Hi hi,
Welcome to today’s From the Editor.
In today’s issue:
In the first of our What’s Working in Canadian Immigration series, Jane Eze shares how Manitoba filled its hospitals.
Nishant Anand on improving your French pronunciation.
How Manitoba went one step ahead of other provinces to hire healthcare staff
Canada has struggled with health-care staffing for years. And by 2023, the numbers were grim.
Statistics Canada counted more than 28,000 vacant registered nurse and psychiatric nurse jobs across Canada in the first quarter of 2023, up 24 percent from a year earlier. Another 13,620 licensed practical nurse jobs sat empty.
Manitoba felt the strain as much as anywhere else, even after the province became the first in the country to let internationally trained nurses, already licensed elsewhere, skip the extra tests usually required for accreditation in August 2022. That bold move wasn’t enough.
In 2022, nurses across Manitoba logged more than a million hours of overtime, according to the Manitoba Nurses Union. CBC Manitoba reported that by January 2023, the nursing vacancy rate in the Southern Health region was nearly 27 percent, more than double its 2019 level. In Interlake-Eastern, more than a third of nursing positions were unfilled. In Prairie Mountain, nearly a quarter of nursing positions were unfilled.
In the north, the gaps had been worse for years. In late 2021, the Manitoba Nurses Union said nearly half of Thompson’s nursing jobs were vacant—more than 50 positions.
For rural communities, these gaps come at a cost. When a hospital can’t fill a shift, the emergency room cuts hours or closes, and families drive farther for care. Towns without reliable health services struggle to keep workers and employers. In November 2022, Manitoba announced a $200-million plan to recruit, retain, and train health-care staff.
So, in February 2023, nearly 20 health-care professionals from Manitoba boarded a plane bound for Manila, Cebu, and Iloilo. Their goal was simple: scythe away the costs and confusion that keep skilled workers from starting new lives in Canada.
The offer to qualified Filipinos? A job lined up before leaving home, paid travel, up to three months of housing and settlement support, covered immigration and credentialing costs, a workplace mentor, and paid bridging education if needed.
Moving to Canada soon? Prepare for your new chapter before you arrive!
Join New Canadians TV Network’s free Before You Arrive in Canada virtual conference to learn about pre-arrival support, connect with programs and service providers, discover helpful resources, and get answers to your questions while still in your home country.
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Toronto time)
If you have family or friends preparing to immigrate to Canada, share this event so they can benefit, too.
Q: How can I improve my French pronunciation?
A: Practise shadowing regularly.
Shadowing is a technique where you listen to a native or proficient French speaker and repeat what they say, trying to match their rhythm, intonation, pronunciation, and pauses.
It helps you become more familiar with natural spoken French and develop a smoother speaking rhythm.
How to practise shadowing
Listen: Choose a short video featuring a clear French speaker. Turn on the French subtitles.
Pause: Listen to one sentence or a short segment at a time.
Repeat: Pause the video and repeat the sentence aloud, paying attention to the speaker's pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation.
Compare: Replay the original sentence and compare your delivery with the speaker's.
Practise consistently: Repeat the exercise for 10–15 minutes daily. As your fluency improves, gradually practise longer segments.
What should you focus on?
Articulation: Pronounce sounds and words clearly.
Intonation: Vary your voice naturally to convey meaning and emphasis.
Pauses: Break your speech into meaningful groups instead of one long, uninterrupted sentence.
Rhythm and flow: Connect words naturally without sacrificing clarity.
Expression: Use appropriate emphasis and vocal variation to keep your delivery engaging.
Resources you can use:
Don't practise pronunciation just to impress the examiner. Practise to make yourself easier to understand. A natural speaking style, clear pronunciation, appropriate intonation, and well-organized ideas will serve you better than an artificially adopted accent. Your goal is not to sound French.
Your goal is to speak French clearly, naturally, and effectively.
Want to work with us? Check out The Newcomers Media Kit.
Want more immigrant interviews? Listen to The Newcomers Podcast.
Please send this to ONE Canadian immigrant today and ask them to subscribe here.