To make our ambitious immigration reform happen faster, we will pause new immigration for 1 to 2 years. The goal is to reduce immigration by around 60%.
Returning spousal reunion & dependents' immigration streams will be the top priority to avoid damaging families. We aim to have that stream up and running within 3 to 6 months of the pause.
The system harms both residents and newcomers in its current form, so there's no point keeping it on life support.
We will however maintain 3 exceptions at their 2022 or lower rates:
Students: Student visas are the only part of the system that is decently functional. International students who want, and have the skills, to become part of Canada can do so relatively easily, while a mutually benefitial transaction takes place with the rest.
Refugees: We have a heart and can't bring ourselves to stop helping a little. Instead we will focus on better integrating incoming refugees into our society as fast as possible.
Tradespeople: Canada has a shortage of tradespeople to meet its current construction targets, let alone our vision for affordable housing.
Our party leader has skin in the game, as his father is currently applying to get a PR and some of his close highschool friends have shown interest in coming to Canada. This is why he himself wants to make sure the pause is lifted asap.
An added benefit will be reducing the pressure on rents, housing, and more which helps inflation cool down.