The contribution of immigrants helps make Ontario a more prosperous province –  a place over 14 million of us call home.

Nearly 30% of Ontario’s population were born outside of Canada. Almost half of the people living in the Greater Toronto Area immigrated here. That’s a huge number of people, who all contribute to the rich diversity of our region.

Ontario needs immigrants. With a low birth-rate and retiring baby boomer generation, not just Toronto, but Ontario as a whole, needs immigrants to fill jobs and pay taxes.

Immigrants bring huge potential with them when they come here – a whole wealth of different skills, knowledge and perspectives. But more often than not, they don’t have the chance to contribute to their full potential. There is a 13.5% gap in the employment rate for recent immigrants compared to people born in Canada. Many immigrants are underemployed – they aren’t able to get the jobs they’re qualified to do.

When the potential of New Canadians is not being realized, this costs all of us. When immigrants find success in their new home, this will make our region more prosperous for everyone. But for immigrants to succeed, we all need to work together.

For 15 years, TRIEC has been finding ways to help immigrant professionals connect to the job market.

Our flagship program, TRIEC Mentoring Partnership, breaks down the barriers that result in immigrants being unemployed and underemployed. 77% of people being mentored find a job in their field or a related field within six months of completing the program.

We also provide support and resources to organizations to help them hire and keep the people that will help them grow their business. This helps keeps the economy more stable – and creates more jobs.

Above all, a welcoming culture that embraces different political perspectives and gives everyone the chance to succeed is a big part of what it means to be Canadian. If we strive to create society where everyone has a place, we can all be more prosperous in the long term.

Let’s keep working together to build an Ontario where everyone prospers.