A number of Premiers also expressed an interest in building on the existing settlement models in British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec to pursue the realignment of federal settlement and integration services.
Québec is already responsible for selecting immigrants and settlement services in Québec under the Canada-Québec Accord and will share information and best practices with interested governments.
Promoting Canada as an education destination of choice is vital for building global connections and attracting the best and brightest talent from around the world. In 2008, international students spent $6.5 billion, creating over 83,000 jobs in Canada. By 2025, the global demand for international education is predicted to grow from 1.9 million to 7.2 million students. Premiers acknowledge the value of the Canadian brand to recruit and retain international students.
Premiers direct Ministers of Education to work with provincial and territorial Ministers of Immigration to further develop an international education marketing action plan by March 2011 which identifies areas for investment and opportunities for federal-provincial collaboration on marketing.
Making use of the Canadian brand and the international education marketing action plan, Premiers agreed to have a strong joint presence at the upcoming Association of International Educators conference in Vancouver, May 2011.
Premiers agreed to work with the federal government to address key barriers in attracting international students.
Innovation
A culture of innovation is key to creating jobs and improving Canada’s competitiveness. To support private sector investment and building on the work initiated last year, Premiers directed Ministers responsible for Innovation, in consultation with relevant Ministers, to explore:
- access to financial capital;
- the effectiveness of tax credits linked to innovative practices;
- regulatory measures to increase competitiveness;
- how federal-provincial and territorial programs can be made more complementary;
- fostering greater collaboration between industry and academia;
- the development of priority sectors and industry clusters; and
- the development of sound economic data to guide investment.
Premiers also noted that thousands of jobs will be created by researching and developing new solutions in the energy and environment sectors. Canadians must have the skills and technologies needed to seize opportunities and create jobs in the green economy. To that end, Premiers directed PT Labour Market Ministers to identify potential labour market gaps and opportunities in Canada’s green labour market; evaluate training capacity to meet the needs of the green economy; and to identify measures and best practices for the creation of and training for green jobs.