The Century Initiative co-founder and Liberal Leader Mark Carney’s U.S. relations advisor once said that screening immigrants was a waste of time and the country should “let people in by and large.”
Carney appointed Mark Wiseman to his 18-person Canada-U.S. relations advisory council. The council, first established by former prime minister Justin Trudeau is made up of appointed advisors including former premiers Rachel Notley and Jean Charest.
Wiseman’s role in founding the Century Initiative, a mass immigration advocacy group that wants to see Canada’s population skyrocket to 100 million people by the end of the century, has come under closer scrutiny.
In a resurfaced viral clip from an event co-hosted by the Century Initiative and the Globe and Mail, Wiseman once discussed loosening immigration controls.
“Let the private sector move to bring people in and facilitate them being able to do that. A lot of the screening and other stuff that we do frankly is just bureaucracy, is a waste of time, let’s let people in by and large,” said Wiseman.
In an interview with Bloomberg Markets, Wiseman spoke about the need for the Liberal government to bring in closer to 500,000 people per year.
Former Liberal immigration minister Sean Fraser eventually raised the government’s 2025 target to 500,000 permanent residents in his 2022 immigration plan.
On Tuesday, Fraser announced he would return to politics and run for re-election in his Central Nova riding despite previously backing out from politics last year.
Fraser’s decision to raise the permanent residence target to 500,000 people per year earned him the praise of Century Initiative CEO Lisa Lalande.
“Century Initiative commends the government for recognizing the important role that immigration plays in our economic and social prosperity,” wrote Lalande in a press release.
“Today’s announcement is a positive step forward for the country. Century Initiative welcomes the opportunity to continue working with the government to secure a prosperous future for Canadians.”
This figure does not include those holding temporary visas or asylum applicants. When including those figures, the annual rate of immigration would be around 2.2 million people per year.
Poilievre commented on the Century initiative, assuring voters that his conservative party opposes the agenda, and described it as “radical”.
At a recent Brampton rally, Poilievre vowed to end “the radical, borderless, globalist ideology of the Liberal government.”
Previously Poilievre cited the Century initiative’s immigration goal as “another reason why Liberals don’t deserve a fourth term”, linking Wiseman’s influence to the previous three terms of Liberal government immigration policies.