Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty is asking Ottawa for more control over who immigrates into the province.

McGuinty said that Ontario is not getting its fair share of “economic class” immigrants, primarily professionals and skilled workers.

“Because we still meet with and hear from employers who are telling us, ‘I don’t have the skill sets’,” McGuinty told reporters.

“And we’d like to be able to say, we’ll get those skill sets abroad if we can’t develop them here.  That’s why we need greater say. “

“The reality is, right now we’re being held back by an uneven playing field,” he told reporters today in Toronto.

Ontario wants the same control over immigration programs that Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia, so that the province can get a larger share of economic class immigrants and more control over how money is spent on settlement programs to help immigrants adjust to life in the province.

“We’re not asking for special treatment, we’re asking for fair treatment,” McGuinty said, noting that Ontario gets just 16 per cent of economic class immigrants, well below the national average of 25 per cent.

“So just give us the money. We’ll deal directly with our settlement agencies in the same way you’ve authorized B.C. and Manitoba to do so,” McGuinty said.

“We’re closer to the services. We better understand what’s happening on the ground.”

With information from cbcnews an thestar

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