Signatories to the MoU were the Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada, Nguyen Duc Hung, and the Canadian Minister of Advanced Education, Employment and Labour (AEEL), Rob Norris, who is also responsible for immigration.

Under the MoU, the Vietnamese Government and Canada’s Saskatchewan provincial authorities will facilitate the screening of Vietnamese working and immigrating into the province.

The Ministry of AEEL will provide the Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) with information on local enterprises’ employment demand. Meanwhile, the MoLISA will provide a list of labour export businesses to the Ministry of AEEL.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on Jan. 15, Ambassador Hung emphasised the importance of the MoU, saying that it would open prospects for bilateral cooperation in labour, employment and human resource development between Vietnam and Saskatchewan in particular and between Vietnam and Canada in general.

The Vietnamese diplomat highlighted Saskatchewan’s huge demand for labourers, saying it would be a promising labour market for Vietnam.

He hoped that Vietnamese guest workers would help not only increase the provincial population and but also settle the shortage of workers while promoting Saskatchewan’s investment and economic development.

Minister Rob Norris said Saskatchewan has flexible policies to attract immigrants, especially skilled workers. The MoU will help promote and expand cooperative relations between Canada and Vietnam.