NDP leader Avi Lewis wants to massively increase refugee intake
In an interview with an immigrant-centred news outlet, NDP Leader Avi Lewis proposed radical and sweeping reforms to Canada’s immigration system.
Author: Clayton DeMaine
Newly elected NDP Leader Avi Lewis gave an interview with New Canadian Media, an immigrant-centered advocacy group and news outlet, where he outlined his plan to open up the foreign worker program and increase the intake of refugee claimants.
The article from the outlet, which describes its sole purpose as “presenting the immigrant point-of-view on Canadian current affairs,” said Lewis advocated granting illegal immigrants legal status, ending restrictions on the temporary foreign worker program and repealing laws which prevent illegal migrants in the U.S. from applying to Canada.
In the interview, Lewis agreed with Conservatives that the immigration system in Canada was broken, but instead advocated for the repeal of several safeguards and limitations on the immigration system, vowing that if elected, his openly socialist party would mass-approve legal status for illegal migrants and increase immigration numbers
“Liberals are slashing immigration, suspending people’s status, and 3,000 people are losing their immigration status every single day. Families are waiting years to meet with a loved one. Millions of innocent migrant workers face terrible restrictions on their work permits, and they are in maximum danger of being exploited,” he said. “They cannot access health care. They get deported.”
Lewis said Liberal promises to reduce immigration levels were “unfair” and that all migrants should be given certainty that they can become permanent residents and eventually citizens of Canada.
“We are calling very clearly for a single-tier immigration system based on permanent residency and status on arrival that gives rights and stability like our grandparents received when they first came to this country,” he said. “We need an immigration system that reunites families, welcomes refugees fleeing wars around the world, and does not create two classes of workers.”
Lewis vowed to “reverse” the cuts Prime Minister Mark Carney has made to immigration levels and pledged to hire “3,000 immigrant case workers” to “immediately address the backlog of over one million immigrant applications bogging down Canada’s immigration department.”
He said an NDP government would remove restrictions on the temporary worker program, which limits migrants to employers who must prove they are unable to hire Canadian workers.
He said his government would “end limits” on what sector temporary workers can apply to, the hours they can work, and what occupation or category they can work in, stating that the current laws “make workers vulnerable.”
Lewis also advocated for creating “a network of reception centres for refugees across the country” and publicly funding “shelters and housing.”
One point Lewis agreed with Conservatives on was that the current system has issues with credentialing internationally trained immigrants and noted that his party would “fix” the issue.
He also said an NDP government under his leadership would stop charging international students at “unfair” rates for tuition. In some cases, such as in Ontario, international students pay three or four times more than domestic students.
“It is time for the government to start building non-market housing, cooperative housing, and non-profit housing and welcome many more international students,” he said.
Taking aim at U.S. immigration policy, he said Mark Carney has brought forward Bill C-12, which he argued “created a deportation machine that makes us look more like the U.S.” and claimed the law would “open the door” to human rights abuses.
Lewis claimed that the “Safe Third Country Agreement,” which prevents migrants who illegally enter the U.S. from filing refugee claims in Canada, was “ridiculous.”
“The agreement is preventing them from seeking refugee status in Canada,” he said. “It should be cancelled immediately.”