The following statement was given today in the House of Assembly by the Honourable Al Hawkins, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Labour:

---

Mr. Speaker, last Friday I had the pleasure of attending the Central Regional meeting of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador in Grand Falls-Windsor to announce $567,000 to support the Welcoming Communities–WelcomeNL Initiative, a partnership with MNL.

This funding will enable MNL to implement WelcomeNL throughout the province, beginning this year in Labrador City, Happy Valley-Goose Bay and Corner Brook, and in 2019, expanding to Grand Falls-Windsor and Gander.

Mr. Speaker, Welcoming Communities promotes the integration and retention of newcomers to the province with individuals and organizations working together to provide services and supports to help them feel at home. By promoting diversity and multiculturalism, these communities aim to attract and retain new residents, encouraging social, cultural, and economic growth.

As part of this initiative, MNL has also launched the WelcomeNL toolkit and website. This dynamic online resource will assist municipalities in better understanding their role in the promotion of immigrant attraction and retention and the benefits of immigration.

The Welcoming Communities Initiative is a key priority in The Way Forward on Immigration in Newfoundland and Labrador, the province’s collaborative, partnership-driven immigration action plan to increase immigration to 1,700 newcomers annually by 2022.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all my Honourable colleagues to join me in encouraging municipalities across our province to become welcoming communities and to learn more by visiting welcomenl.ca

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.