Immigration just like in the United States of America has become a hot topic among indigenous Canadians who feel foreigners are gradually taking over their country.
Maxime Bernier's controversial campaign billboard
The government of Canada is likely to make significant adjustments to the mass immigration of Nigerians and nationals of other countries of the world to her country via the popular Express Entry, Provincial Nominee and refugee settlement programs.
The current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who favours mass migration with a target of an additional one million immigrants in the next three years is heading to the polls on the 21st of October, 2019. Should he fail to secure another term in office, mass immigration via both streams including the refugee settlement program might be either stopped or highly restricted by the candidates of the other political parties who have more conservative approaches towards mass migration to Canada.
Canada - a bilingual country in North America presently has 5 major political parties namely the Liberal Party that currently forms the government, the Conservative Party who are the official opposition, the New Democratic Party, the People's Party Of Canada, and the Green Party of Canada.
Immigration just like in the United States of America has become a hot topic among indigenous Canadians who feel foreigners are gradually taking over their country and politicians jostling for the number position in the country have continued to latch onto it with varying immigration policies to boost popularity. The issue of mass immigration continues to fuel negative sentiments amongst the natives. The election day which is about three weeks away will determine if the immigration will stop, reduce or be increased. According to local policy analysts, the current immigration policy is likely to be maintained if Trudeau wins.
The New Democratic Party remains indifferent about immigration as it focuses on reduction in the rising cost of living in Canada. This can't be said of the conservatives who are focusing on the loopholes in the present immigration system with reference to the number of asylum claimants coming into Canada.
In the same vein, the leader of the People's Party of Canada, Maxime Bernier has been very vocal about the immigration level, multiculturalism, and diversity. In fact, his campaign billboards with the inscription "Say No To Mass Immigration" have been erected across highways in Canada by a third party. Bernier wants a maximum of 150,000 into Canada in a year.
"We want fewer immigrants, a maximum of 150,000 a year and you know we are not for mass immigration. For me, mass immigration is 350,000 in a year. If you look at it after two years, that will be a million new Canadians and the equivalent of the population of Nova Scotia (a province in Canada)" he recently said at the sidelines of a campaign rally.
It should be noted that asylum claims in Canada have witnessed an unprecedented increase since 2017 thereby causing worries for the country. People have been regularly crossing the borders to claim asylum.
Ralph Goodale, the Public Safety Minister expressed the commitment of the government towards plugging the loopholes exploited by the asylum claimants.
"Let me make the point emphatically, the coming across the border in a way that tries to circumvent the law or defy proper procedure is no free ticket to Canada. Seeking asylum is not a shortcut to get around normal immigration rules and procedures. There must be legitimate reasons why asylum is necessary or it will not be granted" Mr. Goodale said.
It is worthy of note that Nigeria and other countries of the world have benefitted immensely from the challenges of ageing and population implosion faced by Canada. This necessitated the encouragement of the mass immigration policy to help grow the local economy. Immigrants are given Permanent Residency status on arrival to Canada and are eligible to apply for citizenship after spending 1,095 days in the country.
Written exclusively for Tori News by Osayimwen Osahon George