A Roundtable of representatives from local business and government was held on February 25 at City Hall. The issue at hand was the current shortage of available labour in Saskatchewan.
"It certainly was a great opportunity for Saskatchewan businesses, the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, Mayors and those experiencing skilled and unskilled labour shortages to be able to relay those concerns to the Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multi- culturalism," said Ed Komarnicki, Member of Parliament for Souris Moose Mountain, "and at the same time to express appreciation for the steps that have been taken and the progress that has been made thus far."
Komarnicki and Kenney attended a Roundtable discussion in both Estevan and Weyburn in late February.
"The Roundtables in both Estevan and Weyburn focused on some specific issues that have been encountered in the area of the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program as well as the Federal Immigration Program, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, obtaining work permits, work permit extensions as well as Labour Market Opinions," said Komarnicki.
The discussion included the potential for streamlining the process including the length of time it takes to process applications, as well as ways and means to help the labour shortage both from inside and outside of Canada.
"I know as a Chair and member of the Human Resources Committee that we have taken significant steps to insure that credentials of internationally trained workers are assessed as quickly as possible," said Komarnicki.
"It seems to me that significant progress has been made to date but more can always be done and anything we can do to assist employers in meeting their labour demands so that they can continue to grow and create jobs will make it better for everyone," he added.
During the roundtable meetings many small and medium sized businesses were able to share their plans to grow, expand and create jobs.
"I would say they appreciate the benefits they have been able to receive through existing programs but at the same time they look forward to further improvements and enhancements to take place," said the MP.
"Given the focus of the Government on the economy and creation of jobs it was important for the Minister to hear firsthand the positive experiences as well as the concerns from those directly involved," concluded Komarnicki.
