Changes in perception on immigration in Canada
By Martin Shields Member of Parliament Bow River Riding
Immigration has become an important topic in Canada.
It is becoming increasingly clear that when the Liberal government announced an increase to Canada’s permanent number of annual immigrants, and when Justin Trudeau’s failed former immigration Minister Sean Fraser allowed temporary visas to get out of control, something changed.
After nine years, Justin Trudeau and his Liberal government have broken our immigration system.
At the root of the problem is supply and demand. When there are too many people and not enough houses, prices go up. Too many people competing for healthcare, wait times go up. You get the point.
We are now at a point in time in Canada that at the end of 2023, there were 1,040,985 international students in Canada at all levels of study.
That number represented a 63 per cent growth over the previous five years and more than 200 per cent growth over the last decade.
According to a July Globe & Mail article: “The number of temporary residents in Canada swelled to 2.8 million in the first quarter (of 2024), underscoring the challenge facing a federal government that is looking to restrict migration to the country. Temporary residents – a group that includes international students, people here on work permits and asylum claimants – now comprise 6.8 per cent of the total population, up from 3.5 per cent two years ago.”
After much public scrutiny, the Liberals backtracked by announcing a decrease in the number of new international student permits issued to approximately 360,000 for 2024, and limiting temporary foreign workers with the following measures:
In response to the current employment environment, the following changes were implemented, effective by Sept. 26:
• The Government of Canada will refuse to process Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) in the Low-Wage stream, applicable in census metropolitan areas with an unemployment rate of 6 per cent or higher. Exceptions will be granted for seasonal and non-seasonal jobs in food security sectors (primary agriculture, food processing and fish processing), as well as construction and healthcare.
• Employers will be allowed to hire no more than 10 per cent of their total workforce through the TFW Program. This maximum employment percentage will be applied to the Low-Wage stream and is a further reduction from the March 2024 reduction. Exceptions will be granted for seasonal and non-seasonal jobs in food security sectors (primary agriculture, food processing and fish processing), as well as healthcare and construction.
• The maximum duration of employment for workers hired through the low-wage stream will be reduced to one year (from two years).
Do you think these measures will be enough to address the issues we face in Canada? Do you think more needs to be done?
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