Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Marc Miller, on tour in the Northwest Territories, met on Wednesday with organizations that constitute the NWT Intercultural Centre, CDETNO, FFT, Collège nordique francophone and NWT Literacy Council. Northwest Territories (NWT) M.P. Michael McLeod was also present.

Thier discussion covered a variety of topics, including the Northwest Territories Nominee Program, the need for small northern communities to have new programs that take into account their realities, and the housing crisis, which hinders the integration of newcomers.

The Northwest Territories Nominee Program which reached “Its quota is closed until January,” says the Executive Director of CDETNO, François Afane. He explains that this situation reduces the options for potential candidates, particularly French speakers for whom the eligibility conditions are already not always “favourable.”

“Francophones are asked to have $10,000 in their account plus $2,000 per person in the family and to be fluent in English and French. “We expressed our concern that it was to the disadvantage of the French-speaking community,” he said. “We have French-speaking communities scattered across the NWT that need revitalization and immigration represents the future.”

According to François Afane, NWT Intercultural Centre organizations have also strongly criticized the fact that immigration programs are generally designed for large urban centres like Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, and do not take into account the particularities of small regions like the Northwest Territories.

“The ministry should be open to developing a program that takes into account what we experience in rural areas so that even if the numbers are not the highest, we have a program that meets our needs,” he says.

Concerning the housing crisis, the Executive Director of CDETNO notes that the minister is aware of this challenge and told them that even though his ministry is not responsible for housing; he works with his federal colleagues who manage this portfolio as well as the territorial government to identify solutions.

“It’s not just attraction, the key is retention. And retention requires integration and housing,” concludes François Afane.