Supporting and empowering immigrants will only help Quebec’s prosperity

Four billion dollars. That’s how much the Government of Quebec is spending to attract 170,000 workers over the next four years to address critical labour shortages across numerous sectors like health care, child care, IT, engineering, and construction. Jean Boulet, the minister of employment, stated the province’s labour shortage would likely reach 1.4 million vacant positions by 2030. Despite the critical need for immigrant workers, Quebec lags behind Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta in the retention of immigrants. There may be many reasons, but newcomers themselves cite the general lack of recognition of newcomer credentials and skills, and barriers they face learning French or accessing French-language training. My own family’s immigration journey is an example of Quebec’s struggles with the retention of immigrants. Oumar Dicko is the national director of government relations at Windmill Microlending. Photograph courtesy of Oumar Dicko As a francophone family, our top destination in Canada was Montreal. But once we arrived, my father discovered the licensing process in Quebec was a lot more complicated and costly than expected—even for a skilled immigrant like himself, with a master’s degree and 25 years experience working in his profession in Africa. My father decided to put his dream of working in his field on hold—like so many immigrants faced with this reality—and worked other jobs to make ends meet and take care of his family. A couple of years later, he heard of an accelerated one-year course offered at a university in Ontario that could fast track his licensing. My family made the decision then to leave Montreal and move to Ottawa, where they have been ever since. My family’s story is sadly not an isolated case. But it doesn’t have to be this way. If we support and empower new Quebecers, more of them will choose to stay working and contribute here. Boulet predicts that immigration will continue to increase in importance for Quebec in the coming years. Immigrants make up 17 per cent of Quebec’s labour market and are expected to contribute close to $1 billion in GDP in the next year. By 2025, it’s projected Quebec would miss out on $66-billion, or 15 per cent GDP, growth without them. To ensure skilled foreign workers come to Quebec and stay in Quebec, we need to make it easier for them to find and access supports that empower them. More steps need to be taken by the government, and the private and settlement sectors to reduce and eliminate barriers faced by immigrants. First, we need accessible government-funded language programs specific to newcomers. More than 72 per cent of recent immigrants to Quebec arrive with a native language other than English or French. Recent legislative changes, like Bill 96, may have unintended consequences, clouding the path to full integration for new Quebecers, as they attempt to establish their careers and lives at the same time as they learn a new language. We also need expanded supports to help immigrants in the workplace. Even with record-low unemployment in Quebec, the province is experiencing the highest unemployment rate for immigrants in the country, compared to workers born here. Expanded supports for immigrants could take the form of increased scope or funding for initiatives like the Foreign Credential Recognition Loan (PRTCE) which helps newcomers pay for the exorbitant costs of getting accredited to Quebec standards of practice. Non-profit PRTCE partner, Le Moulin Microcrédits, reports its skilled immigrant loan recipients grow their incomes more than three-fold, and unemployment drops for them from 42 to eight per cent. Improved supports could also mean strengthening the efficiency of programs designed to link newcomers with employment opportunities, ensuring they are as easy to access as possible. Hydro-Quebec’s newcomer integration program offers an innovative and supportive model that could be replicated by employers. It includes newcomer mentorship and dedicated settlement supports and training. Perhaps, most importantly, in order to support immigrants to contribute to their fullest potential in Quebec, systemic discrimination must be addressed. Statistics consistently show immigrants, in particular newcomer women, face disadvantages in the province when it comes to employment, career advancement and income growth opportunities. Solutions, like those being implemented at McGill University, such as anti-bias training, cultural competency education, and diverse hiring practices need to expand to organizations, large and small, across the province. Our economic growth and prosperity are how we pay for our social programs, care for our sick and elderly, build stronger infrastructure and improve our standard of living. Successful integration of immigrants makes all of this possible. Oumar Dicko is the national director of government relations at Windmill Microlending. The Hill Times