A shortage of skilled workers in the electricity sector could jeopardize Canada’s ability to develop clean sources of energy. Over the next 10 years, 40% of all workers in the electricity sector plan to retire and 74% of the industry’s workers are over the age of 40. According to Canada’s Electricity Sector Council, more than 30% of companies that produce electricity do not have plans to manage this mass departure of workers. This will result in construction schedule delays, increased development costs, and smaller profit margins unless Canada is able to attract skilled workers from abroad.

According to Statistics Canada, Canada’s GDP grew by 0.1 per cent in May, after being flat in April. The growth was mostly driven by the goods-producing sector, which grew 0.6 per cent in May. Activity in oil and gas exploration also contributed to the increase.

The Government of Canada is supporting the new Toronto Civic Participation Program, which aims to provide learning opportunities to participants from ethnic communities to increase their knowledge and understanding of Canada and how the Canadian government works. The goal is to increase civic participation among newcomers to Canada by offering learning activities regarding the Canadian democratic process, the structure of government and the rights and responsibilities associated with Canadian citizenship. Participants will also receive leadership training, and be expected to share their new knowledge and skills with others.

Employment prospects have improved in areas across most of Canada, but in the short term the chances of finding a job aren’t quite as promising in some of Canada’s largest cities.

With recent changes to visa rules, Saudi nationals can now get five-year multiple-entry temporary resident visas to enter Canada. The changes facilitate the movement of students and business people between Saudi Arabia and Canada.

Canada’s strong growth prospects and superior economic position have created a favourable foreign investment climate. Canada’s pragmatic approach to economic management—strict banking regulations, stable banking system, low debt ratio, and economic immigration—has created a safe place to invest. Canada was better prepared than any other developed nation to weather the effects of the global recession.

Six months have passed since an earthquake devastated the country of Haiti. To date, Canada has spent $150 million to support humanitarian and recovery efforts by providing shelters, removing rubble, and leading water and sanitation projects and child protection initiatives. Canada has pledged more than $1 billion to long-term re-building efforts. Additionally, the Canadian government is very quickly processing applications by Haitians to be re-united with their families in Canada.

Statistics Canada reports the Canadian economy added 93,200 jobs in June. Almost all of the jobs added are in Ontario (+60,000) and Quebec (+30,000). The large number of jobs added dropped Canada's unemployment rate to 7.9%. The current unemployment rate in the US is 9.5%. The statistic indicates the strength of the domestic economy in Canada.

A new report from the Conference Board of Canada recommends that Canadian immigration policies should continue to evolve to prevent labour shortages that could stunt future economic growth. To accomplish this, the report states that Canadian immigration policy should place more importance on the skills of prospective immigrants and whether they match Canada's labour needs. This will be increasingly important because steady job growth tends to be the norm in Canada and Canada’s large baby-boomer generation is approaching retirement age.

Today, Canada celebrates its 143rd birthday. As people all across the country celebrate Canada, we pause to reflect on what makes Canada worthy of celebration. Canadians have long considered themselves a multicultural success story. “The world seems to agree,” says Andrew Cohen, the President of the Historica-Dominion Institute.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced on June 26, 2010, that the Government of Canada has amended its current immigration procedures to further reduce the Federal Skilled Worker application backlog and put an even greater emphasis on economic recovery. The changes,effective immediately, include:

1) a change in the occupations that are currently ‘open’ under this program, 
2) a change in the documentation required for an application under this program, and 
3) the creation of a limit on the number of applications which will be considered by Visa Offices. 

These changes do not affect any applications received at the Central Intake Office before June 26, 2010.

“Canada is leading the world in the global economic recovery,” said Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty. A report released yesterday highlights Canada’s strong economy, sound fiscal position, and favourable foreign investment conditions.

From 2005 and 2009, the average overall processing time for Canadian immigration applications decreased to 26 months from 50 months. A recent analysis has found this improvement is linked to legislation introduced in 2008 which fast-tracked applications by skilled-workers such as registered nurses, crane operators, financial auditors, construction managers and 34 other qualifying occupations for the Federal Skilled Worker Category. The approximate processing time now for a skilled worker application is seven months, which represents a drastic reduction since previously the overall processing time could take up to five years.

Immigration ministers from the provinces and territories held a meeting in Ottawa yesterday with federal Immigration Minister Jason Kenney to discuss ways to improve Canada’s immigration system given the importance of immigration to Canada’s future competitiveness and prosperity. The Ministers discussed the status of several key issues including the common goal of ensuring foreign credentials and qualifications are recognized consistently and fairly, the ability of the provincial nominee programs to respond to local labour market needs, and the support newcomers need to join and help build vibrant communities.

Today, people from around the world will be watching in anticipation as the 2010 FIFA World Cup begins in South Africa. Over the following month, an estimated one billion viewers will watch teams from 32 countries come together in sport, culminating into a final game which receives more viewers and international attention than the Olympics. 

Although Canada does not yet have a soccer team strong enough to compete in the top 32, Canada is making a beautiful and enduring offering to this year’s World Cup.

A hot topic at a conference today in Montreal was the projected shortage of skilled workers in the information technology sector. Representatives from some of Canada’s largest technology firms said they are concerned a labour shortage will impact their ability to sustain growth. “Integrating immigrants into our workforce is very important to maintain the quality and the quantity of our workforce,” said Renaud Caron, vice president of Montreal-based IT company CGI, at the conference this morning.

Canada is being recognized in China this week for being a world-class destination for potential investors. Canadian Minister of International Trade, Peter Van Loan, said Canada is one of the best locations in the world to invest in sophisticated, cost-effective science and technology partnerships.

Last week, the governments of Canada and Saskatchewan announced they have signed an agreement to help protect temporary foreign workers from exploitation and abuse.

On Friday, British Columbia (BC) announced that it is making changes to its Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that will allow the province to welcome greater numbers of qualified immigrants.

Mexico's President Felipe Calderon has been on an official visit to Canada this week, discussing various ways to improve and promote cooperation between the two countries with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.  Among the items discussed is a plan for a youth work exchange program that will likely be similar to Youth Mobility Agreements that Canada already has in place with 19 countries.

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney is set to announce reforms to the way Canadian immigration representatives are regulated in order to better protect prospective immigrants from unscrupulous ‘ghost’ consultants.

The federal government and the Manitoba provincial government have announced funding for an employment project that will provide youth and immigrants in Manitoba with job-preparation training and work experience.

Earlier this month, the head of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick praised the province’s licensing procedures for foreign-trained engineers four being efficient and accessible.

Earlier today, the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) released statistics showing that it continues to maintain a high rate of immigration. Canada welcomed more than half a million permanent and temporary residents last year, a figure CIC says is helping to support the economic recovery in Canada.

Last week, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) announced that the Canadian government had extended its immigration agreement with the province of Ontario for an additional year.