ARCHIVED – Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, 2013 – Section 3: Federal–Provincial/Territorial Partnerships

Jurisdiction over immigration is a joint responsibility under section 95 of the Constitution Act, 1867, and effective collaboration between the Government of Canada and the provinces and territories is essential to the successful management of the immigration program. Provincial and territorial governments are primary partners of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Under the Federal-Provincial-Territorial (FPT) Vision Action Plan for Immigration, jurisdictions commit to welcoming and supporting newcomers to join in building vibrant communities and a prosperous Canada. Implementation of the Vision Action Plan will improve Canada’s immigration program to the benefit of all regions.

Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act, the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration has the authority, with the approval of the Governor in Council, to enter into agreements with the provinces and territories to facilitate the coordination and implementation of immigration policies and programs. Table 6 provides a list of the key bilateral agreements currently in force, with their signing and expiry dates. Framework agreements with eight provinces and one territory highlight immigration as a key area for bilateral collaboration and formalize how governments work together on this issue. Agreements for a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) are also in place with 11 jurisdictions (Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and all provinces except Quebec), either as an annex to a framework agreement or as a stand-alone agreement.

Under a PNP, provinces and territories have the authority to nominate individuals as permanent residents to address specific labour market and economic development needs. Under the Canada-Québec Accord relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens, Quebec has full responsibility for the selection of immigrants (except Family Class - archived and in-Canada refugee claimants), as well as the sole responsibility for delivering reception and integration services, supported by an annual grant from the federal government. The federal government is responsible for establishing eligibility criteria for settlement programs in the other provinces and territories, reuniting families, determining refugee claims within Canada, defining immigration categories, setting national immigration levels, and establishing admission requirements. Table 7 presents the breakdown of permanent residents admitted in 2012 by province or territory of destination and immigration category.

The Federal-Provincial/Territorial immigration ministers approved an FPT Vision Action Plan for Immigration that reflects shared objectives.^{Footnote 4} The vision identifies key outcomes that describe what success will look like for the immigration program and sets out guiding principles by which the immigration program will be jointly managed through intergovernmental partnership. CIC will continue to work closely with provinces and territories in five key areas over the next three years:

• Expression of Interest application management system;
• immigration levels planning;
• economic immigration programs;
• pan-Canadian framework for settlement outcomes; and
• FPT partnership models.

Permanent Residents Admitted in 2012, by Destination and Immigration Category

Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Facts and Figures 2012.

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