CRCA executive director participates in Construction Industry Immigration Roundtable
October 2023
On Thursday October 26th, CRCA’s executive director Jim Facette was one of about 15 construction organization representatives who participated in a virtual round table meeting with the Hon. Marc Miller, PC, MP, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.
Jim’s message was two-fold: first, we need an immigration system that treats non-residential roofers equally to those with advanced degrees in information technology. Second, we need a system going forward that doesn’t target one sector versus another.
It’s widely known that in the Canadian construction industry, be it non-residential or residential, there is a serious lack of labour supply for construction trades and other construction professionals.
During the 75 minutes with Minister Miller, he acknowledged the construction labour needs and that the current immigration system can be improved to assist in meeting those needs. He also stated that his department was examining options going forward and wanted feedback.
The CRCA looks forward to continued dialogue with the Minister as he develops a policy to assist with attracting roofers to Canada.
Update
Since the construction roundtable meeting with the Minister, CRCA executive director Jim Facette has been invited, along with eight other organizations, to meet with the Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for this issue to discuss measures the department is working on.
On Tuesday October 31st the Minister announced a series of immigration measures, while nothing specifically at this time addresses non-residential construction or roofer immigration, there appear to be broad areas of opportunity.
At first glance, the areas of interest include:
The CRCA has reached out to the department to shape how this can help CRCA members.
Jim’s message was two-fold: first, we need an immigration system that treats non-residential roofers equally to those with advanced degrees in information technology. Second, we need a system going forward that doesn’t target one sector versus another.
It’s widely known that in the Canadian construction industry, be it non-residential or residential, there is a serious lack of labour supply for construction trades and other construction professionals.
During the 75 minutes with Minister Miller, he acknowledged the construction labour needs and that the current immigration system can be improved to assist in meeting those needs. He also stated that his department was examining options going forward and wanted feedback.
The CRCA looks forward to continued dialogue with the Minister as he develops a policy to assist with attracting roofers to Canada.
Update
Since the construction roundtable meeting with the Minister, CRCA executive director Jim Facette has been invited, along with eight other organizations, to meet with the Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for this issue to discuss measures the department is working on.
On Tuesday October 31st the Minister announced a series of immigration measures, while nothing specifically at this time addresses non-residential construction or roofer immigration, there appear to be broad areas of opportunity.
At first glance, the areas of interest include:
- Implement the Recognized Employer Pilot.
- Explore new opportunities to support employers.
- Create the new role of a Chief International Talent Officer to align Canada’s immigration policies with a long-term skills and labour strategy.
- Working with partners, improve foreign credential recognition to enable more newcomers to apply their skills.
- Focus on international students with high-demand skills.
The CRCA has reached out to the department to shape how this can help CRCA members.