Press release
Quebec-France agreement on professional mobility
Providing a warmer welcome to foreign talent
Montréal, October 17, 2008 The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal welcomes the signing by Jean Charest, premier of Quebec, and Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France, of an agreement facilitating professional mobility between France and Quebec.
The statistics and forecasts are clear: within just a few years, 100 percent of the net growth of our labour force will depend on immigration. So we must be proactive in attracting new talent and, above all, making it feel as welcome as possible so it will choose to stay. This agreement, enabling us to recognize the credentials of future immigrants to facilitate their integration in the job market, will help tremendously, declared Isabelle Hudon, president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
Given the shortage of workers in many economic sectors, the contribution of skills through immigration is a critical asset to our economy. This agreement will accelerate the recognition of credentials of French citizens wishing to move to Quebec and enable companies throughout the province to fill positions in key sectors, added Hudon.
It's by developing such mechanisms, enabling us to create the best possible conditions for new arrivals, that we will ultimately rise to one of the greatest challenges facing us in the coming years: the social and economic integration of immigrants. Such an agreement will also enable us to make the most of the expertise and know-how of immigrants whose background is complementary to that of local workers and, in my opinion, will play a major role in ensuring Quebec's full and healthy development, concluded Hudon.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its primary mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
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Source:
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, ext. 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca