Quebec Businesses and Immigration Program

immigration program: Quebec has used its immigration program to attract capital to fund Quebec businesses, thereby increasing employment, to target immigrants to fill skill shortages and to maintain and enhance French language and culture by attracting francophones. Quebecs immigration program has been very successful on social, cultural, economic and political levels, according to The Star. Ottawa, however, does not allow Ontario to emulate the type of investment program Quebec and P.E.I. enjoy. The Ontario Immigration Act that died when the legislature was dissolved only proposed that Ontario eventually have the power to select a mere 5,000 immigrants annually. Ontario needs and deserves many more. Ontarios population is 67 per cent higher than Quebecs, but Ottawa allows Quebec to select five times as many immigrants annually 25,300 and The Constitution grants concurrent power to the provinces and Ottawa over immigration. Quebec wisely took full control over immigration in 1991. It is time for Ontario to do likewise. Other provinces and territories have lesser accords. For example, Ottawa allows Prince Edward Island to select investor immigrants who have a net worth of at least $2 million, who commit to invest $800,000 in approved projects within P.E.I. and agree to reside in the province. P.E.I. makes all selection decisions and the federal governments role is limited to ensuring that these nominees are not medically or criminally inadmissible. Thus, processing of investor immigrants is expedited and, most importantly, P.E.I. directs where the investment is made. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.