QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Immigration Statistics
September 27, 2023
Government leader, according to The Globe and Mail, members of the Trudeau government’s cabinet attending a retreat in Charlottetown last month were told that roughly one million more non-permanent residents live in Canada than the government’s official estimate suggests. This briefing to ministers — by an economist from the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, or CIBC — included a warning that by undercounting the number of people in Canada, the Trudeau government is also underestimating the number of new houses required to meet our country’s needs.
Leader, this occurred under the watch of the previous minister responsible for immigration, who is now the new minister responsible for housing. How is it possible to lose count of one million people in our country?
Canada’s immigration policy is designed to provide opportunities for those around the world who want to participate in the growth and development of our country and help it and prosper, as it has from generations of immigrants — many of their children and grandchildren are in this chamber.
There’s no doubt that the challenges that Canadians face — including those who have recently arrived for affordable housing — is a serious one that the government is addressing in several important respects. It will continue to do so for the benefit of Canadians.
The CIBC estimates that the Trudeau government is not counting about 250,000 international students pursuing their education in Canada. Last month, the new Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Sean Fraser, told the media that a cap on international students is “one of the options we ought to consider.”
Leader, the housing crisis is not the fault of international students. They have simply followed the rules put in place by the Trudeau government — yet there are reports of international students who are homeless, living under bridges or in cars. Everyone in Canada deserves safe and affordable shelter. Instead of always looking for someone else to blame, when will the Trudeau government accept responsibility for the housing crisis it has created?
Thank you for your question. The Trudeau government has not created the housing crisis. It’s doing its part — along with provinces and municipalities — to address it. Indeed, the most recent announcement about the reduction of the GST is already encouraging developers to build more homes, as has been recently reported by the press.
With regard to immigration, it is regrettable and unfortunate that some foreign students are being misled — not by the government but rather unscrupulous advisers and professionals — into believing that by coming to Canada to study they can easily secure permanent residency status.
The government is investigating these fraudulent behaviours and abuses of the system — and will take measures to counter them — but the fact remains Canada benefits from immigration. The Government of Canada is addressing the housing crisis responsibly and will continue to do so.
