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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Question period dealt with immigration levels and the temporary foreign worker program. Conservatives said immigration was brought in too fast, straining housing, health care, wages and entry-level jobs, that cancelled apprenticeship grants hurt training of Canadian workers, and that the government has allowed fraud by employers, consultants and fake colleges while failing to remove people with no legal status; they called for lower immigration, faster removals, and priority for Canadian workers. Liberals replied that recent reforms have reduced the temporary resident and asylum populations and met levels targets, that employers must offer jobs to Canadians first before using the temporary foreign worker program, that over 23,000 ineligible people including more than a thousand with criminal records were removed last year, and that Conservative MPs have themselves written asking for more temporary foreign workers. Some exchanges also touched on worker shortages in Quebec and rural areas.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

15 statements

Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative

Linked statement

“The Liberals brought in too many immigrants too fast. This has lowered wages, caused housing shortages, and made wait times for jobs and emergency rooms too long. Conservatives oppose this. Why does the Prime Minister want to increase immigration even more?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Canadians are lining up for blocks for scarce entry-level jobs, are waiting 20-plus hours in emergency rooms and are unable to find a home, in part because the Liberals brought in too many immigrants too fast. Last week, a senior Indian government official suggested that Canada bring in 15 million more immigrants, a population the size of Ontario, an idea also pushed by Liberal insiders at the Century Initiative. Conservatives oppose Liberal mass immigration because it has depressed wages and outpaced integration. Why is the Prime Minister saying he is going to increase immigration even more?

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Lena Metlege Diab

Liberal
“Our changes to the immigration system are working. We have fewer temporary residents and asylum seekers, the system is stable, and we met our targets for the first time in ten years. Immigration makes Canada successful, and I will share our next plan soon.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, here is what Canadians need to know. We have made reforms to our immigration system to restore integrity and balance, and those reforms are working. The temporary resident population is down, the asylum level is down, our system has been stabilized and Canada has met our levels targets for the first time in a decade. Canadians know that immigration helped build this country, and it will continue to contribute to our success. I very much look forward to tabling our levels plan in the next few weeks.

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“Foreign companies push for high immigration so they can use cheap foreign workers and lower wages. This Liberal policy hurts Canadian jobs, keeps wages down, and makes it hard for young Canadians to afford to have children. Conservatives will cut immigration sharply and remove people who have no legal right to be here, so we can hire, train, and house Canadians first. I want the minister to tell us if he agrees with us or with foreign companies.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, foreign governments are not the only ones pushing Liberal mass migration. So are foreign companies like Tim Hortons, which profit from cheap foreign labourers and depressed wages. Liberal mass immigration has cost Canadian jobs and wages. It has contributed to young Canadians not being able to afford to have kids. Conservatives will remove non-citizens who have no legal right to be here. Conservatives will sharply cut immigration so we can hire, train and house Canadians first. Does the minister agree with Conservatives or with pro-mass migration foreign governments and corporations like Tim Hortons?

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Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“Companies must offer jobs to Canadian workers before they can hire temporary foreign workers. Canadians have to come first for any work across this country.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the member knows full well that for a company to apply for temporary foreign workers, they have to have had offers to Canadian workers first. They have to ensure that Canadians come first for any work across this country. To allege that— Some hon. members: Oh, oh!

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Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“Canadians always come first for jobs in this country. Companies can only bring in temporary foreign workers if they truly cannot find workers in areas with low unemployment. We monitor those companies.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, maybe I will start over. The member knows that Canadians come first for any work in this country and that, in fact, temporary foreign workers are only permissible when a company has done due diligence in areas with low unemployment rates that have a dire need for labour. We monitor those companies—

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The Liberals cut grants that paid Canadians up to $4,000 to train for skilled trades. Now they are letting employers hire foreign workers for skilled jobs without even trying to hire Canadians first. Immigration should be much lower, and the focus should be on training and hiring our own workers. I want the government to stop making it easier for foreign workers to take jobs from Canadians.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, Canadians who want to become electricians, bricklayers and heavy-duty mechanics used to get up to $4,000 from the apprenticeship incentive and completion grants. The Liberals cancelled these programs. Instead of hiring Canadians for skilled jobs, unbelievably, the Prime Minister’s government announced that it is going to let employers recruit foreign labour for highly trained jobs without even trying to hire a Canadian. Talk about a lack of due diligence. Conservatives believe there should always be way less immigration, and the government should be focused on training and hiring Canadians first. Will the Liberals cancel their plans to make it easier for foreign labour to take these jobs away from Canadians?

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Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“Conservative MPs criticize this program, but several of them regularly write to me asking for more temporary foreign workers. We will keep making sure Canadians get first access to available jobs.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, maybe the member of Parliament wants to speak to his colleagues, the members for Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, Côte-du-Sud—Rivière-du-Loup—Kataskomiq—Témiscouata, Mégantic—L’Érable—Lotbinière or Chicoutimi—Le Fjord, who have all written to me for more temporary foreign workers. In fact, we regularly get backdoor requests for more temporary foreign workers from the Conservative members of Parliament. We will continue to do our job to protect Canadians’ rights to first available labour.

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Brad Redekopp

Conservative
“The government let corruption take over Canada's immigration system. Employers and consultants exploit foreign workers, and fake colleges charge for classes that do not exist. Now the minister is removing the rule that employers must prove no Canadian can do a skilled job first. Why is the minister allowing even more corruption?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister’s government let corruption take over Canada’s immigration system. Let us talk about that. Some employers shook down foreign workers for up to $50,000. Immigration consultants under the Liberals pocketed fees for shady job placements. The Liberals allowed corrupt colleges to charge tens of thousands of dollars for classes that did not exist. Now the minister is scrapping one of the few safeguards left in the immigration system: proving that no Canadian is available to take a skilled job. That lets shady employers and corrupt consultants profit off foreign workers. Why is the minister opening the door to even more immigration corruption?

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Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“Conservative MPs keep defending private colleges that rip off Canadian students. We stopped giving those colleges public money. The opposition should support this change and fight for students.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, if the member wants to talk about advocating for corrupt private colleges, he should talk to the member who regularly comes to the committee that I represent. Members of Parliament from the opposite side are always advocating for these private career colleges that rip off Canadian students every single year. We changed that. We have made those colleges ineligible for public support. We hope opposition members will get on board and start fighting for Canadian students.

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Costas Menegakis

Conservative
“High immigration is straining our housing, health care, and jobs. The government also refuses to deport non-citizens who commit serious crimes, which causes people to blame newcomers who follow the rules. Conservatives would lower immigration numbers. I want to know why the Prime Minister will not do that.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister’s mass immigration policies hurt immigrants too. Too much immigration has strained housing, health care and jobs, and has hindered successful integration. Refusing to deport non-citizens who have committed serious crimes leads to wrongly blaming law-abiding newcomers. Liberal policies fuel rising anti-immigrant sentiment and a broken immigration consensus. Conservatives would lower immigration and restore order and fairness. Why will the Prime Minister not do the same?

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Gary Anandasangaree

Liberal
“Last year, we removed over 23,000 people who were not allowed to be in Canada, including over a thousand criminals. We are keeping our borders safe and managing our immigration system.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I can confirm that last year, there were over 23,000 removals of people who were ineligible to be in Canada. Over a thousand individuals with criminality were removed from Canada. We continue to ensure the safety and security of our border, and we are managing and ensuring that we have control over immigration.

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Jason Groleau

Conservative
“The Liberals let people with expired visas stay in Canada and use public services. At the same time, they want to deport skilled, law-abiding workers. I want to know why the government punishes skilled immigrants instead of deporting people who are here illegally.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the Liberals are allowing hundreds of thousands of non-Canadian citizens with expired visas to remain in the country and benefit from our public services. The Prime Minister would rather deport our skilled immigrant workers, such as machinists, who obey the law, are integrated into our regions, contribute to society and work in our factories. Why are the Liberals penalizing skilled immigrants in our regions with low unemployment rates, instead of deporting those without legal status from Canada?

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Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“The Conservatives say they are against immigration, but they also want companies to be able to hire foreign workers. Our plan supports Canadian workers first, while still helping businesses find the talent they need. The Conservatives should stop using immigration as a political weapon.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, they are talking from both sides of the Conservative mouth. On one side, we have people saying, “no immigration”. On the other side, they are saying that there are great employers in need of workers that could benefit from the temporary foreign worker program. We believe in being there for Canadian workers first and for Canadian companies that are seeking talent. We have the balance right. Maybe the Conservatives should stop weaponizing immigration for those great hard-working companies they say they support.

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Jason Groleau

Conservative
“The government is sending home skilled workers who obey the law, even though Quebec needs them. At the same time, it refuses to deport people who have no legal right to be here. I want the minister to explain why.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, what the minister is telling us concerns a program affected by fraud. I, on the other hand, am talking about skilled workers in our regions. They refuse to deport non-citizens who have no legal right to remain here, who abuse our system and who are a financial burden on taxpayers. The regions of Quebec are being hit hard by U.S. tariffs. Our unemployment rate is among the lowest in the country, yet the Liberals are sending home our skilled and qualified workers, who are the driving force behind our economy. Why are the Liberals punishing our skilled immigrants who obey the law but rewarding those who do not?

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Patty Hajdu

Liberal
“Canadian businesses, especially in Quebec and northern areas, face serious worker shortages. We will make sure Canadian workers come first, but we will also help businesses get the workers they need to grow and create jobs.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I think Canadian companies, especially in the province of Quebec, must be very confused right now because, in fact, as many of its members who have spoken to me know, there are dire shortages of labour in particular parts of the country, including in rural and northern areas. We expect that Canadians always come first for labour. We will protect that, but we will also protect Canadian companies to continue to manufacture, to grow and to create those great jobs for everyone else.

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