St. John’s, NL (January 17, 2025) – Lloyd Parrott, Progressive Conservative Shadow Minister for Immigration, Population Growth & Skills and MHA for Terra Nova, today renewed his criticism of the Trudeau-Furey Liberal immigration strategy, citing yesterday’s revelation that the province’s economic immigration spaces have been slashed by 50%—from 3,050 to just 1,525.
“This is yet another example of the Trudeau-Furey Liberals’ failed approach to immigration,” said Parrott. “They promised growth and opportunity, but instead, their strategy is falling apart, leaving our province worse off.”
Parrott called on the Minister to immediately cancel the $171,000 UK soccer sponsorship deal, which he labeled a waste of taxpayer dollars. “Let’s not forget, last fall, the Minister boasted about their efforts in the UK, only to later issue an apology after her own department admitted overstating website traffic from the campaign. It’s hard to take her seriously when she has so little credibility left on this file.”
Parrott also criticized the government’s reliance on costly travel without producing meaningful results. “The Minister attended a UK soccer game to promote Newfoundland and Labrador, while the Education Minister went to Korea. According to a recent ATIPP request, of the 900 applications the Minister bragged about, not one person has relocated to our province. These expensive junkets have been a complete waste of money because there is no long-term plan to recruit or retain immigrants.”
Citing Statistics Canada’s December report, Parrott noted that Newfoundland and Labrador has experienced the sharpest decline in immigrant retention among the Atlantic provinces, dropping by 14%. “This government has failed not only to bring immigrants here but to keep them,” he said.
Parrott also highlighted ongoing issues with healthcare recruitment, saying that over 60 trained registered nurses from India remain unemployed, some for over a year, despite the province facing over 600 nursing vacancies.
“How can this government expect to attract new immigrants when it can’t even integrate the ones already here?” asked Parrott. “The failure to recruit and retain skilled workers is not just a policy failure—it’s a failure for the people of Newfoundland and Labrador who need better healthcare and a stronger economy.”