Sask. government seeking sole authority over immigration

The dome of the Saskatchewan Legislative Building is seen in this file image. (Brendan Ellis/CTV News)

The provincial government is putting forth legislation that would allow for greater autonomy over immigration, which would give Saskatchewan sole authority to nominate newcomers to the province.

On Thursday, Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison, along with the Ministers Responsible for Immigration, put forth a proposal for a Saskatchewan Immigration Accord, which would give the province authority similar to Quebec.

Currently, under the Quebec Accord, the province has the sole responsibility for the selection of immigrants while Canada has the responsibility for the admission of immigrants based on national security, according to a release from the Government of Saskatchewan.

Harrison said immigration is a key part of their government’s plan to grow Saskatchewan to 1.4 million people and create an additional 100,000 jobs by 2030.

"Provincial governments are in the best position to respond to local labour market needs with new Canadians. The provinces should not be limited by economic categories or caps on provincial nominee programs set by the federal government," he said in the news release.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts sent to your device

If a Saskatchewan Accord were to be approved, the government said this would reduce confusion among new Canadians, position immigrants for success, and make sure there are no gaps in response to humanitarian crises.

The proposal also requests a transfer in settlement funding which would transfer approximately $42 million to Saskatchewan annually and allow for a smoother process for international recruitment by employers.

Allowing for the Saskatchewan Immigration Accord would see a proportionate share of national immigration and a minimum of 13,000 positions given to the province in 2022.

"Saskatchewan requires more autonomy and flexibility over immigration in order to meet its economic needs and address gaps in the labour market," Harrison said. "Canada should be focusing its efforts on reducing processing times for applications and let the provinces select immigrants and ensure their effective settlement.”