Jason Kenney has succeeded Dianne Finley as minister of Canadian immigration at a time when the position gives him unprecedented power over who gains entry to the country.

Best known for being the Conservatives’ envoy to migrant groups, Kenney has vowed to structure Canada’s migration policy in a way which will ensure the economy’s labour needs are met, and not as a move to gain political power.

Provincial leaders and migration agents have been waiting for several months to be informed which jobs will be prioritised in order to best sustain the country’s economy, with the application backlog consisting of almost one million would-be Canadian newcomers.

Highlighting the need to address the issue of Canada’s under-staffed workforce, as well as that of the current worldwide economic crisis, Kenny said:

“We do need to ensure, now more than ever, that immigration works not just for newcomers in terms of opportunity but also for the overall Canadian economy.”

Alberta’s immigration minister, Hector Goudreau, emphasised that the need for workers spanned virtually the entire spectrum of jobs in his province; urging people not to think that Ottawa’s list separate those who will obtain skilled visas for Canada from those who do not.

It will mean a lot to us and mean some pretty quick responses, so we're going to gain from that,” Goudreau said. “The other applicants, we hope, will not be set aside.

“We have to make sure that we're not sending the signals out there around the world to say the people on the list are not the only people that we're interested in, and the others should not apply.”

Victor Wong of the Chinese Canadian National Council highlighted the need for migration to Canada, both in terms of boosting the workforce and combating the impacts of a recession.

“They helped us in Ontario in the 1990s. They come with money to buy houses and settle their families.”