Conservatives Failing Canada’s Immigrants

Ottawa – The Conservative government is failing immigrants and persons seeking Canadian citizenship, Liberal Citizenship and Immigration Critic Omar Alghabra said today. 

“Canada is a first-choice destination for immigrants from all over the world, and immigration is critical to Canada’s growth and economic prosperity – but Stephen Harper’s Conservative government is not making the necessary investments to our immigration system to provide opportunities for newcomers to this country,” said Mr. Alghabra. 

Today in the House of Commons, the Liberals introduced Mr. Alghabra’s motion reprimanding Stephen Harper’s minority Conservative government for its failure to serve the needs of new Canadians. 

Each year Canada receives well over 200,000 permanent residents, and the numbers continue to grow.  Over the past decade, immigration has accounted for 70 per cent of Canada’s net labour force growth, and Statistics Canada research predicts that between 2011 and 2015, 100 per cent of our net labour force and population growth will come from immigration. 

“This is clear evidence that we need to invest in our immigration system to better integrate the skills and experiences of foreign-trained professionals and support the growth and prosperity of our cities and communities, but it has become obvious that the Conservative government has no plan to improve Canada’s immigration system,” said Mr. Alghabra.  

Mr. Alghabra noted that the Conservative government’s failings on immigration include a broken promise to establish a Foreign Credentials Agency, the abandonment of the Liberal government’s work on family reunification, and a failure to do anything to decrease backlogs in immigration applications.  It has also slashed $20 million set aside to update Canada’s citizenship laws. 

Mr. Alghabra also remarked that failings on the immigration file underscore the Conservative government’s general attitude toward new Canadians and minority groups.  

“This government’s Reform Party roots are still showing.  From scrapping the Court Challenges program, to making attacks on dual citizenship, this government’s actions indicate that they are not concerned with defending the interests of new Canadians,” said Mr. Alghabra.