Update on Immigration and Visible Minorities

Here is a report by the Bellissimo Law group (immigration lawyers, so they should be happy) about the commitment to immigration by Jason Kenney, minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, for 2009:

Canadian minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, has great plans to welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents.

On November 28, 2008, Minister Kenney announced that he is committed to his immigration program to balance Canadian's [sic] economic, humanitarian and family reunification goals. Minister Kenney plans to include up to 156,600 immigrants in the economic category; 71,000 in the family category; and 37,400 in the humanitarian category.

In 2007, projecting for 2008, another law firm, the Campell Cohen law firm, announced that:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced...that the target for permanent residents will increase by 15000 in the upcoming year [of 2008]...

In 2007 Canada plans to admit between 240 000 to 265 000 permanent residents, up from a range of 225 000 to 250 000 this calendar year.

So, the projected acceptance went up for 2008, and remained high for 2009 (higher than for 2006), despite a more conservative government, and a minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism who plans to rewrite the citizenship test because Canada "can't afford to be passive about the challenges of integration."

If Jason Kenney is still concerned about the integration of immigrants, after so many years of immigration, shouldn't he be questioning what it is about these newer immigrants that makes them less likely to integrate, rather than rewriting the citizenship test? 

I hope Ezral Levant is also able to help out Kenney with these questions.