Immigration remains a burning topic in Canadian politics
The Conservative Party of Canada convention will address leadership and immigration policy, focusing on curbing temporary foreign worker programs.
While the convention of the Conservative Party of Canada scheduled for later this month will focus on whether its leader remains in place, immigration curbs, including sharply curbing temporary foreign worker programmes, will be among the policy priorities there.
The convention will be held in Calgary from January 29 to 31 and attention will be on the review of the leadership of Pierre Poilievre, after the principal opposition party suffered a reverse in the March 2025 federal elections despite leading the incumbent Liberals by double digits through most of 2024. Poilievre is expected to survive the vote by party members despite that setback which resulted in Mark Carney retaining his position as Prime Minister while heading a minority government.
But policy proposals submitted by local party associations for discussion and potential adoption underscore how immigration remains a burning political issue in the country.
Among the proposals are those to either eliminate or sharply curb the temporary foreign worker programme or TFWP. One proposal calls for TFWP and the International Labour Mobility Programme to “be ended.” That proposal states, “The Conservative Party of Canada believes Canadian jobs should be for Canadian workers. Limited programmes to deal with temporary and genuine labour shortages such as agricultural harvests should replace them.”
Another proposal seeks to “Prohibit the use of TFW in low-skill positions and high-unemployment regions, while prioritising opportunities for youth and underemployed Canadians,” while supporting “development of pilot projects designed to address serious skills shortages in specific sectors and regions of the country.”
Another agenda item calls for “immediate deportation as the primary option for all non-citizens in Canada who are convicted of an indictable offence.” And that would include a default permanent ban on re-entry with options of asset forfeiture.
Another area targeted is that of international students, as a proposal describes study visas as “privileges, not rights.”
“We believe that engaging in violent crimes, hate incitement, or acts of hateful intimidation by student visa holders should result in immediate revocation of their status and deportation through due process,” that item elaborates.
The party has already called for scrapping TFWP in Parliament and the government has demurred though, due the public opinion, Ottawa has greatly reduced intake of newcomers in its levels plan announced in November.
That levels plan had Canada sharply reducing its intake of temporary residents, including workers and international students, by nearly 43%.
In its previous levels plan, the government had looked at admitting 305,000 new international students each year. However, the latest plan showed the target at 155,000, reducing further to 150,000 in 2027 and 2028.
