Charlottetown, PE (July 29, 2022) – Today, the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce hosted Marie-France Lalonde, Canada’s Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, as part of its CHAMBER LIVE: Economic Recovery Series.
“Immigration is key to addressing workforce shortages we are seeing on the Island. Welcoming more newcomers will help businesses fill vacant jobs,” said Chamber President Bill DeBlois. “We are happy to have hosted Ms. Lalonde. Her department’s ongoing role is crucial to growing our communities and bolstering our economic recovery.”
The half-hour event, which is the seventh in the series, was held via Facebook Live and Zoom and featured remarks from Ms. Lalonde followed by a question-and-answer period moderated by Chamber President DeBlois.
During the discussion, Ms. Lalonde informed the Chamber that Canada is on track to welcome 437,000 immigrants this year and has set targets to grow this number for the next three years.
Ms. Lalonde said her department is working on attracting more immigrants to smaller, rural areas to help workforce shortages. As well, Ms. Lalonde mentioned the federal government needs to make immigration through Express Entry more flexible to see skilled workers come to work in Canada in the fastest way possible.
To view the Facebook Live event, click here.
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About The Chamber:
The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce connects business and community and is PEI’s largest business advocacy organization with more than 1,100 members. For more information on the Chamber, visit www.charlottetownchamber.com.
Media Contact:
Madeline Biso
Policy and Communications Specialist
mbiso@charlottetownchamber.com
(902) 628-2000 x 224