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Attracting Immigrants to Smaller Urban and Rural Communities: Lessons Learned from the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program

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Abstract

Low birth rates and population ageing have slowed population growth rates in Canada, and immigration has become the primary driver of population and labour force growth in the nation. The distribution of new arrivals to Canada, however, has been concentrated in a few major cities. Until recently, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver have been the destination of approximately 75% of all immigrants. All orders of government have introduced policies and programs to influence the regional distribution of immigrants across the country, ostensibly so that the benefits of immigration will be more evenly shared on a national basis. An assessment of the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program helps identify policy and program initiatives and best practices effective in changing the regional distribution of immigrants and attracting more new arrivals to smaller urban and rural communities.

Résumé

De faibles taux de natalité et le vieillissement des populations ont ralenti le taux de croissance démographique au Canada, de sorte que l’immigration est maintenant le moteur principal de l’accroissement démographique et la croissance de la population active au Canada. Toutefois, la distribution des nouveaux arrivants au Canada est inégale, environ 75% des immigrants se retrouvant dans les grandes villes de Montréal, Toronto et Vancouver. Tous les paliers de gouvernement ont lancé des politiques et des programmes pour influencer la distribution régionale des immigrants dans le pays et ce, dans le but manifeste de partager plus équitablement les bienfaits de l’immigration à l’échelle nationale. Une évaluation du Programme des candidats de la province du Manitoba a permis l’identification des initiatives en matière de politiques et de programmes, ainsi que des pratiques exemplaires qui réussissent à modifier la distribution régionale des immigrants et à attirer plus d’immigrants vers les petites communautés urbaines et rurales.

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Correspondence to Tom Carter.

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Carter, T., Morrish, M. & Amoyaw, B. Attracting Immigrants to Smaller Urban and Rural Communities: Lessons Learned from the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program. Int. Migration & Integration 9, 161–183 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-008-0051-2

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