Canadian political parties’ election promises on Immigration

Canadian political parties’ election promises on Immigration

(Notes from selected sources by The Philippine Reporter)

At this election time, voters in the Filipino-Canadian community may still be wondering which would be the best party to align with,  or who would be the best candidate to vote for. That is, of course, for individuals and families who have not yet established loyal political party memberships.

During this election, with the country still dealing with the negative impact of the trade wars triggered by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff impositions on Canada and other countries, Filipino-Canadians are most concerned about the issues that significantly matter to them and their families,  based on The Philippine Reporter’s informal conversations with community members.

These issues are: immigration, cost of living, jobs, and housing

What is the position of the leading political parties on these issues? What do they promise to deliver?

One resource that interested Filipino-Canadians and other immigrant voters may find useful to check out is the CBC’s poll tracker, which briefly describes each party’s position or promise on these issues.

The following is a rundown of those issues and the respective party’s promises, as quoted from the CBC’s poll tracker. This media resource may be beneficial for voters still seriously trying to research this late in the election process, to help them decide which party in general or which candidate in particular to vote for.

Let’s start on Immigration,

Mark Carney
Photo: Wikipedia

The Liberal Party says:  “The party would maintain caps on immigration until it determines Canada has the capacity to receive more newcomers.”

Pierre Poilievre
Photo: Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party promises that they would “reduce the number of non-permanent residents in Quebec and would grant the province more powers to choose temporary immigrants. They would tie Canada’s population growth rate to a level that’s below the number of new homes built, and would also consider factors such as access to healthcare and jobs. They would cap the number of asylum seekers Canada receives. They promise to crack down on fraud linked to international students and temporary workers.”

Jagmeet Singh
Photo: Canada’s NDP

The New Democrat Party “has not set an immigration target but has said levels should match Canada’s needs and take into account whether there are enough resources to welcome newcomers. They would end Canada’s closed work permits and provide temporary workers with open work permits to help them avoid abusive employers.”

Yves-Francois Blanchet
Photo: Wikipedia

The Bloc Quebecois “wants Canada to reduce its immigration levels and distribute asylum seekers across provinces in a “fair” way. It would table a bill to improve the processing of asylum claims and grant additional powers to the immigration minister. It would tighten the eligibility criteria for claims made 14 days after a person irregularly crossed the border. The party wants to add an emergency component to the Immigration Department in order to help refugees during major crises. The party wants to prohibit international students and temporary foreign workers from claiming asylum six months after they arrive in Canada. They may apply for a pre-removal risk assessment if the situation in their country of origin changes.”

Elizabeth May
Photo: Green Party of Canada

The Green Party “would coordinate immigration levels with the provinces and set targets based on Canada’s capacity to welcome newcomers. It would suspend the Safe Third Party Agreement with the U.S. and work with provinces and territories to build the infrastructure needed to screen, process and settle new arrivals. It would change refugee provisions in order to extend access to scientists, activists, civil servants, journalists, judges, lawyers, doctors and other categories of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have felt targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump. “

Maxime Bernier
Photo: PPC

The People’s Party is “After halting immigration until the housing crisis subsided, it would bring down immigration targets to 100,000 to 150,000 people annually and lower it further during times of crisis. It would accept fewer refugees, temporary foreign workers and students in favour of economic immigrants. It would withdraw from the UN’s Global Compact for Migration. The party would abolish the reunification program for parents and grandparents. It would eliminate work permits for students, except for academic work on campus. It would increase resources for CSIS, the RCMP and the IRCC so they can determine whether immigrants share “Canadian values and societal norms.” It would change the law to criminalize “birth tourism” and stop granting Canadian citizenship to babies born in Canada to foreign parents. “

(Other three issues to follow.)