Canada risks losing its competitive edge because of immigration reforms brought in under the previous Conservative government for political expediency, says a new report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber calls on the federal government to conduct an immediate review before things get worse.
The report is critical of the Express Entry immigration system launched one year ago and reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program made in June 2014 following a series of stories published by CBC's Go Public team alleging abuse of the program.
"In an atmosphere of hyper-political reaction over temporary foreign workers, the government made policy choices that ultimately sacrificed the effectiveness of Express Entry," the report says of changes brought in by the Conservatives.
Canada appears to have attracted fewer high skilled foreign workers since June 2014 when the Conservatives announced the last set of reforms to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, raising serious concerns for the chamber, which represents some 200,000 businesses across the country.
'Policy approaches that were born of suspicion, negativity and reprisal were applied to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and then similarly and inappropriately applied to Express Entry'
- A new report by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce
"For the Canadian chamber and its members who employ highly skilled international talent, the situation has become untenable and dismaying," the report says.
"Policy approaches that were born of suspicion, negativity and reprisal were applied to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and then similarly and inappropriately applied to Express Entry.
"For all the good work of government officials, the programs are falling short of their goals and creating inefficiencies within departments," the report said.
Chamber calls for 'sober, thoughtful review'
In a statement sent to CBC News, Perrin Beatty, the president and CEO of the chamber, says he is calling on the federal government "to act before conditions worsen."
"The immigration policies that are currently in place aren't allowing employers to bring in the workers they really need: the highly-skilled workers that don't take opportunities away from Canadians, but rather that help us create them.
"In the current economic climate, let's give ourselves the means to stay as competitive as possible by getting the best people to contribute to our economy," Beatty said.
The 32-page report titled "Immigration for a Competitive Canada: Why Highly Skilled International Talent Is at Risk" lays out what Canadian businesses see as "missteps" with the immigration changes and offers 20 recommendations.
"Canada risks losing its economic and competitive advantage when it comes to attracting highly skilled international talent, says the Chamber. "Fortunately, there are simple and efficient ways to mitigate and avoid that risk and undo the damaging impacts."
The Chamber report urges the government to take immediate action saying "now is the time for a sober, thoughtful review of what Canada can accomplish through economic immigration."
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