Canada's election: what will happen to immigration?
Canada will hold early elections for the federal government in a month.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called a snap federal election for September 20, even though it wasn't supposed to take place until 2023.
According to current polls, the Liberal party led by Trudeau is leading the Canadian population. For the party, the upcoming election is a chance to gain more seats in parliament, as it is now in the minority.
What will change for immigrants?
Now Canada is very loyal to immigrants: it offers a large number of programs that can be used to move, tries to help newcomers. Moreover, new immigration programs are regularly launched.
Canada's immigration plan requires the country to accept 1.2 million new immigrants by 2023.
Also in the first half of 2021, the current government has outlined the steps it plans to develop in the future. Several temporary immigration flows have been launched, and a budget for 2021 has been developed with a significant amount allocated to support for new immigrants, including women.
If the Liberal Party wins, we should expect a continuation of the immigration policy that is currently in place. However, there could be serious changes in the Express Entry system.
What do other parties offer?
As of August 16, only the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) has made its statement on what it plans to implement if it wins the election. It has paid more attention to social issues such as minimum wage, sick leave, income security for seniors, student loans, racism, affordable housing and the like. The party, whose leader is Jagmeet Singh, is ranked third in the polls.
Second place, right after the Liberals, is now held by the Conservative Party of Canada, led by Erin O'Toole. Though there is no campaign yet, this party is also known for supporting immigration and seeking to increase the number of people coming to Canada. For example, the Express Entry system was launched when the Conservatives were in power.
The other parties, according to preliminary polls, are not as popular with Canadians, so they are unlikely to come to power.
In the coming weeks, the parties will be releasing official campaign statements that will perhaps make the immigration issue more explicit.
