COLUMN: On Parliament Hill – Our broken immigration system

Canada is known for many things. Throughout our history, under many different leaders and in the midst of many different circumstances, Canada has shown courage, strength, hope, and promise to the rest of the world. It would not be surprising to many readers that, at one time, Canada also had an immigration system that “worked, was fair, orderly, and the envy of the world.”

Former Liberal Trudeau Immigration Minister Marc Miller commented that this was no longer the case. Last December, Mr. Miller called our system “overheated” as record numbers of newcomers came to Canada. Overheated, and completely broken, the liberal immigration policies have overwhelmed housing, health care, and the job market. Newcomers to Canada arrived hoping for the Canadian promise and instead were met with a lack of housing, an inability to transfer credentials, few family doctors, and limited employment opportunities. Liberal policies failed to set people up for success.

Immigration policy must consider what Canada’s infrastructure can absorb. Clearly, our system needs to recover from bad policy. That is why Canada’s Conservatives have opposed projects like the Century Initiative and other radical proposals that seek to increase Canada’s immigration to 100 million people by the year 2100. Such policies are futile and fail to consider the measures necessary for everyone to make their best contribution. Such incompetent management prevents Canadians from succeeding.

But to best forecast those measures for success, we need to have the right data. Unfortunately, the numbers are not available. The Liberal government is failing to update Canadians on the results of their irresponsible, failed approach to immigration.

Let’s be clear: the government has not released any new information since May, only covering data until the end of March. When asking about basic numbers such as illegal border crossings, asylum claims, or permits issued, answers cannot be found on the open government portal. To be fair, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) assured the Toronto Sun that they would provide any needed data upon request, but such information is usually available in a basic and objective form. As journalist Brian Lilley explains, academic researchers and journalists can then interpret the raw data. Canadians deserve to know the raw data.

How can policies be responsive to major issues when the necessary information is not provided? A necessary condition for any immigration, housing or economic policy is knowing exactly how many people reside in Canada at any point in time. This is not the case today; it isn’t just that information is being hidden, but some of it is also unknown to the Government.

We have added 1.2 million people to the labour force over the last year through immigration, work permits, and foreign students. We also know, through CBSA, that nearly 600 foreign nationals with criminal convictions cannot be found. Some have been on the wanted list for deportation for three years. Randy Hahn from Lawyers for Secure Immigration claims that Canada’s efforts to track down criminals facing deportation need to be stepped up.

Additionally, the Criminal Code needs to be updated to reflect its current relevance to immigration status in sentencing. Because of Supreme Court precedent, judges, at their discretion, consider immigration status when issuing a sentence. This needs to change. In one case, a non-citizen permanent resident, was convicted of trying to buy sex from a 15-year-old in an online sting. In another case, an 18-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by a man with a visitor’s permit. In both cases, the sentences were then reduced because consideration was given to their citizenship status in keeping with the Supreme Court ruling. Conservatives will be proposing to end the two-tier system now being applied by introducing legislation to amend the Criminal Code this fall.

Liberal policies have caused havoc. Immigration policies have allowed businesses to add large numbers of low-wage temporary foreign workers, driving down wages and blocking Canadians from jobs. Criminal checks and full vetting need to be applied equally for newcomers to Canada. Fraudulent refugee claims need to be stopped. A temporary resident convicted of a crime must be deported. Blue Seal professional standards for professionals need to be implemented interprovincially.

Let’s aim for Canada to remain a place where individuals who are ready to work hard, follow the rules, and contribute can achieve great things.

Let’s restore the high value and pride in becoming a Canadian citizen. Let’s aim to once again build an immigration system envied around the world for putting Canadians first.