Alice Wong, MP

ECONOMIC ACTION PLAN CONTINUES TO CREATE JOBS AND ECONOMIC GROWTH FOR CANADIANS

Harper Government Celebrates Significant Progress Made on Nelson Road Interchange

(Richmond), February 24, 2011 – “Jobs and economic growth continue to be created by Canada’s Economic Action Plan,” announced Alice Wong, Member of Parliament for Richmond and Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism. Dr. Wong was in Richmond today to tour the construction site and celebrate the significant progress made on the Nelson Road Interchange project.

“Our government’s top priority is the economy, which is why we are continuing to implement Canada’s Economic Action Plan,” she added. “These upgrades to the Nelson Road Interchange have created local jobs and economic growth, and will improve the lives of residents in the area so that Canadian families continue to prosper for years to come.”

The Harper Government is demonstrating the job creation and benefits of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. MP Alice Wong’s visit to Nelson Road Interchange is just one of over eighty (80) events happening across the country today.

The new Nelson Road Interchange will provide an alternate route for traffic using Westminster Highway as an east-west connector from Richmond, Highway 99, and Knight Street.

The Harper government is committed to stimulating the economy and creating quality, new jobs. Canada’s Economic Action Plan continues to create jobs and economic growth with more than 26,000 job-creating projects underway or completed from coast to coast to coast.

The results are clear: Since July 2009 Canada’s economy has created over 460,000 new jobs and the economy has grown for five straight quarters.

“The economic recovery is still fragile,” said Alice Wong. “That is why we must stay on track and continue to focus on the economy.”

Canada’s Economic Action Plan provides close to $16 billion to modernize a broad range of infrastructure including roads, bridges, public transit, parks and water treatment facilities, and to support home ownership, help stimulate the housing sector, and improve housing across Canada.

To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

For more information, contact:
Constituency office of MP Alice Wong:
Tel: 604-775-5790
E-mail: WongA1@parl.gc.ca

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Pilot project launches in British Columbia to offer more opportunity to international graduates

Vancouver, February 22, 2011 — International students at some of British Columbia’s private educational institutions will have the opportunity to gain Canadian work experience after graduation, thanks to a new pilot project.

The announcement was made today by Alice Wong, Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism and Member of Parliament for Richmond, and B.C. Minister of Regional Economic and Skills Development Ida Chong. It marks the next step in the Government of Canada’s strategy to attract international students. Since 2005, the number of foreign students coming to Canada has increased by 25 percent, with a total of 85,140 entries in 2009.

“We remain steadfast in our commitment to attract international students to Canada and retaining them after they graduate,” said Parliamentary Secretary Wong. “With this pilot project, we are continuing to build Canada’s standing as a destination of choice for international students.”

“In the next decade, B.C. will have more than a million job openings, and immigration is going to be a key factor in our ability to fill them,” said Minister Chong. “By expanding this program to private institutions, we’re giving more international students an opportunity to work and potentially to choose British Columbia as their place to call home.”

The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program already allows students who have graduated from an eligible program at a post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience. Under the program, graduates can apply for open work permits for up to three years, depending on the length of time they studied. Until now, only international students at public universities and colleges and private degree-granting institutions were able to apply.

With the implementation of this two-year pilot project on January 31, graduates of private post-secondary institutions with career training programs that have received the British Columbia Education Quality Assurance (EQA) designation are also able to apply for an open work permit.

“International graduates with Canadian education, Canadian work experience, and an ease and familiarity with Canadian society are often excellent candidates to apply for permanent resident status through the Canadian Experience Class,” stated Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney.

The Government of Canada is committed to giving Canadian educational institutions a competitive edge in attracting international students and recent initiatives, including online application services, the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program and the Off-Campus Work Permit Program, have been very successful in doing so.

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For further information (media only), please contact:

Celyeste Power
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Lisa Tees
Director of Communications
Ministry of Regional Economic and Skills Development
250-952-6508
250-888-3466 (cell)

Canada welcomes highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years while taking action to maintain the integrity of canada’s immigration system

Ottawa, February 13, 2011 — In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in more than 50 years, at 280,636 permanent residents, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Alice Wong announced today in Toronto and Vancouver.

“While other Western countries cut back on immigration during the recession, our government kept legal immigration levels high. Canada’s post-recession economy demands a high level of economic immigration to keep our economy strong,” said Minister Kenney. “In 2010, we welcomed the highest number of permanent residents in the past 50 years to support Canada’s economic recovery while taking action to maintain the integrity of Canada’s immigration system with the introduction of the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act.”

According to preliminary data, last year Canada admitted 280,636 permanent residents, about six percent more than the government’s planned range of 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents for 2010. This is in line with Minister Kenney’s announcement in June of last year that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) would adjust its 2010 immigration plan to meet the need for economic immigration. The 280,636 number is about 60,000 higher than the average annual intake of permanent residents the Government of Canada admitted in the 1990s.

“It’s important to understand that the ranges are for planning purposes only. The key number is how many immigrants Canada actually admits. For 2010, that number is 280,636, with the growth coming mostly from skilled economic immigrants,” said Parliamentary Secretary Wong.

The high number of economic immigrants in 2010 has helped CIC decrease application backlogs in the federal skilled worker category, reduce wait times under the Action Plan for Faster Immigration, and better meet labour market needs. Before the Action Plan for Faster Immigration, which Minister Kenney announced within one month of becoming Immigration Minister in November 2008, Canada was obliged to process every immigration application it received, even if it meant creating large application backlogs in popular immigration categories. For example, in 2008 Canada had a backlog of over 640,000 people in the federal skilled worker category waiting as long as six years to be processed.

“Last year, the backlog of people who applied before the Action Plan was drawn down to 335,000 applicants, which represents close to half the number of people who were awaiting a decision in 2008,” said Minister Kenney. “I’m very pleased that a higher number of admissions in 2010 means that more people are now out of the lineup and well on their way to beginning a new life in Canada.”

A recent evaluation confirmed that immigrants selected under the federal skilled worker program are faring well in Canada and filling gaps in the work force. It found that skilled workers who already had a job offer when they applied for permanent residence fared best of all, earning on average $79,200 three years after arriving in Canada. About two thirds of those admitted in 2010 in the permanent resident category were economic immigrants and their dependants.

At the same time, we did our part to meet the needs of provinces and territories through a record number of immigrants in the provincial nominee program, representing an increase of 20 percent from the previous year.

“Since 2006, our government has allowed for the provincial nominee program to expand significantly, from 8,047 people in 2005 to 36,419 in 2011,” said Minister Kenney.

Canada continued to welcome a high number of temporary residents, including 182,322 temporary foreign workers and 96,147 foreign students. That is 28,292 more foreign students than in 2005. And with the creation of the Canadian Experience Class in 2008, eligible foreign students can apply for permanent residency from within Canada. According to a study commissioned by the Government of Canada entitled Economic Impact of International Education in Canada, foreign students are estimated to contribute more than $6.5 billion to Canada’s economy every year.

“We continued to admit an increasing number of foreign students to Canada last year through joint efforts among the federal government, provincial governments and other partners,” said Minister Kenney. “Our government’s initiatives such as the Student Partners Program have also helped to attract and admit a high number of foreign students, particularly from China and India.”

In 2010, Canada also maintained its humanitarian tradition by welcoming 7,265 government-assisted refugees and 4,833 privately sponsored refugees. This represents 63% more privately sponsored refugees than in 2005.

“These refugees played by the rules and came to Canada through legal streams,” noted Minister Kenney. “It is important to note that while Canada is maintaining its humanitarian tradition of providing a safe haven for legitimate refugees, we will not stand by while our immigration system is being abused by queue jumpers and human smugglers. Bill C-49, the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act, sends a clear message that the abuse of our immigration system will not be tolerated.”

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For further information (media only), please contact:

Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

On February 3, 2011, MP Alice Wong made a members’ statement in the House of Commons to wish all Canadians a Happy Lunar New Year and to wish all Canadians luck, happiness, health and good fortune in the Year of the Rabbit and beyond:

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The following is a transcript:

Mrs. Alice Wong (Richmond, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure and honour to celebrate the Lunar New Year with my fellow parliamentarians and Canadians of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese descent.

It is also my honour, on behalf of the Government of Canada, to extend my best wishes as we celebrate the new year. The Year of the Rabbit is said to be a time of tranquility. I hope this is the case for all Canadians.

Over the last year, the relationship between Canada, Korea and Vietnam has grown stronger. For example, Canada’s pavilion at the Shanghai Expo was an unqualified success. The approved destination status agreement has made it easier for Chinese nationals to visit Canada.

Of course, strong ties are a natural result of our great country having more than one million Canadians of Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean descent, making an important contribution to our national life all year long.

I wish all Canadians, particularly those celebrating the new year today, luck, happiness, health and good fortune in the Year of the Rabbit and beyond.

Gung Hay Fat Choy.

You can influence Budget 2011 by taking a few minutes to fill out the online questionnaire created by the Finance Department, at http://www.fin.gc.ca/prebudget-prebudgetaire/1-eng.asp.

The Government is seeking responses from Canadians on a number of questions, including:

* The Canadian economy is on the right track—we are on the road for both economic recovery and balanced budgets. But the global economy is fragile and too many Canadians are still looking for work. Without throwing Canada off track for balanced budgets, what cost-neutral or non-spending steps can the federal government take in the next budget to help create jobs and promote economic growth?

* Canada is on track for balanced budgets in 2015–16. Is this timeframe appropriate? Should the federal government try to get back to balance sooner? Or should the timeline be delayed until later on?

* Government should always carefully manage taxpayers’ money to ensure the best value for money. The federal government is always focused on keeping spending in check and ensuring spending is as efficient and effective as possible. In what areas do you think the federal government can be more efficient and effective?

* What should Canada’s priorities be for the short and long term to encourage private sector growth and leadership in the economy?

The Government is also asking Canadians for any other ideas they care to submit.

The 7th report on Canada’s Economic Action Plan was released on January 31, 2011.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The first phase of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, a $60-billion fiscal stimulus package, is steering the economy on a recovery from the deepest global recession since the 1930s and is positioning Canada to succeed in a highly competitive global economy.

• Canada’s labour market is performing better than its Group of Seven (G-7) peers, with Canada posting the strongest employment growth among G-7 countries since June 2009. In addition, Canada has now more than fully recouped all of the loss in output experienced during the recession.

• This strong economic performance reflects the timely and effective implementation of Canada’s Economic Action Plan.

• On average, the Economic Action Plan is estimated to have boosted Canada’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 1.3 percentage points per quarter since the second quarter of 2009.

• In its first year of implementation, the Economic Action Plan delivered close to $32 billion in timely stimulus to the economy. The Action Plan is on track to deliver $28 billion in further stimulus in its second year.

• More than 26,000 projects have been completed or are underway under the Economic Action Plan. These projects are putting Canadians across the country to work, contributing to the strong labour market recovery.

• The Government has demonstrated flexibility in responding to the needs of Canadians:

o The Government acted to strengthen Employment Insurance (EI) benefits and limit the increase in EI premiums to 5 cents per $100 of insurable earnings for 2011 and 10 cents for subsequent years. This will help businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to continue to create jobs in the recovery.

o The Government has extended the deadline for infrastructure projects under four Economic Action Plan funds, from March 31, 2011 to October 31, 2011. This extension should allow sufficient time for the completion of remaining infrastructure projects, and will also extend construction activity and the associated economic benefits into the next fiscal year.

• Because of the Economic Action Plan’s emphasis on temporary measures, Canada is well-placed to retain its fiscal advantage and is on track to return to balanced budgets over the medium term.

• Although the global economic recovery remains fragile, Canada’s domestic economy is performing well and private sector demand is poised to take over as the primary engine of growth creation while the Government continues to promote long-term prosperity.

• The Economic Action Plan will continue to benefit Canadians in the long run by ensuring that the economy recovers from the recession with a more modern public infrastructure, a renewed science and research base, a highly skilled workforce, lower taxes and a more competitive economy.

Canadian citizens in Egypt requiring emergency consular assistance should contact the Canadian Embassy in Cairo at 20 [2] 2791-8700 or, call the DFAIT Emergency Centre at 613-996-8885. Staff at the Emergency Centre have been doubled in order to manage wait times.

Friends and relatives in Canada seeking information on Canadian citizens believed to be in Egypt should contact the Department of Foreign Affairs Operations Centre by calling 1-800-606-5499, or by sending an email to sos@international.gc.ca.