Groups condemn Ottawa for slashing programs N.S. uses to bring newcomers to province

Industries that have relied on newcomers to take hard-to-fill jobs say Ottawa's drastic cuts to immigration programs are "short-sighted" and "irresponsible," and suggest they will have a devastating effect on Nova Scotia's construction and hospitality sectors.

Ottawa announced last fall it would slash the number of immigrants coming to Canada but only communicated the extent of those reductions this week.

Nova Scotia's two most significant immigration programs will only be able to bring half the number of people to the province that it did the last two years, with the total allocation for both programs being cut from 6,300 to 3,150.

The allocation for the Nova Scotia Nominee Program is being reduced from 3,570 people to 1,785. The Atlantic Immigration Program will only accept 1,365 people in 2025, compared to 2,730 in both 2024 and 2023.

"It's short-sighted, irresponsible, to be honest," said Duncan Williams, CEO for the Construction Association of Nova Scotia. "We've all been working to bring skilled immigrants to Nova Scotia because we need the workforce."

Ottawa has cited the ongoing housing crisis as one of the reasons it is reducing immigration numbers.

In October 2023, Nova Scotia launched the Critical Construction Worker Pilot as part of the nominee program to try to lure newcomers with construction skills to the province.

Williams said by reducing the nominee allotment, the feds are actually going to make a bad situation worse.

"To quote one of our contractors, we're bringing in people who need housing," said Williams. "We're not bringing in enough of the people that can build it."

Bar and restaurant owners are equally disappointed.

In recent years, the hospitality industry has relied heavily on foreign workers to staff their businesses.

The reduction in numbers will have "a devastating impact on our industry," said Janick Cormier, Atlantic vice-president for Restaurants Canada.

"Fifty-three per cent of our operators are either operating at a loss or barely breaking even, so if we're reducing the amount of staff in restaurants, most of them are going to have to start cutting hours or maybe taking a couple days off a week," said Cormier.

She said the impact would be greater outside urban centres where fewer young people are available to work. Reducing hours of operation will not work for businesses that are barely hanging on, she said.

"If they have to reduce their hours and [make] less revenue, they are going to have to make hard decisions. And so these joints that we've all come to love, our neighbourhood spots, might have to close their doors."

Cormier said those impacts will be felt elsewhere in the economy.

Province will work with new numbers

Nova Scotia Immigration Minister Nolan Young wasn't surprised by the cuts, nor was he critical of them.

"We'll work within this allotment," he told CBC News on Friday. "We'll do what we have to get the labour shortage that we need filled with construction workers, with health-care workers."

A statement issued by the press secretary for the federal minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship suggested the number of immigrants provinces can welcome might change.

"In his discussions with provinces, [Minister Mark Miller] has reiterated the potential opportunity for additional allocation, especially for provinces committed to immediately collaborating on shared priorities, like supporting asylum seekers," wrote Renée LeBlanc Proctor. 

"The Minister has been consistent and upfront about the challenging realities of this year's [immigration levels plan] but remains confident in the collaborative work that can be done together."