Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has called for a hard cap on asylum seekers entering Canada, adding that applicants whose claims are eventually denied burden Canadian taxpayers while falsely claiming refugee status.
The comments came from Poilievre’s press conference held on Dec. 1.
“We need to shut off the flow of false refugee claims who are in no danger in their country of origin, but who are sneaking in either through our porous border, through our weak visa system, and then when they land here, are making a false claim,” said Poilievre.
He added that it’s ultimately the Immigration and Refugee Board that determines false claims but that while false claimants remain in Canada for five to seven years, they strain the country’s housing market, healthcare system, and job market by working under the table.
“I love real refugees. Our country was built in large part by real refugees who were genuinely fleeing danger, like my wife,” said Poilievre. “But I have no time for people who lie to come into our country.”
In 2015, the year that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office, a total of 16,592 asylum claims were sent to the IRB for processing. When excluding the 8,596 applications that were accepted and those that were rejected, abandoned or withdrawn, 9,999 remained for processing by the end of the year.
On the other hand, as of the third quarter of this year, a whopping 146,828 asylum claims were sent for consideration by the IRB, 33,583 of which were approved. When counting other finalized claims, the IRB was left with a backlog of nearly 250,000 claimants who have yet to receive an asylum status determination.
In retrospect, throughout Trudeau’s time in office, asylum claims being referred to the IRB have spiked by almost 785%, and the backlog has grown by around 2,400%.
Asylum claimants are costing Canadians $16.35 billion a year in expenses like housing and healthcare.
Conservative MP Arpan Khanna revealed that despite the Liberals’ promise to reduce immigration, Immigration Minister Marc Miller confirmed that 3 million more temporary and permanent residents will come to Canada over the next three years.
However, asylum seekers aren’t Canada’s only immigration concern, according to Poilievre.
He cited the fact that up to 500,000 people are living in Canada illegally, according to government documents revealed by Blacklock’s Reporter.
Miller previously admitted that Canada’s immigration system was “out of control.” Later, he said he expected Canada’s nearly 5 million temporary migrants with visas expiring to leave voluntarily.
Poilievre said that one of the biggest contributors to Canada’s broken immigration system is its weak border, allowing for the flow of illegal immigrants, drugs, and weapons.
“Justin Trudeau is a weak leader who has lost control of spending, lost control of immigration, and lost control of our border,” said Poilievre. “Don’t take my word for it. Look at the facts.”
He said that fentanyl confiscations have tripled at the Canada-U.S. border in the last year. Poilievre added that U.S. border guards caught ten times more people sneaking into the United States from Canada compared to 2022.
In 2023, six times more individuals on the terrorist watchlist were apprehended at the Canada-U.S. border compared to the U.S.-Mexico border.
Canada’s premiers demanded improved border security following President-elect Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25% tariffs on Canadian imports if the border security issue is not addressed.
Poilievre said that the Conservatives demand Trudeau support a “Canada First Plan” which calls for increased border patrols and collaboration with provincial police forces. The plan also calls for deploying new technologies like helicopters, scanners, and drones to combat illegal drug trafficking.
Poilievre echoed the call made by Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to expand CBSA’s mandate to help with border security.
“Since Trudeau became prime minister, there have been massive increases in illegal border activity. It is his job to immediately introduce action to solve it. Now. It’s not just for Donald Trump,” said Poilievre.
To fund the increased security, Poilievre urged the Liberals to cut “high-priced CBSA consultants” and to cancel the upcoming GST “two-month tax trick” that will cost $6.2 billion.
The Conservative leader said that the border security issues have contributed to the 47,000 overdose deaths, more deaths than the country saw in World War II. He said that a briefing note revealed that 350 organized crime groups are actively involved in the illegal fentanyl market.
“A ten-cent savings on a bag of pretzels will not mean anything to a mother who has lost her child to an overdose of drugs,” said Poilievre.
“Canada must protect its own citizens. We must put our country first. We must be responsible. We will. My goal and my raison d’être is to fix what Trudeau broke and restore the promise of Canada,” Poilievre said in French.