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NDP Leader Avi Lewis Wants to Reverse Carney’s Immigration Cuts

The prime minister has created a deportation system that rivals the US, the new party chief says

Incoming federal New Democratic Party leader Avi Lewis is calling for sweeping reforms to Canada’s immigration system with an eye to improving the lives of immigrants and newcomers, saying the current approach leaves many vulnerable and exploited.

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Lewis, a journalist, filmmaker, and political activist, beat four other candidates—Rob Ashton, Tanille Johnston, Heather McPherson, and Tony McQuail—to win the leadership at the party’s convention in Winnipeg on Sunday.

Earlier, in a Zoom interview with New Canadian Media, Lewis discussed his plans for the NDP and his vision for immigration.

Do you think Canada’s immigration system is working?

Our immigration system is broken. But what is more concerning is that the governing Liberals are slashing immigration and suspending people’s status, and 3,000 people are losing their immigration status every single day. Families are waiting years to meet with a loved one. Millions of innocent migrant workers face terrible restrictions on their work permits, and they are in maximum danger of being exploited. They cannot access health care. They get deported.

Former prime minister Justin Trudeau said he would freeze immigration levels. Millions of people who are already working toward permanent residency were suddenly pushed into uncertainty, and this is a terrible crisis in people’s lives.

What would you change?

We are calling very clearly for a single-tier immigration system, based on permanent residency and status on arrival, that gives rights and stability—like our grandparents received when they first came to this country. We need an immigration system that reunites families, welcomes refugees fleeing wars around the world, and does not create two classes of workers.

We will reverse Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cuts to immigration levels. Through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, we will hire 3,000 immigrant caseworkers immediately to address the backlog of 1 million immigrant applications that are stuck and going nowhere.

We will end provincial rules that restrict and tie foreign workers to specific employers. We will end limits based on sector, hours, occupation, or category—restrictions that make workers vulnerable. We believe we should create a network of reception centres for refugees across the country, with real funding for shelters and housing. We also need to fix credentialling problems. Many people come to Canada because of their skills, but credentialling issues prevent them from using the skills they brought with them.

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What is your take on the current international student issue?

The demonizing of international students and blaming them for the housing crisis is disgusting. Their families have sacrificed the wealth of generations and given up everything for them to study in Canada.

Universities are facing funding crises because many rely on that extra revenue which comes from charging international students often unfair fees. Now we have a post-secondary funding crisis caused by cuts to international student numbers. This is part of an anti-immigrant backlash, and it is harming international students and their families as well as our post-secondary education system.

We also should not have unfairly high tuition for international students. One crisis creates another. It is time for the government to start building non-market housing, co-operative housing, and non-profit housing and welcome many more international students.

Do you think the immigration policies in the United States are affecting Canada? Is there anything the government could do to reassure newcomers that they are safe and welcome here?

The situation in the US with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is absolutely horrifying, as it is a machinery of deportation that separates families, kidnaps children, and puts people in cages.

Canadian companies should have nothing to do with ICE. We should stop armoured vehicles made in Ontario from being sold to ICE.

We also have the Safe Third Country Agreement with the US, which is not a safe country for refugees, and the idea that people cannot make refugee claims from the US to come to Canada through a third country is ridiculous. The agreement is preventing them from seeking refugee status in Canada. It should be cancelled immediately.

The government is not doing that. In fact, the prime minister brought forward federal legislation which created a deportation machine that makes us more like the US. This law opens the door to more human rights abuses.

We should go the other way. We should follow countries like Spain, which recently granted legal status to half a million migrants. We need to be clear that newcomers should be safe and welcome here.

Immigrants are part of the solution, not the cause of problems. The problem is that we have a system designed for maximum corporate profit, which dominates our economy and makes everything too expensive. We need to stop letting the system divide us and come together to fight for economic equality for everyone.

Originally published as “Federal NDP leader Avi Lewis says Canada’s immigration system is broken and promises sweeping reforms” by New Canadian Media. Reprinted with permission.

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I’m Brett, a contributing writer with The Walrus. This winter, I reported from Nuuk, Greenland, the quiet capital transformed by the threat of an American invasion into an unlikely stage for a global showdown.

What struck me was how deeply the threats had unsettled residents. People were on edge. But I was also struck by their willingness to share their stories.

The Walrus knows you need to hear from people who live in these places, and from reporters who are actually there. When you support The Walrus, you’re supporting real journalism.

The Walrus is investing in on-the-ground reporting while other newsrooms are getting slashed by corporate owners. We need your help to send writers where they should be.

Our goal was to raise $30,000 before the end of the month. Will you join the 400 members who’ve donated already?

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