Politics and Immigration
Recently, the Liberal Party of Canada lost the Toronto byelection in St. Paul’s. This community was one of the Liberals’ strongest ridings. Even before the election, the Conservative party’s representative was not confident they could take this riding from the Liberals. During the 2011 federal election when the Liberal party lost 43 ridings and its power was drastically reduced, they won the Toronto-St. Paul’s riding. I am not surprised to see calls to replace PM Trudeau.
Under the division of powers, immigration is squarely in control of the federal government. The governing party may wield this power to make significant changes. When the Conservatives were in power, a few of the changes:
- The Parent/ Grandparent sponsorship application was frozen;
- The definition of Dependent Child was drastically limited;
- Permanent Residents with minor criminal issues lost their rights of appeal;
- A 1 year ban was imposed on humanitarian applications;
- A 2-tier Citizenship structure was created;
- Additional language requirements were implemented; and,
- Many other changes to reduce immigration.
Under the Conservatives, one of the most drastic changes was the office culture at CIC (as it was then called). When I would speak with immigration officers, they had to be extremely careful not to disclose any information that was not approved. They insisted on being “anonymous”, even with minor comments. It is hard to describe the huge difference between the culture of CIC under the Conservatives and the culture of IRCC under the Liberals.
Shifting Political Tides
It seems clear that political tides are shifting back to the Conservatives. Voters have long forgotten how the Conservatives ruled. Personally, I have never seen such a high level of disdain and anger against any Prime Minister. Trudeau does not seem to understand the national political sentiment and the rising popularity of his opponents.
Over the past 8 months, IRCC Minister Miller has made many efforts to show the government is responding to voters’ concerns. I published my thoughts on the changes to international students and the Study Permit system here. He has also attempted to create programs to help Palestinians that have, in general, failed. In my view, his efforts will be futile. The policies and compromises that have been made have already caused irreparable damage to the Liberals’ reputation.
