custody.
The funeral for Const. Travis Jordan, who was 35, and Const. Brett Ryan, who was 30, is planned to be held in the afternoon at the home arena for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League. The service is not open to the public but there will be a livestream, which is to be broadcast in an outdoor plaza near the arena.
The changes will take effect on March 31. The border agency first restricted hours at land border crossings in April 2020, closing many points of entry early and stopping 24-hour service at seven crossings.
