Marco Mendicino appointed new Canadian immigration minister
Credit to Author: Bella Siddiq| Date: Wed, 20 Nov 2019 19:17:19 +0000
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has named Marco Mendicino as Canada’s next Minister of Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada.
Mendicino has an extensive background in law. For nearly 10 years he worked as a federal prosecutor, during which time he put members of the “Toronto 18” terror group behind bars. He also worked at the Law Society of Upper Canada, and was the President of the Association of Justice Counsel, where he served for two terms. Mendicino has also advocated for better laws on organized crime and access to justice before the House of Commons and the Senate.
At the time of swearing-in on November 20, he was serving as the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Infrastructure and Communities. He was involved in advancing government green infrastructure and social infrastructure in Toronto and across Canada.
He was re-elected as the Member of Parliament in the Eglinton-Lawrence riding on October 21, 2019 with 53 per cent of voter support. Before being elected in 2015 he developed a lunch program for families with children going into kindergarten or the installation of a new turf field at John Wanless Public School.
In 2017 he served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, where he helped to advance federal priorities such as Criminal Justice Reform, Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and Restorative Justice.
The new Minister of Immigration also sat on a number of boards and has been involved with the John Wanless Childcare Centre, John Wanless Public School, North Toronto Soccer Club, COSTI Immigration Services, the Toronto Symphony Volunteer Committee and Heart & Stroke Canada.
Mendicino will be replacing Ahmed Hussen who lead Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) since 2017. Hussen will be taking over the role of Minister of Families Children and Social Development.
The Liberal party won their minority government with four key promises pertaining to immigration:
During their four years in a majority government, the Liberals increased immigration levels from about 260,000 annually to a target of 330,800 in 2019. Those targets are set to increase by another 20,000 to 350,000 in 2021. All together this could mean over a million newcomers in the next three years.
The Liberals also put greater emphasis on refugees during their last term. They increased refugee class intake to 15 per cent, and reduced the economic class intake to about 58 per cent. Family class immigration levels remained untouched.
Currently, permanent residents must pay $530 to obtain citizenship, plus a $100 “right of citizenship fee.”
The promise to waive the fees altogether is a part of a renewed effort to reform the Citizenship Act to make acquiring citizenship more accessible regardless of socioeconomic factors such as age and income.
In an effort to help connect immigrants to rural areas of Canada, the Liberals promised to implement a program that would facilitate the process.
The Municipal Nominee Program (MNP) would open up 5,000 new spaces for prospective immigrants.
The Atlantic Immigration Pilot Program (AIPP) was created to curb the population decline in Canada’s four Maritime provinces.
The AIPP allows employers in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island to hire foreign nationals for a job they cannot fill locally.
The pilot was extended an additional two years in May, and is now slated to become a permanent installment.
Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs
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