One candidate in the Liberal leadership race is pledging to get tough on illegal immigration.
Former Brampton, Ont. Liberal MP Ruby Dhalla says if she becomes the next Liberal leader – and prime minister – everyone in Canada illegally will be gone.
“There are over half a million illegal immigrants in Canada. This is unacceptable. As the daughter of immigrant parents, I know firsthand that immigrants have helped build our great country, but we must clamp down on human trafficking and those that are here illegally,” she said in a video.
“As your prime minister, I promise you I will deport every illegal immigrant in Canada,” Dhalla said. “Canada’s comeback starts now.”
Dhalla has officially been accepted by the Liberal Party of Canada to run in its leadership contest. She’s among six candidates to be admitted to run in the party, including former central banker Mark Carney, former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, and former Liberal House leader Karina Gould..
To run, prospective contestants must raise a $350,000 filing fee payable over several installments.
Dhalla’s campaign has attracted online criticism from some Liberals.
Canada saw an explosion of illegal immigration in 2023, with 143,870 people illegally entering the country and requesting asylum. Others who have overstayed their work and study visas have also fallen through the cracks. The Canada Border Services Agency reported last year that it lost track.
In another video posted to her social media, Dhalla said that her official acceptance in the leadership race will allow the party to broaden its membership.
“I think my candidacy is going to engage an entire new demographic of people to our party and into the Canadian political system. So let’s keep going,” she said.
Dhalla has 775,000 followers on Instagram. For comparison purposes, Carney, widely considered the frontrunner, has 57,300.
Freeland has 58,300 on the same platform.
Dhalla called on all supporters of the now disqualified Liberal party leadership candidate Chandra Arya to instead support her bid for party leadership.
Though the Liberal party did not respond to True North’s requests for comment on why he was disqualified, Arya controversially said that the French language is not important to Quebecers.
Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly criticized Arya for the statements.
Arya also was an ardent opponent of the Foreign Agent Registry, which forces representatives of foreign governments to register their activities in Canada.
This comes after India was named one of the primary governments accused of interfering in Canadian democracy by the Foreign Interference Commission and concerns of lax party rules leaving the Liberal party open to foreign influence.
Dhalla did not respond to True North’s requests to comment.