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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Question period on immigration and national security. Conservatives said talented workers are leaving for the United States, that too many people have been brought in too fast for housing and health care, that over 30,000 start-up visa applicants are waiting, and that few of the people flagged for removal on security grounds are actually deported. They also said the government’s new national security strategy does not address backlogs in screening newcomers and cited a case of a man admitted to Canada who was later convicted of a terrorism offence. The government pointed to Budget 2025’s plan to recruit international researchers, said researchers are moving to Canada, and defended the new national security strategy as covering screening, with more detailed plans to come.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .

Official text

8 statements

Fred Davies

Conservative

Linked statement

“Canada's smartest workers are leaving for the United States. The government brought in too many immigrants too fast for our housing and health care to handle. I want to know why the Prime Minister is not trying to stop this instead of bringing in even more people.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, recent data shows that we have an innovation exodus to the United States. It is up 142%. Thirty-four per cent of immigrants with a Ph.D. leave Canada within 25 years, and the innovation sector earns 46% more in the United States. The Liberals have brought in too many people too fast for housing and health care, and now Canada’s best and brightest are leaving, including those who bring real innovation and jobs to our economy. Why is the Prime Minister not trying to reverse this brain drain instead of planning for higher immigration levels?

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Carlos Leitão

Liberal
“Research and innovation are top priorities for our government. We have a plan to bring world-class researchers to Canada. Over the last several months, many top researchers from the United States have moved to Canadian cities.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, innovation and research are very important priorities for our government. Budget 2025 launched an international talent attraction strategy and action plan. This will support recruitment of world-class researchers and advance Canada’s global competitiveness and research excellence. What we have also seen in the last six to nine months is that a large number of U.S.-based, top-notch researchers have come to Canada, including to Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, and this will accelerate—

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Fred Davies

Conservative
“Our immigration system is failing. Over 30,000 business applicants are stuck waiting to come to Canada. At the same time, our security screening is weak. Border services wanted to deport 675 people for security reasons, but only removed 44. Will the government lower immigration levels?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, we are sitting in an immigration system that has over 30,000 people who want to come to Canada under the start-up visa program and are stuck in bureaucratic purgatory. That is not progress. That is a failure of our system. On the flip side, today’s national security strategy is a nothingburger and fails to address the serious screening problems for non-citizens seeking entry to Canada. The CBSA had 675 reports seeking deportation on national security grounds, but only 44 people were actually removed. This is a disaster, so will the Liberals reduce immigration levels—

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Gary Anandasangaree

Liberal
“Today we released a national security plan that involves the whole government. In the coming weeks and months, we will release more plans for public safety, intelligence, defence, the economy, and foreign policy. This is a rare chance to look at national security the right way.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, this is a historic day for Canada. We released a national security strategy that encompasses an all-of-government approach toward strategic national security. We will, in the coming weeks and months, release specific strategies toward public safety, as well as intelligence, defence, the economy and foreign policy. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to ensure that we have a strategic view of national security.

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“The government's new security plan says nothing about our failure to screen people coming into Canada. Security screening requests hit a record 538,000 this year, and checks for permanent residency will take years to finish. I want to know why the plan ignores these problems while the Prime Minister plans to bring in more immigrants.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the strategy the minister mentioned could have been an email. It was very slim, and it said nothing about one of Canada’s biggest security issues, which is the failure to screen people who are coming into the country. Now the Prime Minister wants to increase immigration levels. CSIS screening requests hit a record 538,000 in 2024, and permanent residency files for full security screening are now projected to take years to clear. Why does this national security strategy say nothing about these things?

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Gary Anandasangaree

Liberal
“Our national security plan already covers what the member is asking about. We are working on a bigger plan that includes security screening, which keeps Canadians safe.”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, the national security strategy is all-encompassing and has many elements of what my friend opposite is seeking. I can assure her that as part of the public safety portfolio, we are working toward finalizing a more comprehensive response that includes security screening. It is an essential part of keeping Canadians safe.

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Michelle Rempel Garner

Conservative
“The government's plan does not improve security screening for non-citizens entering Canada. Canada let in a man who was seen in a video committing a terror crime, and he was later convicted. The Persian community needs clear rules to tell forced soldiers apart from terrorist leaders. Why does this strategy fail to do that?”
Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, actually, if I hit Ctrl+F on that document, I cannot find anything about improved security screening for non-citizens entering Canada. I would refer him to that document, and I would also refer him to the results. When Ahmed Eldidi entered Canada, he was allowed to do so in spite of the fact that there was a video circulating that showed him essentially committing an ISIS-level crime. He was convicted of a crime afterward, and the Persian community now wants clear public screening criteria that distinguishes forced conscripts from senior officials and terrorist leaders. Why did this strategy not do any of that?

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Gary Anandasangaree

Liberal
“I hope the member actually read the whole document instead of just searching for keywords. This document is needed to keep Canadians safe. In the coming weeks and months, it will be clear that it protects Canadians and meets our security goals.”

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, I certainly hope the member opposite went beyond Ctrl+F to read this document. It is an essential part of ensuring the safety and security of Canadians. There are elements in there that will, over the next several weeks and months, make it abundantly clear that this is about ensuring the safety and security of every Canadian while ensuring that strategic security objectives are met.

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