The net immigration into the province has increased but the Immigration Minister is not sure if Ottawa can handle these growing numbers. The general funding for the settling of immigrants into the province has risen from $2.1 million Canadian dollars to $7.1 million Canadian dollars in the last 4 years. Also the numbers entering through the Provincial Nominee Program has risen from 326 in the year 2005 to 833 by 2009.

There is lessening of the population in Canada as a whole, the situation is more prominent in Atlantic Canada. The Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said that is it is a good move by Nova Scotia to use immigration as a tool to solve this problem. However, even if Nova Scotia would like to increase the levels this may not be possible. The federal government has limited the intake of skilled workers at 500 under the Nova Scotia Provincial Nominee Program. Although the numbers has to reach above 7000 by 2020, in 2009 the province was successful in getting 2424 skilled workers.

The Atlantic premiers at the Pictou meeting urged Ottawa to engage in problem solving this situation. As a 1st step, the federal government has to withdraw the cap imposed on the Provincial Nominee Program. Kenney said that the demand was absolutely unrealistic because the provinces could not go about setting individual goals, and that there is essentially one pipeline for immigration in Canada, i.e. the Federal Immigration Ministry.

Ottawa is hopeful of getting 265,000 immigrants next year. In response Kenney said that if that was the case then it would have to cut down on other categories such as the family reunification, federal economic immigrants program, refugees etc.

The Immigration Minister said that balance has to be achieved in getting immigrants to the country, while Ontario is exerting pressure for increasing skilled migrants, Nova Scotia like provinces are pushing for increase in the Provincial Nominee Program.

NDP MP Megan Leslie of Halifax said that Nova Scotia is fighting with zero population growth and knows its needs.

Kenney said that the Provincial Nominee Program is not a threat for Canadians or Nova Scotians because it concentrates in filling up those positions which could not be taken up by Canadians.