Ontario is losing skilled global talent at a time when we can least afford it

QUEEN’S PARK — Ontario NDP Shadow Minister for Citizenship and Multiculturalism Alexa Gilmour (Parkdale-High Park) and Shadow Attorney General Kristyn Wong-Tam (Toronto Centre) are calling on the Ford government to remove barriers within the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) and allow skilled global talent to join Ontario’s workforce.

“Ontario is losing skilled global talent at a time when we can least afford it,” said Gilmour. “The OINP is an important tool in strengthening Ontario’s economy, bringing in skills and talents vital to our province’s key sectors like health care, technology, agriculture, and manufacturing, but its present form leaves skilled talent waiting years for jobs that may never come.

“Doug Ford must put a stop to the endless delays and weak oversight that plague this system. The OINP should work for people, not against them. If the Conservatives don't address this, our province will continue to bleed the skilled workers that it needs so desperately.”

“As usual, the Premier reflexively blames the federal government for the massive OINP backlog, but applicants were already enduring years-long waits before recent federal changes,” said Wong-Tam. “Demand for the OINP from employers and skilled workers has increased over the last six years, and rather than chasing jobs, Ford is more concerned with chasing a single supposed shoplifter in a Home Depot parking lot.

“Ontario is losing much-needed skilled workers because the Ford government can’t deliver timely, transparent decisions. At a moment where these critical sectors need all the support they can get, the Premier needs to fix this crumbling system, and make sure skilled workers know they are welcome in our province.”

ADDITIONAL QUOTES:

“Newcomers deserve dignity. Ontario, especially Northwestern Ontario, needs their skills, and they deserve the security to build their futures here. These workers have done everything right; they’ve paid their fees, submitted their documents, and contributed to our communities. Yet they’re being punished by delays and political games between the Ford Conservatives and the federal government.”

— Ontario NDP MPP Lise Vaugeois (Thunder Bay-Superior North)

“These nominations are a lifeline for newcomers to Ontario, but the government not processing their applications in a timely manner has devastating repercussions. People lose their status and are forced to leave the province, unable to provide for their families, or even to qualify for the program again, having lost both money and time that they can’t get back. This is inhumane.”

— Immigration attorney Elizabeth Long, LM Law Group