Conservative MPs are calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney to remove Immigration Minister Lena Diab following reports that some Liberal caucus members have expressed concerns about her performance.The call comes after a CBC report citing unnamed Liberal MPs who questioned Diab’s handling of the immigration portfolio. Conservatives say the situation reflects broader challenges facing Canada’s immigration system.Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, Conservative immigration critic and Calgary–Nose Hill MP Michelle Rempel Garner said confidence in Canada’s immigration system has weakened in recent months.“We have seen Canada’s immigration consensus crumble over the last year,” Rempel Garner said. “I am deeply concerned about the hardening attitudes of Canadians towards immigration.”Rempel Garner said Conservative MPs have proposed policy measures aimed at aligning immigration levels with housing, healthcare, and labour market capacity. She also criticized Diab’s public communications on the file..“The problem is that whenever we have the minister at committee or she’s in the House of Commons, she doesn’t exude confidence in the file,” she said.Rempel Garner pointed to the CBC report as evidence of concerns extending beyond the opposition.“I think that the fact that 10 Liberal MPs were willing to talk to the CBC about and issue similar sentiments probably states something that we all knew was going to happen,” she said. “I think that the Prime Minister is going to have to fire her and fire her quickly.”At the same time, Rempel Garner acknowledged the challenges associated with the role, noting Diab has inherited policy issues from previous ministers.“I do feel like she’s been put in a situation where she’s had to clean up the mess of other men, one of whom has been failed upward into cabinet, into the Justice file,” she said. “But the fact remains that she has not shown a great degree of competency over the last year.”.Rempel Garner said Conservatives remain willing to work with the government on immigration reforms following any leadership changes.“I want to reiterate, the Conservatives are willing to work collaboratively with the government,” she said. “I put a lot of time over the last year or so in developing concrete policy options that I hope that the Liberals will just steal and implement.”The Liberal government has not publicly indicated any plans to remove Diab from cabinet. The immigration minister has also not publicly responded to the Conservatives’ latest calls.Immigration policy has been a focal point of federal political debate amid pressures related to housing availability, healthcare capacity, and labour market conditions. The government has previously defended its approach, saying immigration remains essential to economic growth and demographic stability.
