Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the federal government continues to consider options for granting residency status to people in Canada illegally, but there is no consensus nationally or within government cabinet on the issue.
on Saturday on CBC The HouseMiller spoke positively about the idea but warned that the ongoing debate surrounding the prospect meant there needed to be “thoughtful consideration” about taking any action.
“I think from a humanitarian standpoint, it makes sense. I think from an economic standpoint, it makes sense,” he told host Katherine Cullen.
“That being said, I don’t think there’s a consensus in Canada on whether to do this. I would say there’s not necessarily a consensus in our caucus. And that gives me pause.”
The House48:22Divisions over illegal immigration in Canada
The world is grappling with immigration, and Canada’s immigration minister says we are no exception. Meanwhile, provinces are arguing over funding and responsibility for asylum seekers. Mark Miller appears on The House to talk about what needs to be done to make the system fairer and how Canada should deal with undocumented people in the country. And Canada’s top military man retires after 40 years of service. He joins Catherine Cullen to talk about his experience in military service and how Canada should prepare for future challenges. Finally, it’s been a really busy week for Parliament. Two sharp-eyed journalists join the show to analyze the trends this week on foreign interference and capital gains. In this episode, Immigration Minister Mark Miller, Chief of Defence Staff Wayne Eyre, Toronto Star’s Tonda McCharles and Logic’s Murad Hemadi chime in.
The Liberal Party has pledged to “examine ways to regularize the status of undocumented workers who are contributing to Canadian communities” later in 2021. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said there is no deadline for implementing the proposal.
“We need a path to regularization, a path to citizenship. I know the immigration minister is working on that. In some cases, we need to speed up deportation proceedings,” Trudeau said in May.
In an interview, Miller described the normalization plan as a “broad and comprehensive program.” The Globe and Mail Last December.
In the interview, Miller estimated the number of illegal immigrants in Canada to be between 300,000 and 600,000, according to various academic sources cited by the government. last year Specify a range from 20,000 to 500,000.
They are “not Canadian, but in other respects they are fully integrated Canadians.” [They’re] “Housing isn’t affected, but for a variety of reasons — and this has been documented for a long time — they don’t have the proper documentation, so they’re operating in the grey market,” he said.
The government, under pressure from groups representing immigrants, including the Migrant Rights Network, announced in May Miller urged. Implement government proposals.
“Regularization is a litmus test of Prime Minister Trudeau’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion,” said Saeed Hussan, executive director of the Immigrant Workers Alliance for Change.
Mr Miller said the issue had been discussed but cabinet had not reached a consensus.
“We are looking at this as a cabinet and have not yet agreed where this will go,” he said.
Immigration, more broadly, has become a major focus of political debate, especially as it relates to affordability issues like housing: A majority of Canadians polled last year said rising immigration numbers are putting a strain on housing in Canada.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre has promised to link immigration to the number of homes built in Canada and the capacity of the health-care system, but has not commented on whether he will cut permanent resident targets or reduce the number of non-permanent residents.
talk The HouseMiller noted that other countries have experienced both success and controversy with regularization programs, and while he supports the idea of ​​regularization, he said it is ultimately not his decision.
“We have taken on a lot as a government, but we have a year and a half left. [before the next fixed election]”The question is, is now the right time?” he said.
“I believe so. But I do not have the final say in this matter, nor am I the final authority, nor should I be.”