QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
International Students
February 6, 2024
My question is for the Government Representative in the Senate.
Senator Gold, on January 22, 2024, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced a cap on the number of international students allowed into Canada, specifically to address certain abusive practices, as you mentioned.
Senator Gold, this decision will have a devastating impact on French-language post-secondary institutions in minority communities. It will limit their ability to achieve some aspects of their mission, such as helping to meet the government’s francophone immigration objectives.
Would the federal government be open to reviewing the terms and conditions of this announcement, for example, by considering the francophone clients of post-secondary institutions in francophone minority communities as a priority cohort?
Thank you for your question, senator, and for drawing attention to the importance of these institutions across Canada.
To be clear, the government’s reform of the international student program is meant to punish bad actors who have rendered some students vulnerable to abuse and who have tarnished the integrity of our international student program.
At the end of the day, the provinces will receive an allocation and take responsibility for distributing it among the designated institutions.
I hope the provinces will ensure that legitimate and valid institutions continue to get the support they need.
Thank you, Senator Gold.
Although this policy was designed to punish the bad actors, it also punishes French-language post-secondary institutions in minority communities.
The new francophone immigration policy unveiled by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship last month includes the proportion of study permits for francophone students outside Quebec as one of its performance indicators.
Why does the federal government fail to see the contradiction between its new francophone immigration policy and the announcement regarding the national cap?
Respectfully, there’s no contradiction. I want to reiterate that this is about protecting vulnerable foreign students.
For far too long, too many foreign students have been exposed to abusive practices that threaten the integrity of our program, which is important for the entire country. The provinces will receive an allocation and they will be responsible for distributing it among the designated learning institutions.
