Federal Government Announces Immigration, Labour Ministers

Canada

Following the Liberal Party of Canada’s win in the recent federal election, the new cabinet has been announced, and includes a new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship and a new Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour.

New Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

The word ‘refugees’ has been added to the title of the formerly-named Citizenship and Immigration ministry.

The Honourable John McCallum, member of parliament for the electoral riding of Markham – Unionville, has been named its Minister. Prior to his entry into public service, Mr. McCallum worked as the chief economist for the Royal Bank of Canada. Before beginning his career with RBC, Mr. McCallum was a professor of economics at several Canadian universities. He also served as the Dean of Arts at McGill University in Montreal.

Mr. McCallum was first elected to represent Markham in 2000, and has filled a variety of cabinet positions since then, including Minister of National Defence. Prior to this appointment, he was the Liberal critic for Citizenship and Immigration, Multiculturalism, and Seniors.

New Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

The Employment and Social Development ministry has been the renamed the Employment, Workforce Development and Labour ministry. 

The Honourable Ms. MaryAnn Mihychuk, member of parliament for the electoral riding of Kildonan – St. Paul in Manitoba, has been named its Minister.  Ms. Mihychuk is a geoscientist and former member of the Manitoba Legislature. Elected as a member of the province’s New Democratic Party in 1995, Ms. Mihychuk served as Minister of Industry, Trade, and Mines and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs during her nine years as a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

Ms. Mihychuk has a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Winnipeg and a Master’s degree in Geology from Brock University, and has worked in several capacities within Canada’s mineral industry.

What This Means For Employers

The new Liberal government emphasized its commitment to family reunification and increasing the quota to 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of 2015. The addition of the word ‘refugees’ to the title of the Citizenship and Immigration ministry suggests this emphasis will continue.

Fragomen will continue to monitor developments as to what the renaming of the Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Ministry may signal for employers of foreign workers.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen or send an email to [email protected].

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