Canadian provinces compete for economic immigrants

In the face of widespread labour shortages, Canadian provinces are competing with other countries and among themselves to attract and retain skilled immigrants. Catherine Xhardez, a political science professor at Universite de Montreal, highlighted this trend at the Forum sur l’integration 2024. Her study, published in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, reveals that provinces use Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) to select skilled immigrants but face challenges in retaining them due to the freedom of movement under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Provinces like British Columbia, Quebec and Alberta lead in retention, while Atlantic provinces struggle.