Rural, francophone and Indigenous leaders have applauded new federal immigration measures that will grow their economies and meet their special needs.
St-Pierre-Jolys Mayor Raymond Maynard is pleased his community is the only one in Manitoba — and one of just six across the country — to be chosen to participate in the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot.
“It will help us grow,” said Maynard. “We need employees here… We don’t know how many will come, through this program, but I’d love to have the town grow as much as we can.”
Maynard said his community of 1,305 people has many amenities for new residents, including both a French and French Immersion school, grocery, five restaurants, hospital, dentist, bilingual RCMP detachment, credit union and bakery.
“The more people we get, the more who will realize how nice our community is.”
Steinbach, along with Altona/Rhineland and Brandon, are three of the 14 communities picked for the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.
Steinbach Mayor Earl Funk said they can easily house and employ as many immigrants as they can get.
“We’ve had at least 1,000 Ukrainian refugees and immigrants come and we absorbed them all — they all work,” said Funk.
“Last year we added 334 housing units (and) that’s a record year for us. That’s to house people coming here.”
Funk said immigrants not only bring to the Automobile City a drive to work and succeed, but they are also community-minded.
“They look at Canada as the land of prosperity and potential. Steinbach is a great place to live and work and rural areas are very welcoming and help people.”
The third program will benefit the Red River Métis.
Manitoba Métis Federation president David Chartrand said the temporary measures will help unite families who have been separated by the Canada-United States border for decades and generations.
“We are very proud of it,” said Chartrand. “We are the only Métis they have partnered with. What I am even more proud of is they have trusted the security of our (citizenship) card system that we use… our Métis Red River citizenship card is the tool which brings them back to their families here.”
The measures, announced late last year, allow Métis and members of a federally recognized tribe in the United States who have family in Canada, to work or study in this country with some requirements waived. Their stay can also be extended for up to three years.
Ottawa said the measures have been put in place “to relieve hardship on families while the federal government continues to work toward long-term solutions to address Indigenous border mobility challenges.”
Individuals must apply in advance before travelling to Canada.
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the program was implemented after consultation with Indigenous people.
“These new measures help us respond more quickly to the urgent needs of families separated by borders, while continuing the work to strengthen and expand Indigenous mobility rights,” Miller said in a statement.
Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Gary Anandasangaree said “for many Indigenous peoples, borders are not merely lines on a map, but daily barriers that disrupt cultural, spiritual and family ties.”
Chartrand said he expects hundreds of Métis will take advantage of the program.
Chuck Davidson, CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, said the two federal pilot programs, and the Indigenous reunification measures, will help the provincial economy.
“These types of programs have worked well,” said Davidson. “These types of programs really work well in rural areas because they need people and when they go there a lot of them stay.
“We’ve been suggesting they take them from a pilot program to a permanent one.”
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
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