Grits wary of revised immigrant selection system CAMPBELL CLARK 06/11/2002 The Globe and Mail OTTAWA -- Liberal backbenchers are vowing another battle with their own government if Canada's new selection system for immigrants, to be released today, does not open the door to skilled tradespeople and do away with retroactive rule changes. The backbenchers fought the first version of the regulations when it was released last December, complaining that the new rules would slam the doors retroactively on many potential immigrants who applied under the old system. They were also upset that the new regulations would make it almost impossible for needed skilled tradespeople, such as tool-and-die makers, to immigrate to Canada. Since taking on the portfolio in January, Immigration Minister Denis Coderre has promised to ensure such blue-collar workers can come to Canada, noting he is himself the son of a carpenter. Back-bench Liberal MPs warn his regulations had better reflect what they want. "If they don't, I'm going after people," Scarborough-Agincourt MP Jim Karygiannis said. Mr. Karygiannis said the Citizenship and Immigration Department must move to ensure the retroactive rule changes do not hurt applicants. "If we are not playing fair, and all this stuff that we screamed about was more or less whitewashed, I personally will be hollering at Denis Coderre." In February, Mr. Coderre said the retroactive rule changes will not apply to those who have had their interview with immigration officials by the end of this year. But many people who applied under the old system will not have had their interviews by that date, and MPs have asked for an extension. MPs also want to see some softening of the system proposed last year. The first version of the regulations called for a tougher selection grid with a pass mark of 80, rather than the old 70. But immigration lawyers and backbenchers noted that a single, U.S.-born engineer with a degree from Harvard University would likely not pass, let alone a pipefitter or carpenter. A House of Commons committee later recommended a much more wide-open system, but the chairman, Liberal MP Joe Fontana, warned that Immigration bureaucrats are fighting for a much more restrictive system. "I'm hoping that [Mr. Coderre] has been able to stand up to the bureaucracy, who've wanted to do their own thing for a long time," Mr. Fontana said yesterday. "If not, he'll hear from me and, I'm sure, the committee." A source said Mr. Coderre's regulations will completely rework the selection grid for new immigrants and a majority of the recommendations of Mr. Fontana's committee will be accepted. But the devil will be in the details. Several immigration lawyers following the regulation process said they expect the government will move to make the system look more open, without really doing so. They believe the new pass mark will be 75 or 76 points, but the new selection grid will make it harder to reach that mark. They expect, for example, that four points previously offered to people with lengthy work experience will no longer be available, and instead people who are proficient in both English and French will get an extra four points. Since few potential immigrants are proficient in both languages, that will not affect many people. Ben Trister, chairman of the Canadian Bar Association's immigration section, said the government must ensure Canada can attract the skilled tradespeople that Canadian business needs, rather than just knowledge workers, or the country's economic growth will suffer. "Both skill sets are needed," he said. |