Plan to accept newcomer parents and grandparents will strain health services, Alberta warns
Joseph Schow responded Tuesday to a federal notice that Ottawa plans to take in 10,000 applications from those who have previously expressed interest in sponsoring family members.
Schow took issue with the 10,000 figure.
In a statement, Schow said provincial health-care systems, housing and social services don't have the capacity and could be overwhelmed.
Federal Immigration Minister Lena Diab's office said the federal government's actual countrywide target for approvals this year for the parent and grandparent immigration stream is higher at 24,500.
Diab's office said Schow was responding to a notice that the ministry is preparing to take in 10,000 applications for consideration from already settled immigrants who expressed interest in 2020 in sponsoring their parents or grandparents.
"Family reunification is an important part of Canada's immigration system, helping Canadian citizens and permanent residents sponsor their loved ones to live and work alongside them in Canada," a spokesperson for Diab said in an email, adding that the federal government is committed to reuniting as many families as possible.
"Opening intake for 10,000 applications will help us meet this commitment and will not increase the target."
Schow's office said it was under the impression the 10,000 was the 2025 target, and his concern remains the same.
'Disproportionate strain'
Schow said in the Tuesday statement that he understands "the importance of family reunification, [but] inviting large numbers of parents and grandparents into the country without proper co-ordination with provinces places disproportionate strain on already busy health systems."
"This creates serious concerns for both Albertans and the newcomers themselves, who may not receive timely care if our system is overwhelmed."
The minister didn't directly answer questions about whether he wants to see the parent and grandparent target reduced or eliminated. In an email, he said the "root issue" is the federal government setting immigration targets without provincial input.
"The more direct concern with this program is its impact on health care," Schow added.
"Seniors are more likely to require medical and long-term care, and bringing in thousands more without additional supports increases pressure on a system already managing high demand."
Diab's office said since parents and grandparents accepted under the program require a sponsor to financially support them, it doesn't put any excessive burden on provincial services.
"Family reunification not only leads to social and cultural benefits but also economic benefits," said the spokesperson.
"Those coming through this program are often supporting the household in Canada, including by providing childcare. This helps parents enter the workforce and strengthen Canada's economy."
Schow said Alberta's government wants overall immigration reduced to below 500,000 per year, and that provinces need to "have a stronger role in selecting newcomers to meet local needs."
Under targets set last fall, Ottawa is aiming to approve just over one million immigration applications this year, including temporary residents on work visas, international students, refugees and new permanent residents like parents and grandparents of newcomers.
On Wednesday, premiers from across Canada called on the federal government to engage more with provincial governments on immigration targets and increase the share of economic immigrants each province is allocated under the provincial and territorial nominee program.
The joint federally and provincially run program works to fast track the permanent residency process for workers in sought after sectors. For Alberta, that includes health care, technology and law enforcement.
"Provinces and territories are best positioned to understand their local labour market needs and call on the federal government to support their respective priorities," reads a joint statement from premiers following their three-day meeting in Ontario.
'Punching down on immigrants'
Schow's comments also come as a panel chaired by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is touring the province to hear from citizens on a number of topics, including whether Alberta should create its own immigration permitting system and block non-approved newcomers from accessing services like health care.
At the panel's most recent town hall in Edmonton, a member of the public accused Smith of "punching down on immigrants."
Smith said the province is trying to find solutions to housing affordability, hospital capacity, classroom sizes and "increasing pressure on our social programs."
"There has to be a reasonable amount of newcomers that are able to come here, fit into the economy, be able to be self-supporting," Smith told the audience.
"That is, I think, a bit high at the moment."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
2 minutes ago
- CBC
With syphilis cases in N.L. on the rise, experts hope to curb numbers with increased testing
The sexually transmitted and blood-borne disease has been a growing concern for health-care professionals across the country for years. In Newfoundland and Labrador, case numbers increased by over 150 per cent over the past two years, causing those in sexual health care to promote regular testing.
CBC
32 minutes ago
- CBC
Measles cases in Alberta pose risk for the territory, says N.W.T. public health
As many people living in the Northwest Territories travel through Alberta over the summer, the territory's chief public health officer says that comes with a risk of measles exposure and she's urging residents to check their vaccination status. "This is something we're watching very carefully," Dr. Kami Kandola said. As of July 24, Alberta has seen 1,511 measles cases this year, the latest data available from the province shows. Of them, 465 have been detected in northern Alberta, the second most affected region behind southern Alberta. Kandola said this is an area that sees a lot of traffic from N.W.T. residents, which increases the risk of the infection returning north with travellers. Measles is an airborne disease, so it can be contracted even after the contagious person has left the area. "Measles is very talented at finding the susceptible people because it is so contagious," said Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Alberta Hospital. Saxinger said if an active measles case is near someone who is not immunized against it, there is a 90 per cent chance that person will contract it. "There's a significant suspicion [that] there's a lot more spread that isn't being captured in the case counts," she said. It is likely that health care workers in Alberta are only seeing the sickest patients, and that many people weathering out the illness at home are going undetected, she said. Kandola said she doesn't expect the same to be true in the Northwest Territories because of its smaller communities. "If someone is visiting, they see someone with a big red blotchy rash on their face and they know they had travelled or they knew that they were sick," she said, "everyone will be talking, and we would find out sooner or later if someone had measles." In the N.W.T., the Tłı̨chǫ region is the most vulnerable, Kandola said. In other regions, over 90 per cent of five-year-olds have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but the rate drops to 77 per cent in the Tłı̨chǫ. Back to school With a month to go before the start of back-to-school season, the window to get children immunized against measles before they return to the classroom is narrowing. "You would want them to have a couple of weeks before school start to have full effect from the vaccination," Saxinger said. "It'll be pretty tight even if people start looking into it right now," Children need two doses of the vaccine, given at least four weeks apart, to be considered fully immunized. Yellowknife Catholic Schools temporarily closed two of its schools in early May after the chief public health officer warned that children might have been exposed to a case of measles. Adam Murray, the school board's superintendent, said they have a close relationship with public health authorities ahead of the new school year, and praised their response in the spring. He noted clinics were set up in schools afterward and that more children have been able to get vaccinated since. "We'll be well prepared for this," Murray told CBC. "We're looking forward to a healthy school year." Immunization rates are only updated yearly for the territory, but Kandola said there has been a surge in demand for measles vaccines since the case detected in May. "That's a really good sign," she said.
CBC
32 minutes ago
- CBC
N.S. court program looks to counselling to stop domestic violence
In the same year Nova Scotia saw a rash of domestic-violence related homicides, the Halifax Domestic Violence Court Program says it's seeing an increased number of applications. Since 2018, the program has been one aspect of the province's effort to control a problem it has declared an epidemic. The court, which is now handling more cases involving youth and people who are homeless, uses counselling to try to stop violence and repair harms. However, a researcher who's studied domestic violence courts says although there is "anecdotal" evidence that accused people learn better coping skills from the programs, measuring whether the approach prevents new offences is a "perennial problem" that's difficult to track and which the court may not be able to solve on its own. "I think it's definitely worthwhile. I just worry it's not enough," said Diane Crocker, a professor in the department of criminology at Saint Mary's University in Halifax. Crocker said she would also like to see more supports like community-based helpers who can become involved with families in a crisis without going through the criminal justice system. An evolving court Court data suggests the total number of yearly referrals to the court has gone down since 2018, but a court spokesperson noted as of this spring, it is seeing "increased application." Between March and May 2025, the program saw a roughly 30 per cent increase in applications over the same period last year, the data shows. According to an association that represents women's shelters, the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, the number of women and children experiencing violence and seeking help has increased by 182 per cent since 2019. In response, Nova Scotia announced new funding for transition houses and is working on an " engagement table" that will incorporate views from experts and people with lived experience. 'They're unpacking a lot of things' Cases that come before the Domestic Violence Court Program begin in regular provincial court and are assessed for entry into the program if the accused person wants to be referred. The case must have the Crown's approval to proceed in the program. The program tries to use counselling to stop abusive behaviour. It's an approach that sometimes draws skepticism from both the victim and the accused. "I think some victims may be of the view that [the accused abuser is] only doing this so they won't get a record and they're getting out of real consequence," said Matthew Darrah, the Nova Scotia Legal Aid lawyer who is dedicated to the court and acts as the lawyer for many of the accused. Darrah said the program can be a "huge commitment" that might involve 30 counselling sessions. "They're unpacking a lot of things, talking about very personal matters, making significant changes. So it can turn out to be much different than what they expected it to be." How it works From when the court started in March 2018 to March 2025, 1,146 people applied to enter the program. Data from the court shows that of those applicants, 78 per cent were men and 21 per cent were women. For a case to be accepted, the accused must be willing to accept responsibility by entering a guilty plea. After the guilty plea, the person attends counselling in group or individual sessions, with the goal of better understanding why they acted violently and how to change course. Counsellors hold weekly meetings with court officials for updates on the progress of each case. WATCH | She was a victim of violence; here's why she's helping others: She survived domestic violence. Now she's giving hope to others 5 months ago Wyndolyn Brown witnessed domestic violence growing up and then found herself trapped in intimate-partner violence. After finding the strength to break free, she's helping others through her non-profit organization, Empowerment for Hope. She spoke to the CBC's Elizabeth Chiu. The counselling can take months: the average length of time participants spent in the program was 307 days, as of the last fiscal year. At the end of the counselling, the Crown and defence make a recommendation on sentencing to the presiding judge. If the court is satisfied the person has shown improvement, a recommendation could include an absolute discharge, which leaves them without a criminal record. Removals from the program However, not everyone gets into the program. Of the 1,146 people who applied to enter, 210 weren't accepted. Some accused people opt to go back to the regular court system so they can have a trial rather than plead guilty. The Crown may veto a case if it's judged not to be appropriate for the program. That veto has happened 72 times — 43 of those times the case was deemed high-risk, as evaluated by police or transition house workers using one of Nova Scotia's widely-used risk assessment tools. About 23 per cent of the overall cases are considered high-risk. Many types of violence are considered. Domestic violence cases can involve severe physical assaults, spitting, slapping, shoving, property damage, threats or intimidation on social media. Even after acceptance to the program, not everyone finishes it. N.S. announces funding to help survivors of intimate partner violence 5 months ago Advocates have been lobbying for more funding to address the epidemic. On Thursday, the Elizabeth Fry Society held a vigil in honour of Nova Scotians who have been victims of intimate partner homicide. Celina Aalders has the story. Since its inception, 102 people didn't complete the program and were sent back to regular court to be sentenced. Most of them weren't attending their programming, didn't do the counselling work or kept offending. Jennifer Crewe, the dedicated Crown attorney for the court, says decisions to remove someone from the program are made on a "case-by-case" basis. "Ultimately, if it is determined by the team that this court is not a fit to address the risk or to address any concerns of violence or public safety, a person will be removed." New challenges The court is seeing changes in the cases coming through its doors. In 2018, it was unusual to get applicants who were homeless. Darrah noticed a change during the pandemic when people were forced to live in small spaces together. He's now seeing partners staying together because leaving is unaffordable, which raises tensions. He's also seen cases where the victim and accused are both homeless and living in the same encampment, but are under no-contact conditions. "That can be problematic when you are homeless and trying to find a place to stay," he said. "We will see cases where a client is breached for having contact because it's a small city, limited number of encampments. So it can lead to further involvement with the authorities." WATCH | Access to child care a key barrier to leaving violent relationships: Lack of child care a barrier to escaping domestic violence: experts 3 months ago As Celina Aalders reports, without access to child care and the ability to earn an income, victims of domestic violence often find themselves stuck. More interpretation, younger people The court is also seeing more cases that involve newcomers who require interpretation. Interpreters are available to assist during court, but it's not practical to send someone who needs an interpreter to a group counselling session. They must be assigned to an individual counsellor, and that can mean a waitlist of a few weeks. Some newcomers may be in Canada without full citizenship or permanent residency, and a criminal record could affect a person's ability to stay, Darrah said. "There's real consequences for not complying with the program as well, and that would be hanging over their head throughout that process." WATCH | Black men meet at barbershop to discuss preventing domestic violence: Barbershop meetings discuss ways to prevent domestic violence in N.S. 18 days ago A group of Black men in the Halifax area is talking about ways to prevent intimate partner violence. It's considered an epidemic in Nova Scotia, and Black communities face high rates. Elizabeth Chiu sat in on the group's final meeting and met the people who are helping to bring change. Some content may be triggering for viewers. The court is an adult court, but began this year to accept cases involving youth in their late teens. Darrah said he's "definitely" seeing more younger clients and the court is trying to "get at these issues as soon as we possibly can." Is the court reducing violence? Crocker, the professor of criminology at Saint Mary's University, helped conduct an evaluation of the pilot program to bring a domestic violence court to Sydney in 2016. She said measuring whether someone who completes the court program is likely to reoffend is difficult. "That's a really tricky question, unfortunately. It's the one that everybody always wants answers about," she said. "It's unfortunately one that is very hard to answer." CBC asked about statistics on recidivism, but the court was not able to provide any. Crocker said she feels the domestic violence court's approach is an effort to be "more human" to victims and those who are accused, but it should be supplemented by supports that can help people without needing to get the criminal justice system involved. "To me, it is a good idea — and it is not enough," she said. Nova Scotia Justice Minister Becky Druhan acknowledged the difficulty of tracking recidivism in a recent interview, but said domestic violence is a complex issue on a societal and individual level.
