Trudeau Secures Minority Government: What Immigration Promises Has He Made?

Following yesterday’s federal election, Justin Trudeau has won enough seats to forms another minority government. Though he has fallen short of his sought-after majority government, Trudeau will be maintaining his role as Prime Minister of Canada

To win a Liberal majority government, the party would have needed to secure at least half of the 338 seats available. Currently, the Liberals are elected and leading in 158 ridings – 12 seats short of the 170 required for a majority.

Following this election, Trudeau and the Liberal party will continue to rely on the support of other parties in order to pass bills and create law.

The Liberals will likely continue to govern with the support of Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Sikh son of Indian immigrants, Jagmeet Singh.

Since first elected in 2015, Justin Trudeau has significantly expanded Canadian immigration. In October 2020, he announced that immigration targets would be increased to 401,000 for the year of 2021. At a recent campaign stop, Trudeau mentioned increasing the immigration targets even further if re-elected to make up for lost time during COVID-19.

What has the Liberal Party promised for Canadian immigration?

Throughout their campaign, the Liberal party has expressed the following goals for immigration in Canada:

1. Support for Francophone immigration outside of Quebec. The Liberals have already increased the number of points given to French-speakers through the Express Entry system. This platform promise suggests Trudeau plans to implement additional immigration strategies to welcome more French-speaking newcomers to communities across Canada.
2. Expand pathways to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers and international students. Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has been increasingly focusing on candidates that are already established in Canada. This February 2021, Canada held a historic Express Entry draw, inviting over 25,000 Canadian Experience Class candidates to apply for permanent residence. The Liberal Party has indicated their intention to continue to grow on pathways to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers and international students the Express Entry points system.
3. Grow the Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP) to welcome 2,000 skilled refugees to fill labour shortages in in-demand sectors. The pilot was launched in 2018 with the goal of both serving a humanitarian purpose and filling gaps in Canada’s labour market. EMPP gives certain skilled refugees an alterative pathway to resettlement in Canada by matching them with existing economic immigration programs.
4. Streamline the process for employers hiring a temporary foreign worker by creating a Trusted Employer system.
5. Expand and improve the Global Talent Stream program. Under Canada’s Global Talent Stream, applicants with experience in select occupations can apply for expedited processing of work permit authorizations. The Liberals plan to simplify the renewal process, uphold the 2-week processing time, and create an employer hotline.
6. Improve foreign credential recognition by continuing to work with provinces, territories, and regulatory bodies. Doing so will help newcomers more easily integrate into the Canadian workplace and secure employment in their field of specialization.

The victory of the Liberal Party is good news for foreign nationals interested in immigrating to Canada. At Canadim, we are pleased to have a leader that is supportive of immigration and values the positive impact and contributions made by immigrants.