The Trudeau government has introduced legislation that would let cabinet suspend or cancel temporary permits for foreigners in Canada, as immigration officials admit more than three million people are in the country on valid or expired documents.Blacklock's Reporter says Bill C-12, An Act Respecting Certain Measures Relating To The Security Of Canada’s Borders, was quietly tabled in the House of Commons, giving cabinet sweeping authority to freeze or revoke any type of visa “if it is in the public interest to do so.”Under the bill, the federal government could suspend the processing of study permits, work permits, tourist visas or “any other documents,” and cancel existing permits or permanent resident cards by order.The move follows growing criticism over Ottawa’s handling of temporary residents. Immigration Minister Lena Diab told MPs earlier this year that foreigners with expired visas are expected to leave voluntarily. .A departmental briefing note titled Temporary Resident Reduction estimated that as of January 1, 2025, Canada’s non-permanent resident population stood at 3,049,277.Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner accused the government of losing control of the system. “Why are they persisting in bringing in hundreds of thousands of students and foreign workers on temporary visas when people can’t find jobs?” she asked.Rempel Garner also questioned the logic of expanding visa programs during a health care crisis. Diab replied that Ottawa was “working towards sustainable immigration by reducing our temporary resident numbers.”.“That’s baloney,” Rempel Garner shot back. “All the statistics show they’ve actually increased those numbers.”When pressed on how many expired visa holders had been removed, Diab deflected, saying, “Those numbers are taken way out of context.” She added, “We have rules in this country and we expect people to follow those rules.”Rempel Garner accused the Liberals of breaking the system entirely. “Does she not understand if you don’t remove people who do not have a legal right to be here, that the system is meaningless?” she said. Diab responded that deportations are the responsibility of the Canada Border Services Agency.
