Manitoba businesses, premier look to expand provincial nominee program to boost workforce

As purveyors of pastries, Janette Jajalla and her staff are skilled at baking the perfect cake to mark a big celebration — and increasingly Winnipeggers, freed from some pandemic restrictions, are finding reasons to celebrate.

But the Filipino baker says her shop, Baker's Bowl Bakeshop, cannot rise to the occasion as Manitoba's economy strives to rebound 20 months into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Her local call-out for a specialist in making elaborate tiered cakes, some inspired by Filipino flavours, have come up empty.

"The demand of skills that I need for this product is kinda high, so I have to make sure I get someone who's really got the passion, the skills," she said.

She's looking to Manitoba's provincial nominee program — one of the first Canadian experiments in matching foreign workers with specific job openings — to help her business expand.

And Jajalla isn't alone in trying to sponsor a new arrival to work for them. 

New Premier Heather Stefanson has made expanding the provincial nominee program one of her early priorities in office.

Her decision to elevate a longstanding provincial ask as one of her top goals was somewhat unexpected. Meanwhile, her other priorities were, in many ways, expected — like rebuilding the post-pandemic economy, slashing the surgery backlog and prioritizing reconciliation with Indigenous people.

Stefanson brought up the nominee program in her first phone call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. 

"That tells me she's listening and that she understands our economic need right now," said Bram Strain, president and CEO of the Business Council of Manitoba.

Manitoba's provincial nominee program, which started in the late 1990s, is a fast-track immigration option, allowing provinces and territories to nominate people who want to move to their specific area of the country and have the skills, education and work experience to contribute to the economy. 

Each jurisdiction has its own criteria. A job offer from an employer benefits a candidate's application.

Manitoba has benefited greatly from the program, as federal immigration streams usually benefit large metropolitan cities, but some nominees had their entries delayed. 

Travel restrictions and delayed federal processing times stemming from the pandemic led to a 44 per cent drop in the number of provincial nominees and their family members who settled in Manitoba in 2020 (5,835), compared to the average over the previous four years (10,458).