'It's an insult': B.C. premier slams Ottawa for slashing skilled immigrant program

B.C.'s premier is slamming a decision by the federal government to slash the number of skilled immigrants that can come to the province, saying it will choke economic growth. 

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced last week that most provinces and territories will have to cut their economic immigration programs in half. 

This year, B.C. can accept a maximum of 4,000 skilled workers from abroad, a cut by half compared to last year. And far fewer than the 11,000 skilled workers B.C. had asked Ottawa to approve. 

Premier David Eby says the changes make no sense. 

"Now, for British Columbia to be told that our stream of skilled immigrants, the people that we know we need to ensure that our economy keeps moving ... to be cutting that and say, 'No, you don't get access to those engineers, to those technicians, the programmers, the doctors, the child-care workers, you don't get access to those people unless you agree to help us solve a problem we've created in another province, with non-existent housing … it's an insult," Eby told reporters Tuesday. 

Care homes and assisted living facilities across B.C. are desperate for staff, and these changes will make the situation even worse, said Terry Lake, the CEO of the B.C. Care Providers Association. 

"We had advocated for the provincial government to increase the provincial nominee program, so to see it cut like this, I think, is going to have a negative impact on the workforce that's available to care for our seniors," said Lake, a former health minister under the B.C. Liberal government. 

"It seems like in public policy these days, we're using chainsaws instead of scalpels."

Lake says there is a carve-out for health-care workers under the provincial nominee program to ensure the most in-demand workers are prioritized. But "that will be impacted because if the whole pie is smaller, that part of the pie is smaller as well." 

Casey Edge, president of the Victoria Residential Builders Association, said the construction industry relies on the provincial nominee program to hire people to build the homes that are needed to address the affordability crisis. 

"It's not credible for the federal government to claim that they're trying to increase housing supply while slashing the number of skilled trades that come to British Columbia. The reality is the skilled trades build the homes," Edge said. 

A Vancouver-based immigration lawyer says the policy change is a "drastic" about-face.  

"The provincial nominee program is vital to the province," said Robert Leong of Patriam Immigration Law. 

"There are a lot of people who are here with their families. They've been working with employers who really need them... so for them to suddenly have the legs taken out from them, it's very drastic for them," Leong said. 

Miller says provinces can negotiate to increase their skilled migration numbers if they agree to accept more asylum seekers, which could take some of the burden off Ontario and Quebec.

Eby insists B.C. is doing its part in accepting asylum seekers but says it doesn't make sense to send asylum seekers to the most expensive housing market in the country if there's not enough housing available for them.

"I think directing refugees and vulnerable people into the hottest housing market in North America with record low vacancy rates is probably not the best strategy," he said.