November 24, 2020—Halifax, NS—The Honourable Marco E.L. Mendicino joined the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council today to discuss the role of immigration in supporting economic recovery in Atlantic Canada.

During a virtual roundtable, leaders in the region’s private and academic sectors talked about the challenges facing the region due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to fill key labour market vacancies and increase newcomer retention in Atlantic Canada.

Minister Mendicino had the opportunity to discuss in depth the 2021‒2023 Immigration Levels Plan, which aims to continue welcoming immigrants at a rate of about 1% of the population of Canada, including 401,000 permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023.

In addition, he highlighted that pilots like the Atlantic Immigration Pilot are helping to get Canadian businesses the highly skilled workers they need to grow, and reiterated the Government’s commitment to make it a permanent program when the pilot concludes at the end of 2021.

The roundtable discussion also included reflection on the importance of attracting international students to the Atlantic provinces. International students bring tremendous economic, cultural and social benefits, and contribute roughly $22 billion to the Canadian economy.

The Minister recognized the regional advantages of Atlantic Canada, including the thriving technology, ocean economy and health care sectors, and thanked stakeholders and businesses for their collaboration thus far in navigating through these difficult times and for their work in the future to help the region in its recovery.