A group of people take the oath as the Canadian Club of Calgary welcomes 90 new citizens in celebration of National Flag of Canada Day in Calgary, Ab., on Monday February 15, 2016.

Canada’s immigration policy is at a crossroads.

Alberta Finance Minister Joe Ceci says next week's provincial budget will be "a shock absorber in these tough economic times," as the province faces a $10 billion deficit in the wake of plunging oil prices.

The NDP government plans to "constrain spending without compromising programs" in its 2016 budget, Ceci told an audience at the Canadian Club of Calgary.

Cynthia Magwagwa takes the oath as the Canadian Club of Calgary welcomes 90 new citizens in celebration of National Flag of Canada Day in Calgary on Monday, Feb. 15, 2016.

Lately, Hehr has offered a sports analogy to relate to veterans’ struggles after the rank and uniform are gone. “I look at this from the perspective of a former athlete. If you talk to NHL hockey players, what’s the most difficult year they have?” he asked a Canadian Club of Calgary luncheon in January. “The first year they leave professional sports. Gone is the applause, gone is the rigour of daily events that structured their lives for the last 25, 30 years.” His most difficult year, too, he says, was after his disability.