Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government could have acted sooner to rein in the immigration program after condemning “bad actors” who took advantage of the system.
Prime Minister Trudeau released a nearly seven-minute video on YouTube on Sunday talking about the recent decline in the number of permanent residents allowed into Canada and changes to the temporary foreign worker program.
Over the next two years, the number of permanent residents is expected to fall by about 20% to 365,000 by 2027.
In the video, Trudeau spoke about the need for more immigration to boost the labor market after the pandemic lockdown ends, saying the measure helped avert a full-blown recession.
But then Prime Minister Trudeau said some “bad actors” took advantage of these programs.
“Some people took advantage of the system and saw it as a benefit. We’ve seen too many big companies do this,” Trudeau said.
WATCH | Prime Minister Trudeau talks villains and why Canada will change its immigration system:
The prime minister added that “too many” universities have used international student programs to “make money” because non-Canadian students pay significantly higher tuition fees. He also said scammers were targeting “vulnerable immigrants” with false paths to citizenship.
“In retrospect, when the post-pandemic boom subsides and businesses no longer need additional workforce assistance, we as a federal team could have acted more quickly and turned off the tap sooner. ,” Prime Minister Trudeau said.
From there, Prime Minister Trudeau will talk about his new immigration plan, which aims to reduce the amount of permanent and temporary immigrants coming to Canada.
In addition to phasing out new permanent residents over the next two years, recent changes have made it more difficult for employers to obtain permits for temporary workers.
Video taken before the US election
Prime Minister Trudeau said the government’s goal in reducing immigration is to stabilize population growth until housing stocks catch up, then consider gradually increasing immigration rates again.
Asked for comment, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poièvre’s spokesperson Sebastian Skamski referred the Canadian Press to an interview Poièvre gave with CKNW 980. jas johar show In Vancouver, Mr. Poièvre discussed immigration.
In the interview, Poièvre said much of his criticism of the current immigration system stems from what Prime Minister Trudeau himself has said since enacting recent changes.
“Right now, he’s basically condemning his entire immigration policy and hoping that we believe he can fix the problems he’s caused,” Poièvre said.
“The bottom line is, we need to improve immigration, the system that brought my wife here legally and legitimately as a refugee, the system that brought so many people here to pursue the promise of Canada. We have to go back. That’s what I’m going to do as Prime Minister.”
Poièvre had previously proposed tying immigration rates to available housing, taking into account other factors such as access to health care and employment.
Regarding background, a Prime Minister’s Office official said the video is being released as another way to communicate government policy to Canadians.
Addressing concerns about a potential increase in undocumented immigration given President-elect Donald Trump’s deportation pledge, the official said the video was filmed before the U.S. election.
