On July 9th, 2025, members of the leadership team of the AMBM Group—Ms. Madeleine Arbez, Executive Director of the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (CDEM), and Mr. Justin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM)—welcomed the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, during a visit organized by the CDEM. Minister Diab met with clients, entrepreneurs—many of whom are newcomers—and the CDEM team to highlight the vital role they play in the economic vitality of Manitoba’s bilingual communities.
This productive meeting allowed the AMBM and its subsidiary, the CDEM, to present their strategic vision for economic immigration to the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab. Discussions addressed the challenges faced by rural communities, where immigration is essential to meeting labour needs and sustaining community vitality. The AMBM welcomed the Minister’s visit as a sign of her interest in Francophone and bilingual immigration issues in the Manitoba context.
In its Prosperity Framework for Manitoba’s Bilingual Municipalities, the AMBM identifies the attraction and training of a qualified bilingual workforce as a strategic priority for the economic and social prosperity of our Francophone and bilingual communities. In this regard, Francophone and bilingual economic immigration is a key lever for achieving this goal.
Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities are experiencing unprecedented growth: from 2016 to 2021, they saw an increase of over 8%, far exceeding the provincial average of 5%. This historic growth reflects the appeal of our communities and strengthens our commitment to securing the resources needed to support this growth and ensure the long-term prosperity of our Francophone and bilingual communities. Manitoba is also emerging as a leader in newcomer retention, thanks to a coordinated approach that fosters long-term settlement.
This growth brings both opportunities and challenges, particularly in attracting and welcoming newcomers regionally. While jobs are available, housing is in critically short supply. The lack of housing-enabling infrastructure—including a significant deficit in wastewater treatment facilities—hinders the settlement of newcomers and poses a real challenge to balanced and sustainable development. It is therefore essential to plan and manage this growth effectively to ensure a sustainable economy that meets today’s needs without compromising those of tomorrow.
Our Strengthening the Labour Market in Manitoba’s Bilingual Rural Municipalities project, led by our subsidiary CDEM, deepens our understanding of local and regional labour market needs and the economic fabric. We are able to identify growth sectors, in-demand skills, and barriers to professional integration. This project aims to better align supply and demand while supporting employers in their targeted and inclusive recruitment efforts.
This project is a concrete example of our commitment to turning national priorities into tangible local action. By investing in Manitoba’s bilingual municipalities and their capacity to welcome newcomers, we are helping to build a stronger, more united, and more competitive Canada—where regional development and linguistic inclusion go hand in hand.
Intergovernmental collaboration and coordination are essential to effectively address the challenges and ambitions related to welcoming and sustainably settling newcomers in our communities. We reaffirm our commitment to nurturing and strengthening our results-driven partnership with IRCC over the long term.
Together, we continue our efforts to enhance our capacity to attract, welcome, and retain newcomers, in order to build stronger, more welcoming, and more resilient Francophone and bilingual communities in Manitoba.
About the AMBM
The AMBM is the voice of bilingual municipal leadership in the province of Manitoba. It represents 16 municipal governments committed to offering services in both official languages to their residents. Together, these municipalities represent the majority of Manitoba’s population. Manitoba’s bilingual municipal leadership also leads the AMBM Group, a consortium of three organizations with complementary mandates: the AMBM, the Economic Development Council for Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, or CDEM) and Eco-West Canada (EWC), which specializes in the green economy. Complementing each other, these three organizations actively contribute to the development, vitality and sustainability of the province’s Official Language Minority Communities (OLMC) and the province as a whole.
Information: Office of the Chief Executive Officer (O-CEO), 204-289-4077, bcdd-oceo@ambm.ca.
