Comment:

"Buckle up. Stay tuned.

We will see increasing public interest in the issue of foreign trades workers in Ontario.

Until now, Ontario pulled a Pontius Pilate. Queen’s Park washed its hands of the constitutional responsibility to manage its own internal immigration affairs.

This week, after 147 years, the immigration Pandora’s Box has opened. Pandora’s first victim is Pontius Pilate. On the chopping block are provincial politicians.

No longer can Ontario restrict itself to “consulting” with Ottawa. Queen’s Park will now be on the hook for immigration policies in this province.

With its new Immigration Act, the province has entered the immigration wars. Queens’ Park, not Parliament Hill, will quickly become ground zero in establishing Ontario’s immigration policies.

The politicians will down play the significance of this week’s announcement. They will pretend that they can remain in lock step with Ottawa’s leadership.

Despite their whistling by the electoral graveyard, the immigration wars will hit provincial politics like a tornado alley.

Rest assured. Right from day 1, Ontario politicians will be held responsible for their immigration decisions, or more to the point, lack of decisions.

Ontario’s dithering will assure a new front for the province’s immigration industry.  The lawyers, consultants, lobbyists, employers, workers, families, unions, educators, investors, entrepreneurs, municipalities, ethnic groups and media will be knocking on Queen’s Park’s doors demanding action. The province will panic. Ottawa will not return phone calls.

Litigation in Ontario’s Superior Court will follow. 

Having created the mess, it’s Ottawa’s turn to start washing its hands of immigration policy in Ontario.

Good riddance.

Buckle up. Stay tuned."

Richard Boraks, Nov 28, 2014