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Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is stressing the importance of keeping skilled workers in Canada and of recruiting talented immigrants to offset Canada’s chronic labour force shortages.<\/p>\n
\tMinister Flaherty met with business leaders and academics for pre-budget consultations. They discussed what the Canadian government should do to ensure that Canada “keeps its best and brightest, attracts the most desirable immigrants, encourages as many people as possible to enter the work force and rewards Canadians for their hard work while respecting the government’s fiscal goals.” Minister Flaherty went on to say that labour shortages and population growth are some of Canada’s “most daunting economic challenges,” in the years ahead.<\/p>\n
Concurrently, Certified Management Accountants (CMA) of Canada is urging the Canadian government to review its policies on attracting and retaining talented foreign students. It is recommending an expansion of the post graduate work permit beyond the current maximum of two years to encourage foreign students to stay and work in Canada to help fuel the economy. Another proposition is to establish a government scholarship program to attract top foreign students to Canada so that they can add their intelligence and expertise to Canadian research. The CMA recommendations are being directed to Canada’s new Competition Policy Review Panel, which has the mandate to improve productivity in Canada, making it more globally competitive. The panel’s report will be completed by the end of June 2008.<\/p>\n