MOGADISHU (Halbeeg News) – The Canadian parliament has announced plans to add more than 1 million new permanent residents in the next three years.
That’s nearly 1 per cent of the country’s population each year.
Canada is primarily interested in offering protection to refugees.
The United Nations Refugee Agency reported unprecedented levels of refugees in 2017, with the number of forcibly displaced people reaching 68.5 million.
IRCC has pledged $5.6 million to support global resettlement initiatives.
“Thanks in great part to the newcomers we have welcomed throughout our history. Canada has developed into the strong and vibrant country we all enjoy,” Ahmed Hussein, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), said on Thursday.
Hussein, himself an immigrant from Somalia, said the influx would help offset Canada’s ageing population and declining birth rate while growing its labour force.
Canada’s friendly stance towards new residents comes as many other Western nations, including the US, are adopting more restrictive immigration policies.
In 2017, Canada welcomed more than 286,000 permanent residents and the country projects that numbers could rise to 350,000 in 2019, 360,000 in 2020 and 370,000 in 2021.
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