Liberals fail to fix major problems in Canada’s immigration system

NDP Critic for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Jenny Kwan, issued the following statement:

“While the NDP welcomes the government’s plan to bring 500,000 new immigrants to Canada by 2025, we cannot ignore that the Liberals miss the mark on several key immigration streams with their plan.

Decades of Liberal and Conservative governments expanded Canada’s reliance on temporary foreign workers—without ensuring protections to their health and safety. For many years, these workers have been subjected to exploitation by employers who use their temporary status to drive down wages. The Liberals’ plan fails to ensure that these workers get the protections they need by not giving them permanent status, as the NDP has been calling for.

Furthermore, the Liberals are failing to meet their commitment to bring Afghans who served Canada, and their families to safety in Canada. As they are hunted down by the Taliban, the Liberal government refuses to lift the cap on Special Immigration Measures so they can be brought here to safety. This is unacceptable and New Democrats will continue to push for action to ensure those who served Canada are brought to safety.

And in the last few months, many media outlets reported about the Liberals' failure to meet their targets in terms of francophone immigration to Canada. Today’s plan announced by the Liberals isn’t going to fix this systemic problem—we must do better. Hopes for Canadians wanting to sponsor their parents and grandparents are also dashed by the Liberal’s refusal to allow for new applications and put in place arbitrary caps. Not to mention that processing times remain through the roof while families are waiting years to be reunited with loved ones.

The NDP will continue to fight to ensure our immigration system is accountable and rooted in the values of fairness, respect, and dignity.”