The failing Liberal status quo can no longer cut it, not when we face institutional failures on every front, generations being left without homes and hope, and millions grow sicker on wait lists each day.
It's time to stand with Canadian workers, and stand up for Canada's future.
Canada’s immigration system is spiraling out of control, with unsustainable levels of immigration undermining Canadian workers, suppressing wages, and straining our economy. The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is a key driver of these issues, flooding the job market with over 160,000 new work permits issued from January to October 2024 alone. This program allows businesses to hire foreign workers at lower wages and in unfavorable conditions, taking entry-level jobs—especially in sectors like food service and retail—away from Canadians, particularly our youth.
Youth unemployment (ages 15-24) skyrocketed to over 14% in 2024, the highest in over a decade outside the COVID-19 period. In Toronto alone, unemployed youth surged 50% in two years. Businesses like Tim Hortons hired at least 714 temporary foreign workers in Ontario in 2023, up from just 58 in 2019, intensifying competition for jobs that young Canadians rely on to start their careers or provide for their families.
The TFWP and Canada's fraudulent 'diploma mill' network not only hold down wages but also sideline Canadian workers. While seasonal agricultural workers play a vital role in our food security and should be treated as a separate program, the broader TFWP and non-permanent resident abuse must end to protect Canadian jobs, ensure fair wages, and ensure social cohesion in our cities and communities.
To restore balance, prioritize Canadians, and to respect the generations of proud Canadian immigrants who arrived on points, shared values, and who worked hard for their Canadian Dream, we, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to adopt Responsible Immigration policies, including:
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End the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP): Begin to immediately phase out and discontinue the TFWP, to protect Canadian jobs, wages, and upward social mobility.
- Close the Diploma Mills: Low-quality, fraud-riddled career-colleges can no longer be used as a loophole on the pathway to P.R. and citizenship.
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Close the Asylum Loophole: The majority of student and TFWP asylum claims from 2021-2025 should be quickly denied, to clear the backlog, and better respect the sanctity of the asylum system.
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Lower Permanent Residency Targets: Reduce annual permanent residency to a sustainable level -- in the range of 250,000 -- to ease pressure on housing, infrastructure, and the economy.
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Strengthen Deportation Policies: Deport all non-citizens convicted of crimes, those supporting terror or hate groups, and all those who are on expired visas.
- Country Caps: Strict yearly limits on permanent and non-permanent residents per-country, to better allow for balanced social cohesion.
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Prioritize High-Value Students: Limit international student admissions to four-year degrees in advanced fields, at legitimate institutions.
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Reform the Points System: Emphasize language proficiency, shared values, education, and highly-skilled, in-demand employment in immigration selection criteria.
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Implement a Canadian Birth-Rate Strategy: Encourage and incentivize higher birth rates among Canadian citizens to sustainably grow Canada’s population.
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Extend the Time-Period to Citizenship: Lengthen the time required for citizenship, to better honour the value of Canadian citizenship, and to disincentivize those looking to take advantage of Canada and its overburdened public services.
By implementing these measures, Canada can build a fair, sustainable immigration system that prioritizes Canadian workers, supports economic growth, and fosters a brighter future for all.
Click to Donate, or Sign & Share the Canadians for Responsible Immigration campaign, to help force urgent change.
There's no Canadian recovery, no return to the Canadian Dream, until we fix our Liberal-broken immigration system.
(Additional recommended reading: 'Repairing the fray: Improving immigration and citizenship policy in Canada,' Dr. Michael Bonner, Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy.)