Atlantic immigration study being disrupted by politics, Fundy Royal MP charges

Fundy Royal MP Alaina Lockhart says opposition parties are obstructing an investigation they once supported into the potential of immigration to transform Atlantic Canada's demographics and help the economy.

Lockhart accused opposition MPs of doing an "about-face" on the study, which isaimed at attracting immigrants to the region and ensuring they want to stay.

The behaviour of some members of the standing committeeoncitizenshipand immigration amounts to "attacking" Atlantic Canada, she said.

Last year, Lockhart made a successful motion in the Commons that called for a study of immigration as a possible solution to the region's demographic challenges, which include an aging population and the loss of young people to other provinces.

• Fundy Royal MP Alaina Lockhart looks to solve region's population problem

"Every day as I work in the communities in Fundy Royal," Lockhart said, "people talk about the challenges that they're facing in their communities: shrinking population, corner stores are struggling to make ends meet, schools seeing lower enrolment and businesses that want to grow and are telling me that they're having a difficult time finding employees."

She said she was shocked to see how far immigration in the Atlantic region has lagged behind that in therest of the country.

"I thought it was a good item for us to take a look at it, in a way that we would be able to move the dial in Atlantic Canada," Lockhard said Monday on Information Morning Saint John.

Once 'unanimous' support

Support for Lockhart's motion wasunanimous.New Democratic MP Guy Caron described the problem in Atlantic Canada as "very acute," although heexpressed concern that immigration could start tipping the balance of communities on the anglophone side, "potentially threatening francophone and Acadian communities in New Brunswick."

Still, Caron said, "what we do know is that 2,000 immigrants will be accepted initially in the Atlantic provinces, with the hopes that they will one day be able to stay there."

Conservative Karen Vecchio, the MP for ElginMiddlesexLondon, agreed that "the Atlantic provinceshad a much lower rate of immigration than the rest of the country."

"The negative repercussions of this are very obvious. It is clear that steps must be taken to reverse the population decline in the region."

Witnesses 'disrespected'

But since the study was launched several weeks ago, Lockhart said, things appear to have changed.

Witnesses from universities, municipalities, and the provinces, including former New Brunswick premier Frank McKenna, have travelledto Ottawa to speak about the issue, buttestimony has been "interrupted, disrespected and ignored," she said.

"Unfortunately, in the actual committee, we have seen significant disrespect to witnesses in terms of how they're questioned, and also filibustering, which means that their testimony is interrupted," Lockhart said. "Procedurally, it means that they don't get to share their information, which is very discouraging."

She said she'd like to see opposition members stop "attacking" Atlantic Canada in an attempt to "glorify [their] own position or political futures."

"We have to take a look at retention to start ensuring that newcomers to Atlantic Canada are coming for the right reasons, that they are making that lifestyle choice, and have the opportunity to stay here and settle here with their families and reverse some of those population trends," she said.