The underutilization of immigrant talent exacerbates labour shortages like construction, healthcare, and cybersecurity, costing the Canadian economy billions
annually and hindering national prosperity. The Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) and Deloitte engaged business, government, and civil society leaders in a series of roundtables across Canada to explore the economic imperative to address this issue, the barriers faced, and the strategies to overcome them.

Discussions revealed several challenges beyond systemic discrimination, including lack of ambition in business culture, inadequate onboarding and mentoring practices, gaps in DEI
frameworks, and a lack of support to navigate the complex immigration system – especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). This paper does not consider the pros and cons of current and projected immigration levels. Instead, it focuses on how employers can better meet business goals by engaging, employing, and retaining immigrants who are, for the most part, already in Canada.