Labour, Skills, and Immigration Minister Jill Balser doesn’t need an introduction to the immigration portion of her portfolio. Made a cabinet minister after the August election, the first-time MLA’s pre-politics experience included working with the YMCA in the Digby area as a settlement worker for about three and a half years, a position that helped support newcomers living in rural areas.
“I know that the needs around supporting, welcoming communities are there and our province has a really great history of being that welcoming province,” she says.
With Nova Scotia’s population pegged just shy of one million as of July 1, the newly-elected Progressive Conservatives have established lofty population goals for the province: 25,000 new residents each year and a population of 2,000,000 by 2060.
Prior to the election, the immigration and labour portfolios fell under separate departments: Immigration and Population Growth, and Labour and Advanced Education. The decision to merge the two portfolios makes sense given the PCs focus.
“We’re using immigration as a pathway to support the labour market gaps we’re seeing,” Balser says.
With Nova Scotia’s aging population, the province has a labour shortage that will only get worse unless there’s an influx of new residents.
Since taking office, the PCs have continued with initiatives that pick up where the Liberals left off for filling labour market needs. While the Liberals announced immigration streams for specific categories of workers in the construction, health, and child care sectors, the PCs announced a stream for workers in the hospitality sector.
These initiatives shorten the timeline people must work before they can apply for the provincial nominee program, thus speeding up the timeline before which they can apply for permanent residency.
While Ottawa is responsible for determining how many immigrants are allowed into the country — and subsequently each province — Balser says the PCs will work with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada and its partners on the ground here to make sure the numbers arriving are manageable and the necessary supports are in place to support the newcomers.
The PCs 130-page election platform spoke about immigration as being key to growing the economy.
“It is absolutely necessary that we work with the federal government to establish a provincial immigration program that is fair and allows Nova Scotia to grow at an equitable rate as compared to other provinces… Nova Scotia needs a government that will push the federal government on immigration. The PC Party is committed to, and willing to be held accountable for, growing all regions of the province.”
As part of the effort to attract more people to the province, the PCs announced $2.5 million in late September for a marketing campaign to “help us tell our story, show off our natural assets, and demonstrate to the world why Nova Scotia is such an amazing place to study, work, live, and raise a family,” Balser said in a press release at the time.
