Wait. . . your immigration department director was named Andy Griffith?
Well, there's your problem right there!
Well, there's your problem right there!
Refugee/Migrant Crisis
- Thread starter Tecumsehsbones
- Start date
This should be first Canadian election that focuses on migration
Mark Carney is bringing in people who support high migration policies. The Conservatives are breaking Canada's old taboo against talking about it.
Author of the article
ouglas Todd
Published Mar 27, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 5 minute read
The traditional Canadian “‘immigration consensus’ that more is always better” is weakening, says SFU political scientist Sanjay Jeram.
The traditional Canadian “‘immigration consensus’ that more is always better” is weakening, says SFU political scientist Sanjay Jeram.
A controversial appointment put migration in the headlines on the same weekend that Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a snap election.
The investment fund manager and former head of the Bank of Canada, who won the Liberal leadership contest two weeks ago, became the subject of news stories focusing on how he has chosen Mark Wiseman, an advocate for open borders, as a key adviser.
Wiseman is co-founder of the Century Initiative, a lobby group that aggressively advocates for Canada’s population to catapult to 100 million by 2100. Wiseman maintains Canada’s traditional method of “screening” people before allowing them into the country is “frankly, just a waste of time.” The immigration department’s checks, he says, are “just a bureaucracy.”
Wiseman believes migration policy should be left in the hands of business.
The appointment of Wiseman is an indication that Carney, a long-time champion of free trade in capital and labour, is gathering people around him who value exceptional migration levels and more foreign investment, including in housing.
Carney denied a charge by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre that bringing in Wiseman “shows that Mark Carney supports the Liberal Century Initiative to nearly triple our population to 100 million people. … That is the radical Liberal agenda on immigration.”
Carney tried this week to distance himself from the Century Initiative, telling reporters Wiseman will not be advising him on migration.
For years, migration issues have been taboo in Canada, says SFU political scientist Sanjay Jeram.
But the Canadian “‘immigration consensus’ that more is always better” is weakening, Jeram says. Most people believe “public opinion toward immigration has soured due to concerns that rapid population growth contributed to the housing and inflation crises.” But Jeram also thinks Canadian attitudes reflect expanding global skepticism.
Whatever the motivations, Poilievre says he would reduce immigration by roughly half, to 250,000 new citizens each year, the level before the Liberals were elected in 2015. The Conservative leader maintains the record volume of newcomers during Trudeau’s 10 years in power has fuelled the country’s housing and rental crisis.
Carney has said he would scale back the volume of immigration and temporary residents to pre-pandemic levels, which would leave them still much higher than when the Conservatives were in office.
What are the actual trends? After the Liberal came to power, immigration levels doubled and guest workers and foreign students increased by five times. Almost three million non-permanent residents now make up 7.3 per cent of the population, up from 1.4 per cent in 2015.
temp residents
The number of non-permanent residents in Canada when the Liberals were elected in 2015 was about 600,000. This year it’s almost three million. Chart suggests the potential impact if the Liberals follow through on vows to moderately reduce volumes. (Source: C.D. Howe Institute) Photo by C.D. Howe Institute
Meanwhile, a Leger poll this month confirmed resistance is rising. Now 58 per cent of Canadians believe migration levels are “too high.” And even half of those who have been in the country for less than a decade feel the same way.
Vancouver real-estate analyst Steve Saretsky says Carney’s embracing of a key player in the Century Initiative is a startling signal, given that migration numbers have been instrumental in pricing young people out of housing.
Saretsky worries the tariff wars started by U.S. President Donald Trump are an emotional “distraction,” making Canadian voters temporarily forget the centrality of housing. He says he is concerned Canadians may get “fooled again” by Liberal promises to slow migration, however moderately.
Bank of Canada economists James Cabral and Walter Steingress recently showed that a one per cent increase in population raises median housing prices by an average of 2.2 per cent — and in some cases by as much as six to eight per cent.
In addition to Carney’s appointment of Wiseman, what are the other signs he leans to lofty migration levels?
One is Carney’s choice of chief of staff: former immigration minister Marco Mendicino, who often boasted of how he was “making it easier” for newcomers to come to the country. Many labour economists said Mendicino’s policies, which brought in more low-skilled workers, did not make sense.
By 2023, the Liberals had a new immigration minister in Marc Miller, who began talking about reducing migration. But Carney dumped Miller out of his cabinet entirely, replacing him with backbench Montreal MP Rachel Bendayan. Prominent Waterloo University labour economist Mikal Skuterud finds it discouraging that Bendayan will be the sixth Liberal immigration minister in a decade.
New ministers, Skuterud said, are vulnerable to special interests, particularly from business.
“It’s a complicated portfolio,” Skuterud said this week. “You get captured by the private interests when you don’t really understand the system or the objectives. You’re just trying to play whack-a-mole, just trying to meet everybody’s needs.”
Skuterud is among the many economists who regret how record high levels of temporary workers have contributed to Canada being saddled with the weakest growth in GDP per capita among advanced economies.
Last week, high-profile Vancouver condo marketer Bob Rennie told an audience that he pitched Carney on a proposal to stimulate rental housing by offering a preferred rate from the Canada Mortgage Housing Corp to offshore investors.
We also learned this week that Carney invited former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson to run as a Liberal candidate. Robertson was mayor during the time that offshore capital, mostly from China, flooded into Vancouver’s housing market. When SFU researcher Andy Yan brought evidence of it to the public’s attention, Robertson said his study had “racist tones.” Two years later, however, Robertson admitted foreign capital had hit “like a ton of bricks.”
It’s notable that Carney, as head of the Bank of England until 2020, was one of the highest-profile campaigners against Brexit, the movement to leave the European Union.
Regardless of its long-lasting implications, Brexit was significantly fuelled by Britons who wanted to protect housing prices by better controlling migration levels, which were being elevated by the EU’s Schengen system, which allows the free movement of people within 29 participating countries.
For perhaps the first time, migration will be a bubbling issue this Canadian election.
While the link to housing prices gets much of the notice, SFU’s Jeram also believes “the negative framing of immigration in the U.S. and Europe likely activated latent concerns among Canadians. It made parties aware that immigration politics may no longer be received by the public as taboo.”
dtodd@postmedia.com
nsnews.com
cdhowe.org
torontosun.com
Mark Carney is bringing in people who support high migration policies. The Conservatives are breaking Canada's old taboo against talking about it.
Author of the article
ouglas ToddPublished Mar 27, 2025 • Last updated 1 day ago • 5 minute read
The traditional Canadian “‘immigration consensus’ that more is always better” is weakening, says SFU political scientist Sanjay Jeram.
The traditional Canadian “‘immigration consensus’ that more is always better” is weakening, says SFU political scientist Sanjay Jeram.
A controversial appointment put migration in the headlines on the same weekend that Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a snap election.
The investment fund manager and former head of the Bank of Canada, who won the Liberal leadership contest two weeks ago, became the subject of news stories focusing on how he has chosen Mark Wiseman, an advocate for open borders, as a key adviser.
Wiseman is co-founder of the Century Initiative, a lobby group that aggressively advocates for Canada’s population to catapult to 100 million by 2100. Wiseman maintains Canada’s traditional method of “screening” people before allowing them into the country is “frankly, just a waste of time.” The immigration department’s checks, he says, are “just a bureaucracy.”
Wiseman believes migration policy should be left in the hands of business.
The appointment of Wiseman is an indication that Carney, a long-time champion of free trade in capital and labour, is gathering people around him who value exceptional migration levels and more foreign investment, including in housing.
Carney denied a charge by Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre that bringing in Wiseman “shows that Mark Carney supports the Liberal Century Initiative to nearly triple our population to 100 million people. … That is the radical Liberal agenda on immigration.”
Carney tried this week to distance himself from the Century Initiative, telling reporters Wiseman will not be advising him on migration.
For years, migration issues have been taboo in Canada, says SFU political scientist Sanjay Jeram.
But the Canadian “‘immigration consensus’ that more is always better” is weakening, Jeram says. Most people believe “public opinion toward immigration has soured due to concerns that rapid population growth contributed to the housing and inflation crises.” But Jeram also thinks Canadian attitudes reflect expanding global skepticism.
Whatever the motivations, Poilievre says he would reduce immigration by roughly half, to 250,000 new citizens each year, the level before the Liberals were elected in 2015. The Conservative leader maintains the record volume of newcomers during Trudeau’s 10 years in power has fuelled the country’s housing and rental crisis.
Carney has said he would scale back the volume of immigration and temporary residents to pre-pandemic levels, which would leave them still much higher than when the Conservatives were in office.
What are the actual trends? After the Liberal came to power, immigration levels doubled and guest workers and foreign students increased by five times. Almost three million non-permanent residents now make up 7.3 per cent of the population, up from 1.4 per cent in 2015.
temp residents
The number of non-permanent residents in Canada when the Liberals were elected in 2015 was about 600,000. This year it’s almost three million. Chart suggests the potential impact if the Liberals follow through on vows to moderately reduce volumes. (Source: C.D. Howe Institute) Photo by C.D. Howe Institute
Meanwhile, a Leger poll this month confirmed resistance is rising. Now 58 per cent of Canadians believe migration levels are “too high.” And even half of those who have been in the country for less than a decade feel the same way.
Vancouver real-estate analyst Steve Saretsky says Carney’s embracing of a key player in the Century Initiative is a startling signal, given that migration numbers have been instrumental in pricing young people out of housing.
Saretsky worries the tariff wars started by U.S. President Donald Trump are an emotional “distraction,” making Canadian voters temporarily forget the centrality of housing. He says he is concerned Canadians may get “fooled again” by Liberal promises to slow migration, however moderately.
Bank of Canada economists James Cabral and Walter Steingress recently showed that a one per cent increase in population raises median housing prices by an average of 2.2 per cent — and in some cases by as much as six to eight per cent.
In addition to Carney’s appointment of Wiseman, what are the other signs he leans to lofty migration levels?
One is Carney’s choice of chief of staff: former immigration minister Marco Mendicino, who often boasted of how he was “making it easier” for newcomers to come to the country. Many labour economists said Mendicino’s policies, which brought in more low-skilled workers, did not make sense.
By 2023, the Liberals had a new immigration minister in Marc Miller, who began talking about reducing migration. But Carney dumped Miller out of his cabinet entirely, replacing him with backbench Montreal MP Rachel Bendayan. Prominent Waterloo University labour economist Mikal Skuterud finds it discouraging that Bendayan will be the sixth Liberal immigration minister in a decade.
New ministers, Skuterud said, are vulnerable to special interests, particularly from business.
“It’s a complicated portfolio,” Skuterud said this week. “You get captured by the private interests when you don’t really understand the system or the objectives. You’re just trying to play whack-a-mole, just trying to meet everybody’s needs.”
Skuterud is among the many economists who regret how record high levels of temporary workers have contributed to Canada being saddled with the weakest growth in GDP per capita among advanced economies.
Last week, high-profile Vancouver condo marketer Bob Rennie told an audience that he pitched Carney on a proposal to stimulate rental housing by offering a preferred rate from the Canada Mortgage Housing Corp to offshore investors.
We also learned this week that Carney invited former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson to run as a Liberal candidate. Robertson was mayor during the time that offshore capital, mostly from China, flooded into Vancouver’s housing market. When SFU researcher Andy Yan brought evidence of it to the public’s attention, Robertson said his study had “racist tones.” Two years later, however, Robertson admitted foreign capital had hit “like a ton of bricks.”
It’s notable that Carney, as head of the Bank of England until 2020, was one of the highest-profile campaigners against Brexit, the movement to leave the European Union.
Regardless of its long-lasting implications, Brexit was significantly fuelled by Britons who wanted to protect housing prices by better controlling migration levels, which were being elevated by the EU’s Schengen system, which allows the free movement of people within 29 participating countries.
For perhaps the first time, migration will be a bubbling issue this Canadian election.
While the link to housing prices gets much of the notice, SFU’s Jeram also believes “the negative framing of immigration in the U.S. and Europe likely activated latent concerns among Canadians. It made parties aware that immigration politics may no longer be received by the public as taboo.”
dtodd@postmedia.com
B.C. condo king Bob Rennie pitches incoming PM on foreign investment in rentals
Rennie seeks CMHC involvement to attract foreign buyers for long-term rentals
nsnews.com
Why More Immigration Didn’t Solve Canada’s Labour Shortages – C.D. Howe Institute
From: Pierre FortinTo: Labour force observersDate: March 21, 2025Re: Why More Immigration Didn’t Solve Canada’s Labour Shortages From 2015 to 2023, the federal government allowed immigration levels to increase fivefold, mostly through a significant rise in temporary immigration. By the end of...
cdhowe.org
This should be the first Canadian election that focuses on migration
Opinion: Carney is bringing in people who support high migration policies. The Tories are breaking an old taboo against talking about it.
Woman accused of killing three in Ontario unfit to stand trial, court rules
Sabrina Kauldhar has been ordered into a 60-day psychiatric treatment before she'll be reassessed
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Mar 28, 2025 • 1 minute read
SERIAL KILLER? Sabrina Kauldhar was arrested Thursday in the Burlington area. She has been charged with three murders in Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
Sabrina Kauldhar was arrested Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in the Burlington area. She has been charged with murder in connection with separate slayings in Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
A Toronto court has ruled that a woman accused of killing three people in three Ontario cities last year is unfit to stand trial at this time and must undergo psychiatric treatment.
Sabrina Kauldhar, 30, was arrested in October and charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.
The charges relate to three deaths police have said took place over three consecutive days in Toronto, Niagara Falls and Hamilton in early October.
Court documents show that a judge ruled Thursday that Kauldhar is unfit to stand trial at this time, and she has been ordered into a 60-day psychiatric treatment before she’ll be reassessed.
The Ontario court of justice had ordered the assessment of Kauldhar’s fitness to stand trial following an application by the prosecution.
Defence lawyers had initially asked for the assessment, but withdrew their application saying Kauldhar had instructed them to oppose it.
torontosun.com
Sabrina Kauldhar has been ordered into a 60-day psychiatric treatment before she'll be reassessed
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Published Mar 28, 2025 • 1 minute read
SERIAL KILLER? Sabrina Kauldhar was arrested Thursday in the Burlington area. She has been charged with three murders in Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
Sabrina Kauldhar was arrested Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024, in the Burlington area. She has been charged with murder in connection with separate slayings in Toronto, Hamilton and Niagara Falls.
A Toronto court has ruled that a woman accused of killing three people in three Ontario cities last year is unfit to stand trial at this time and must undergo psychiatric treatment.
Sabrina Kauldhar, 30, was arrested in October and charged with one count of first-degree murder and two counts of second-degree murder.
The charges relate to three deaths police have said took place over three consecutive days in Toronto, Niagara Falls and Hamilton in early October.
Court documents show that a judge ruled Thursday that Kauldhar is unfit to stand trial at this time, and she has been ordered into a 60-day psychiatric treatment before she’ll be reassessed.
The Ontario court of justice had ordered the assessment of Kauldhar’s fitness to stand trial following an application by the prosecution.
Defence lawyers had initially asked for the assessment, but withdrew their application saying Kauldhar had instructed them to oppose it.
Woman accused of killing three in Ontario unfit to stand trial, court rules
Sabrina Kauldhar has been ordered into a 60-day psychiatric treatment before she'll be reassessed
So now we get stuck with deporting her.
youtube.com
She is here illegally. There is no way in Hell she got a tourist visa on an revoked US student visa.
Indian citizens require a visa to enter Canada for tourism, and the specific type of visa depends on the purpose and duration of their visit.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Visa Requirement:
All Indian nationals, including tourists, need a valid visa to enter Canada.
Visa Types:
The type of visa you need depends on your reason for visiting Canada, such as tourism, work, or study.
Application Process:
You'll need to complete an online application form, gather the required documents, and pay the application fee.
Processing Time:
The visa processing time can vary, but it generally takes 2 to 4 months.
Required Documents:
You'll need to provide documents like your passport, photos, proof of funds, travel itinerary, and possibly other documents depending on your specific situation.
Where to Apply:
You can apply for a Canadian visa through the official website of the Canadian government or through a visa service provider.
Fees:
There are fees associated with the visa application and biometric collection.
Biometrics:
You may need to provide your fingerprints and a photograph as part of the visa application process.
Validity:
The validity of a Canada Visitor Visa is six months.
DHS agents search Columbia student's apartment
Video captured by Ranjani Srinivasan’s roommate shows DHS agents raiding the Columbia student’s apartment after her student visa was unexpectedly revoked and...
youtube.com
She is here illegally. There is no way in Hell she got a tourist visa on an revoked US student visa.
Indian citizens require a visa to enter Canada for tourism, and the specific type of visa depends on the purpose and duration of their visit.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Visa Requirement:
All Indian nationals, including tourists, need a valid visa to enter Canada.
Visa Types:
The type of visa you need depends on your reason for visiting Canada, such as tourism, work, or study.
Application Process:
You'll need to complete an online application form, gather the required documents, and pay the application fee.
Processing Time:
The visa processing time can vary, but it generally takes 2 to 4 months.
Required Documents:
You'll need to provide documents like your passport, photos, proof of funds, travel itinerary, and possibly other documents depending on your specific situation.
Where to Apply:
You can apply for a Canadian visa through the official website of the Canadian government or through a visa service provider.
Fees:
There are fees associated with the visa application and biometric collection.
Biometrics:
You may need to provide your fingerprints and a photograph as part of the visa application process.
Validity:
The validity of a Canada Visitor Visa is six months.
Admitted Mexican hitman flees U.S. for Canada, makes refugee claim
A Mexican with alleged cartel links is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. cop he was a hitman.
Author of the article:Kim Bolan
Published Apr 03, 2025 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
The La Familia Michoacana Cartel logo. A Mexican with alleged cartel ties is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. police officer that 'he was a hitman for hire.'
The La Familia Michoacana Cartel logo. A Mexican with alleged cartel ties is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. police officer that 'he was a hitman for hire.' Photo Supplied/ALERT
A Mexican with alleged cartel ties is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. police officer that “he was a hitman for hire.”
The man, identified only as C.M. in Federal Court of Canada documents, also provided the cop with “information concerning his fees, method and disposal techniques,” Justice Julie Blackhawk noted in a ruling released Tuesday.
The federal public safety minister asked for a judicial review of a March 7 decision by Immigration and Refugee Board member Maleeka Mohamed who said C.M. could be released from detention on conditions as his claim is processed.
The minister said Mohamed minimized C.M.’s danger to the public “as a drug trafficker and a known associate of the terrorist entity La Familia Michoacana Cartel.”
Blackhawk agreed in her April 1 ruling, saying parts of Mohamed’s decision to release the admitted hitman were “unreasonable, unintelligible and not justified.” She ordered the case be sent back to another IRB member for review.
The 42-year-old claimant crossed the border into Canada in February with his minor child — a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen.
C.M. had been deported from Canada on April 7, 2015, because of his connections to two separate B.C. criminal investigations.
“In 2011, the respondent was found by the Vancouver Police Department to be in possession of a significant quantity of controlled substances and paraphernalia. He was arrested, but no charges were brought,” the Federal Court decision said.
“In 2014, the VPD and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were engaged in a lengthy investigation into organized crime and drug trafficking. The respondent was present at a meeting where a controlled substance was purchased. In a recording taken by an undercover officer, the respondent stated that he was a hitman for hire.”
Many of the documents entered in the federal case are sealed to protect the identity of the child, who is now staying with relatives in B.C.
But one source said Thursday that no charges were ever laid in the 2014 investigation into the alleged cocaine smuggling operations of some B.C.-based La Familia cartel members because of some issues that arose during the probe.
However, police alerted the Canada Border Services Agency about C.M.’s purported hitman confession. He was arrested on Nov. 4, 2014.
In December 2014, Postmedia News reported on the presence in B.C. of La Familia and Sinaloa cartel members, who police said at the time were working with local criminal organizations to smuggle and sell cocaine and other drugs.
Both cartels were designated terrorist groups by the Canadian government on Feb. 20 — a week after C.M. returned to the country.
C.M. initially came to Canada on a temporary work visa in September 2006 for a job at a Best Western hotel. The visa expired in December 2006 but he stayed until his removal almost nine years later.
In October 2021, he managed to get a U.S. visa to visit his son’s mother, the Federal Court ruling said. The U.S. visa was revoked in February “because he was unlawfully in the U.S. longer than 180 days and made misrepresentations on his visa application.”
Instead of returning to Mexico, he crossed into Canada at “an unofficial port of entry” and “made a claim for refugee protection based on fear of the child’s mother and fears that the Trump administration would separate the respondent from his child,” the ruling said.
He gave border officials the name of a contact in Canada, who was one of the men targeted in the 2014 investigation. The federal government argued before Blackhawk that C.M.’s comment was an indicator that he had continuing ties with the terrorist group.
Blackhawk agreed and said Mohamed’s “conclusion that the passage of time and lack of criminal charges mitigates against the danger to the public, considering other relevant/contradictory evidence that indicated the respondent has ongoing ties to former associates from La Familia, is unreasonable.”
She also agreed that in ordering C.M.’s release, Mohamed “failed to grapple with important evidence concerning the respondent’s criminal activity, namely his own evidence to an undercover officer in 2014 that he was a hitman.”
kbolan@postmedia.com
x.com/kbolan
Bluesky: @kimbolan.bsky.social
decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca
torontosun.com
A Mexican with alleged cartel links is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. cop he was a hitman.
Author of the article:Kim Bolan
Published Apr 03, 2025 • Last updated 2 days ago • 3 minute read
The La Familia Michoacana Cartel logo. A Mexican with alleged cartel ties is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. police officer that 'he was a hitman for hire.'
The La Familia Michoacana Cartel logo. A Mexican with alleged cartel ties is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. police officer that 'he was a hitman for hire.' Photo Supplied/ALERT
A Mexican with alleged cartel ties is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. police officer that “he was a hitman for hire.”
The man, identified only as C.M. in Federal Court of Canada documents, also provided the cop with “information concerning his fees, method and disposal techniques,” Justice Julie Blackhawk noted in a ruling released Tuesday.
The federal public safety minister asked for a judicial review of a March 7 decision by Immigration and Refugee Board member Maleeka Mohamed who said C.M. could be released from detention on conditions as his claim is processed.
The minister said Mohamed minimized C.M.’s danger to the public “as a drug trafficker and a known associate of the terrorist entity La Familia Michoacana Cartel.”
Blackhawk agreed in her April 1 ruling, saying parts of Mohamed’s decision to release the admitted hitman were “unreasonable, unintelligible and not justified.” She ordered the case be sent back to another IRB member for review.
The 42-year-old claimant crossed the border into Canada in February with his minor child — a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen.
C.M. had been deported from Canada on April 7, 2015, because of his connections to two separate B.C. criminal investigations.
“In 2011, the respondent was found by the Vancouver Police Department to be in possession of a significant quantity of controlled substances and paraphernalia. He was arrested, but no charges were brought,” the Federal Court decision said.
“In 2014, the VPD and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were engaged in a lengthy investigation into organized crime and drug trafficking. The respondent was present at a meeting where a controlled substance was purchased. In a recording taken by an undercover officer, the respondent stated that he was a hitman for hire.”
Many of the documents entered in the federal case are sealed to protect the identity of the child, who is now staying with relatives in B.C.
But one source said Thursday that no charges were ever laid in the 2014 investigation into the alleged cocaine smuggling operations of some B.C.-based La Familia cartel members because of some issues that arose during the probe.
However, police alerted the Canada Border Services Agency about C.M.’s purported hitman confession. He was arrested on Nov. 4, 2014.
In December 2014, Postmedia News reported on the presence in B.C. of La Familia and Sinaloa cartel members, who police said at the time were working with local criminal organizations to smuggle and sell cocaine and other drugs.
Both cartels were designated terrorist groups by the Canadian government on Feb. 20 — a week after C.M. returned to the country.
C.M. initially came to Canada on a temporary work visa in September 2006 for a job at a Best Western hotel. The visa expired in December 2006 but he stayed until his removal almost nine years later.
In October 2021, he managed to get a U.S. visa to visit his son’s mother, the Federal Court ruling said. The U.S. visa was revoked in February “because he was unlawfully in the U.S. longer than 180 days and made misrepresentations on his visa application.”
Instead of returning to Mexico, he crossed into Canada at “an unofficial port of entry” and “made a claim for refugee protection based on fear of the child’s mother and fears that the Trump administration would separate the respondent from his child,” the ruling said.
He gave border officials the name of a contact in Canada, who was one of the men targeted in the 2014 investigation. The federal government argued before Blackhawk that C.M.’s comment was an indicator that he had continuing ties with the terrorist group.
Blackhawk agreed and said Mohamed’s “conclusion that the passage of time and lack of criminal charges mitigates against the danger to the public, considering other relevant/contradictory evidence that indicated the respondent has ongoing ties to former associates from La Familia, is unreasonable.”
She also agreed that in ordering C.M.’s release, Mohamed “failed to grapple with important evidence concerning the respondent’s criminal activity, namely his own evidence to an undercover officer in 2014 that he was a hitman.”
kbolan@postmedia.com
x.com/kbolan
Bluesky: @kimbolan.bsky.social
Canada (Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness) v. CM - Federal Court
Admitted Mexican hitman flees U.S. for Canada, makes refugee claim
A Mexican with alleged cartel links is seeking refugee status in Canada — a decade after he told an undercover B.C. cop he was a hitman.
Windsor refugee pleads guilty to murdering spouse
Author of the articleoug Schmidt
Published Apr 14, 2025 • Last updated 17 hours ago • 5 minute read
'This is the ultimate tragedy.' Criminal defence lawyer Patricia Brown is shown outside the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building in downtown Windsor on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Her client, a convicted killer, murdered his spouse in Windsor a short time after being released from hospital and living in the streets.
'This is the ultimate tragedy.' Criminal defence lawyer Patricia Brown is shown outside the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building in downtown Windsor on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Her client, a convicted killer, murdered his spouse in Windsor a short time after being released from hospital and living in the streets.
A Windsor man who had been under court orders to stay away from his spouse — after being charged earlier with domestic assault — burst into a neighbourhood home gathering she was attending in October 2021 and fatally attacked her with a knife.
Originally charged with first-degree murder and in custody ever since (mostly in a psychiatric hospital), Ramadhan Nizigiyimana, 33, pleaded guilty on Thursday to a count of second-degree murder before Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia.
More needs to be done to prevent similar horrific Windsor tragedies in the future, his defence lawyer argued outside court.
Police and paramedics were at the scene within minutes of the Sunday afternoon attack but the victim’s injuries from multiple stabbings with a long-bladed knife were too severe.
The attack shocked members of the local refugee community who were in attendance, including children. It occurred just a short time after the killer had been discharged from a Windsor hospital psychiatric ward, his domestic assault charges still pending before the court.
Defence lawyer Patricia Brown told the Star following Thursday’s courtroom proceedings that the circumstances and questions surrounding this Windsor murder demand being investigated and answered.
“It’s a tragedy. If he’d been properly housed and treated, this fateful day may never have occurred.”
The very worst crime possible
A trail of disturbing events led up to the murderous assault in a downtown home, based on details contained in an agreed statement of facts read out at this week’s courtroom appearance by assistant Crown attorney Jayme Lesperance.
Nizigiyimana and his common law wife, 38 at the time of her death, arrived in Canada from Rwanda in 2020 with a shared young daughter and older son from a prior relationship of the mother. On June 27, 2021, Nizigiyimana was arrested on allegations of assault and uttering a threat.
The next day, displaying “erratic and concerning behaviour” while inside a Windsor police detention cell, he was transported to Windsor Regional Hospital’s Ouellette campus for medical care and a mental health assessment and then released back into police custody following initial testing.
However, his “mental health struggles” only continued and he was ordered during his initial court appearance the following day (June 29) to be returned to the Ouellette campus psychiatric treatment area. He remained there for just over a week until being sent to the South West Detention Centre, where he was assessed twice by a psychiatrist and placed on suicide watch “following multiple suicide attempts.”
Nizigiyimana was returned to Windsor Regional again on July 16, where he remained under medical care until Aug. 6 with a diagnosis of psychosis and possible schizophrenia. After being placed on “numerous medications,” according to the statement of facts, he was discharged from the hospital once again on Aug. 6, but with apparently nowhere to go, and with the criminal charges still pending: “He became homeless, and for a period of time, Nizigiyimana self-described as ‘living on the streets.'”
Less than two months later, one of the local refugee community’s regular gatherings took place at a home in the 300 block of Elliott Street West. At 5:25 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3, with guests having only just arrived, Nizigiyimana arrived by bicycle, kicked the front door open and, without a word, went directly to his spouse and began stabbing her. The host attempted to intervene but was also stabbed, suffering a minor injury.
Within only a few minutes, officers began arriving in response to a 911 call. Nizigiyimana, still brandishing the knife, was arrested outside without incident, while other officers and then paramedics rushed to save the victim, who was declared dead a short time later in the same hospital where her spouse had been treated just weeks prior.
murder
Assistant Crown attorney Jayme Lesperance is shown outside the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building in downtown Windsor on Thursday, April 10, 2025, following a Windsor man’s guilty plea in the 2021 murder of his spouse.
Dressed Thursday in a long, sleeveless and loose “suicide gown” and seated between his lawyer and an interpreter of his native language of Kirundi, Nizigiyimana answered the judge that he understood the courtroom proceedings and that he was giving up his right to a jury trial with his guilty plea. According to Brown, her client “has no memory of actually committing the act,” but acknowledges that others present witnessed the killing.
Nizigiyimana had been before the same judge in the same courtroom just two days prior and was expected to enter a guilty plea at that time, but the proceedings ground to a halt when the lawyers and Justice Carroccia concluded the accused was having difficulty understanding why he was there. Brown said her client had again attempted suicide shortly before attending court.
While pointing to “multiple assessments” as to Nizigiyimana’s fitness to stand trial, “we understand he suffers from serious mental illness,” the judge said during Thursday’s proceedings. Brown told the Star she “raised repeatedly my concerns regarding his fitness to stand trial.”
We need to fix this because it’s broken
Brown told the Star she was duty counsel in Ontario Court on the day Nizigiyimana was first brought in on the alleged domestic violence charges and was then appointed under the Legal Aid Act to represent him as defence counsel. She is critical of the circumstances that saw her client eventually released from hospital without any notification to herself or, apparently, the Crown and police, and with no place for him to go.
“The next thing, I get a call saying my client is in custody on a first-degree murder charge,” Brown said. “A very sick individual was discharged from hospital and put back into the community and committed the very worst crime possible.”
Justice Carroccia ordered a pre-sentence report on Nizigiyimana and set a July 11 date for a sentencing hearing. Facing an automatic life sentence, what remains is the judge deciding what length of incarceration — between 10 and 25 years — must be served before the offender can first apply for parole.
Brown told the court that if her client, who came to Canada as a refugee and does not have Canadian citizenship, were to ever receive parole, he would “most likely be removed … (and) returned to the place he had to flee from.”
Meanwhile, Nizigiyimana’s lawyer told the Star, the current “gaps” in the local criminal justice and mental health systems must be examined and addressed.
“We need to fix this because it’s broken — this is the ultimate tragedy,” said Brown, who previously worked for the Canadian Mental Health Association before becoming a criminal defence lawyer.
dschmidt@postmedia.com
twitter.com/schmidtcity
torontosun.com
Author of the article
oug SchmidtPublished Apr 14, 2025 • Last updated 17 hours ago • 5 minute read
'This is the ultimate tragedy.' Criminal defence lawyer Patricia Brown is shown outside the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building in downtown Windsor on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Her client, a convicted killer, murdered his spouse in Windsor a short time after being released from hospital and living in the streets.
'This is the ultimate tragedy.' Criminal defence lawyer Patricia Brown is shown outside the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building in downtown Windsor on Thursday, April 10, 2025. Her client, a convicted killer, murdered his spouse in Windsor a short time after being released from hospital and living in the streets.
A Windsor man who had been under court orders to stay away from his spouse — after being charged earlier with domestic assault — burst into a neighbourhood home gathering she was attending in October 2021 and fatally attacked her with a knife.
Originally charged with first-degree murder and in custody ever since (mostly in a psychiatric hospital), Ramadhan Nizigiyimana, 33, pleaded guilty on Thursday to a count of second-degree murder before Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia.
More needs to be done to prevent similar horrific Windsor tragedies in the future, his defence lawyer argued outside court.
Police and paramedics were at the scene within minutes of the Sunday afternoon attack but the victim’s injuries from multiple stabbings with a long-bladed knife were too severe.
The attack shocked members of the local refugee community who were in attendance, including children. It occurred just a short time after the killer had been discharged from a Windsor hospital psychiatric ward, his domestic assault charges still pending before the court.
Defence lawyer Patricia Brown told the Star following Thursday’s courtroom proceedings that the circumstances and questions surrounding this Windsor murder demand being investigated and answered.
“It’s a tragedy. If he’d been properly housed and treated, this fateful day may never have occurred.”
The very worst crime possible
A trail of disturbing events led up to the murderous assault in a downtown home, based on details contained in an agreed statement of facts read out at this week’s courtroom appearance by assistant Crown attorney Jayme Lesperance.
Nizigiyimana and his common law wife, 38 at the time of her death, arrived in Canada from Rwanda in 2020 with a shared young daughter and older son from a prior relationship of the mother. On June 27, 2021, Nizigiyimana was arrested on allegations of assault and uttering a threat.
The next day, displaying “erratic and concerning behaviour” while inside a Windsor police detention cell, he was transported to Windsor Regional Hospital’s Ouellette campus for medical care and a mental health assessment and then released back into police custody following initial testing.
However, his “mental health struggles” only continued and he was ordered during his initial court appearance the following day (June 29) to be returned to the Ouellette campus psychiatric treatment area. He remained there for just over a week until being sent to the South West Detention Centre, where he was assessed twice by a psychiatrist and placed on suicide watch “following multiple suicide attempts.”
Nizigiyimana was returned to Windsor Regional again on July 16, where he remained under medical care until Aug. 6 with a diagnosis of psychosis and possible schizophrenia. After being placed on “numerous medications,” according to the statement of facts, he was discharged from the hospital once again on Aug. 6, but with apparently nowhere to go, and with the criminal charges still pending: “He became homeless, and for a period of time, Nizigiyimana self-described as ‘living on the streets.'”
Less than two months later, one of the local refugee community’s regular gatherings took place at a home in the 300 block of Elliott Street West. At 5:25 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3, with guests having only just arrived, Nizigiyimana arrived by bicycle, kicked the front door open and, without a word, went directly to his spouse and began stabbing her. The host attempted to intervene but was also stabbed, suffering a minor injury.
Within only a few minutes, officers began arriving in response to a 911 call. Nizigiyimana, still brandishing the knife, was arrested outside without incident, while other officers and then paramedics rushed to save the victim, who was declared dead a short time later in the same hospital where her spouse had been treated just weeks prior.
murder
Assistant Crown attorney Jayme Lesperance is shown outside the Ontario Superior Court of Justice building in downtown Windsor on Thursday, April 10, 2025, following a Windsor man’s guilty plea in the 2021 murder of his spouse.
Dressed Thursday in a long, sleeveless and loose “suicide gown” and seated between his lawyer and an interpreter of his native language of Kirundi, Nizigiyimana answered the judge that he understood the courtroom proceedings and that he was giving up his right to a jury trial with his guilty plea. According to Brown, her client “has no memory of actually committing the act,” but acknowledges that others present witnessed the killing.
Nizigiyimana had been before the same judge in the same courtroom just two days prior and was expected to enter a guilty plea at that time, but the proceedings ground to a halt when the lawyers and Justice Carroccia concluded the accused was having difficulty understanding why he was there. Brown said her client had again attempted suicide shortly before attending court.
While pointing to “multiple assessments” as to Nizigiyimana’s fitness to stand trial, “we understand he suffers from serious mental illness,” the judge said during Thursday’s proceedings. Brown told the Star she “raised repeatedly my concerns regarding his fitness to stand trial.”
We need to fix this because it’s broken
Brown told the Star she was duty counsel in Ontario Court on the day Nizigiyimana was first brought in on the alleged domestic violence charges and was then appointed under the Legal Aid Act to represent him as defence counsel. She is critical of the circumstances that saw her client eventually released from hospital without any notification to herself or, apparently, the Crown and police, and with no place for him to go.
“The next thing, I get a call saying my client is in custody on a first-degree murder charge,” Brown said. “A very sick individual was discharged from hospital and put back into the community and committed the very worst crime possible.”
Justice Carroccia ordered a pre-sentence report on Nizigiyimana and set a July 11 date for a sentencing hearing. Facing an automatic life sentence, what remains is the judge deciding what length of incarceration — between 10 and 25 years — must be served before the offender can first apply for parole.
Brown told the court that if her client, who came to Canada as a refugee and does not have Canadian citizenship, were to ever receive parole, he would “most likely be removed … (and) returned to the place he had to flee from.”
Meanwhile, Nizigiyimana’s lawyer told the Star, the current “gaps” in the local criminal justice and mental health systems must be examined and addressed.
“We need to fix this because it’s broken — this is the ultimate tragedy,” said Brown, who previously worked for the Canadian Mental Health Association before becoming a criminal defence lawyer.
dschmidt@postmedia.com
twitter.com/schmidtcity
'The ultimate tragedy' — Windsor refugee pleads guilty to murdering spouse
'The ultimate tragedy' — Windsor refugee pleads guilty to murdering spouse. Lawyer says local justice and mental health systems failed.
Canada ranks No. 1 for expat relocation destinations on TikTok
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Apr 14, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 1 minute read
New research from financial experts at Remitly, which specializes in cross-border payments, found that Canada ranks at the top of TikTok’s most popular relocation destinations.
The researched shows more than two-thirds (67%) of TikTok users searched for travel inspiration on the platform and there were more than 16,500 TikTok hashtags dedicated to moving and living in Canada, which topped the list as the most talked-about expat destination on social media.
The hashtag #movetoCanada alone has been used over 16,200 times, more than 11 times more than the U.S which ranks 10th, with just over 2,100 TikTok hashtags.
“Understanding the cost of living and potential job prospects is particularly important (when it comes to relocating),” said Ryan Riley, V.P. Marketing at Remitly, in a statement.
“Expenses like rent, utilities, and groceries can vary dramatically, even within the same country. Tax systems also differ around the world, and unexpected deductions or mandatory contributions could take you by surprise. As for jobs, understanding what roles are in demand is one thing, but it’s also important to get to know hiring processes in the country, as expectations typically differ across borders.”
Here’s the top 10 list of which countries expats are posting most about:
1. Canada
2. Spain
3. Australia
4. Portugal
5. Thailand
6 France
7. Mexico
8. Japan
9. Vietnam
10. U.S.A.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Apr 14, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 1 minute read
New research from financial experts at Remitly, which specializes in cross-border payments, found that Canada ranks at the top of TikTok’s most popular relocation destinations.
The researched shows more than two-thirds (67%) of TikTok users searched for travel inspiration on the platform and there were more than 16,500 TikTok hashtags dedicated to moving and living in Canada, which topped the list as the most talked-about expat destination on social media.
The hashtag #movetoCanada alone has been used over 16,200 times, more than 11 times more than the U.S which ranks 10th, with just over 2,100 TikTok hashtags.
“Understanding the cost of living and potential job prospects is particularly important (when it comes to relocating),” said Ryan Riley, V.P. Marketing at Remitly, in a statement.
“Expenses like rent, utilities, and groceries can vary dramatically, even within the same country. Tax systems also differ around the world, and unexpected deductions or mandatory contributions could take you by surprise. As for jobs, understanding what roles are in demand is one thing, but it’s also important to get to know hiring processes in the country, as expectations typically differ across borders.”
Here’s the top 10 list of which countries expats are posting most about:
1. Canada
2. Spain
3. Australia
4. Portugal
5. Thailand
6 France
7. Mexico
8. Japan
9. Vietnam
10. U.S.A.
Canada ranks No. 1 for expat relocation destinations on TikTok
New research at Remitly found Canada ranks at the top of TikTok’s most popular relocation destinations.
Salvadoran fugitive convicted in deadly attack of Maryland hiker
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Apr 14, 2025 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 2 minute read
Media members set up outside the Harford County Circuit Courthouse for the opening statements in the trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, accused of killing Rachel Morin on Friday, April 4, 2025 in Bel Air, Md.
Media members set up outside the Harford County Circuit Courthouse for the opening statements in the trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, accused of killing Rachel Morin on Friday, April 4, 2025 in Bel Air, Md.
BEL AIR, Md. (AP) — A fugitive from El Salvador was convicted Monday in the 2023 slaying of a Maryland woman who was attacked while exercising on a popular hiking trail northeast of Baltimore.
Prosecutors alleged that Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 24, was carrying out a planned attack when he grabbed Rachel Morin off the trail, bashed her head against nearby rocks, raped her and concealed her body in a drainage culvert. Their case hinged on DNA evidence connecting him to the crime.
A jury found Martinez-Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree rape, among other offenses, according to Randolph Rice, an attorney representing Morin’s relatives.
“The Morin family is incredibly relieved that justice was served today,” Rice said in a statement.
Martinez-Hernandez was accused of entering the United States illegally after allegedly killing another woman in his home country. Authorities also linked him to a 2023 home invasion in Los Angeles.
Morin was killed in August 2023. The act of violence sent shock waves through Bel Air, a suburban community northeast of Baltimore. It also became a political flashpoint during the 2024 presidential election campaign as Donald Trump called for increased border security and mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
Trump posted on social media about the verdict Monday night, saying Morin’s “life was taken at the hands of a monster who should have NEVER been here in the first place” and blaming the Biden administration for failing to properly secure the border.
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested last summer in Oklahoma. He had been living in Bel Air around the time of Morin’s death, prosecutors said. They said Morin went walking or running along the same route almost every day, usually in the evenings.
Defense attorneys challenged prosecutors’ assertion that the crime was a random attack and said police simply got the wrong guy. They also asked jurors to pay close attention to unanswered questions during the trial, including questions of motive.
Detectives collected DNA from several places on Morin’s body and developed Martinez-Hernandez as a suspect, according to prosecutors. After interviewing some of his relatives, detectives matched DNA from the scene with DNA collected from socks that Martinez-Hernandez left behind when he fled Maryland.
Morin, 37, left behind five children. Her 14-year-old daughter was the first witness to testify last week, fighting back tears as she described the immediate aftermath of her mom’s disappearance.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Published Apr 14, 2025 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 2 minute read
Media members set up outside the Harford County Circuit Courthouse for the opening statements in the trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, accused of killing Rachel Morin on Friday, April 4, 2025 in Bel Air, Md.
Media members set up outside the Harford County Circuit Courthouse for the opening statements in the trial of Victor Martinez-Hernandez, accused of killing Rachel Morin on Friday, April 4, 2025 in Bel Air, Md.
BEL AIR, Md. (AP) — A fugitive from El Salvador was convicted Monday in the 2023 slaying of a Maryland woman who was attacked while exercising on a popular hiking trail northeast of Baltimore.
Prosecutors alleged that Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 24, was carrying out a planned attack when he grabbed Rachel Morin off the trail, bashed her head against nearby rocks, raped her and concealed her body in a drainage culvert. Their case hinged on DNA evidence connecting him to the crime.
A jury found Martinez-Hernandez guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree rape, among other offenses, according to Randolph Rice, an attorney representing Morin’s relatives.
“The Morin family is incredibly relieved that justice was served today,” Rice said in a statement.
Martinez-Hernandez was accused of entering the United States illegally after allegedly killing another woman in his home country. Authorities also linked him to a 2023 home invasion in Los Angeles.
Morin was killed in August 2023. The act of violence sent shock waves through Bel Air, a suburban community northeast of Baltimore. It also became a political flashpoint during the 2024 presidential election campaign as Donald Trump called for increased border security and mass deportations of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.
Trump posted on social media about the verdict Monday night, saying Morin’s “life was taken at the hands of a monster who should have NEVER been here in the first place” and blaming the Biden administration for failing to properly secure the border.
Martinez-Hernandez was arrested last summer in Oklahoma. He had been living in Bel Air around the time of Morin’s death, prosecutors said. They said Morin went walking or running along the same route almost every day, usually in the evenings.
Defense attorneys challenged prosecutors’ assertion that the crime was a random attack and said police simply got the wrong guy. They also asked jurors to pay close attention to unanswered questions during the trial, including questions of motive.
Detectives collected DNA from several places on Morin’s body and developed Martinez-Hernandez as a suspect, according to prosecutors. After interviewing some of his relatives, detectives matched DNA from the scene with DNA collected from socks that Martinez-Hernandez left behind when he fled Maryland.
Morin, 37, left behind five children. Her 14-year-old daughter was the first witness to testify last week, fighting back tears as she described the immediate aftermath of her mom’s disappearance.
Salvadoran fugitive convicted in deadly attack of Maryland hiker
“The Morin family is incredibly relieved that justice was served today,” Rice said in a statement.
Liberal government's high immigration policy created housing crisis: report
Author of the article:Lorrie Goldstein
Published Apr 15, 2025 • Last updated 21 hours ago • 3 minute read
New home construction
In markets like Toronto, the gap has steadily increased significantly in the past five years due to the fact that the land to build more housing is so scarce.
The federal Liberal government is belatedly trying to fix a housing affordability crisis it created though immigration policies which caused population growth to far exceed Canada’s capacity to build new homes to accommodate it, according to a new Fraser Institute study.
“Despite unprecedented levels of immigration-driven population growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has failed to ramp up homebuilding sufficiently to meet housing demand,” said Steven Globerman, co-author of the study, “The Crisis in Housing Affordability: Population Growth and Housing Starts 1972-2024.”
“Unless there is a substantial acceleration in homebuilding, a slowdown in population growth, or both, Canada’s housing affordability crisis is unlikely to improve.”
The study by the fiscally conservative think tank reported Canada’s population grew by a record 1.23 million new residents in 2023 alone, driven almost entirely by immigration and more than double the pre-pandemic record set in 2019.
In 2023, Canada added 5.1 new residents for every new housing unit started, the highest ratio for any year of the study’s timeframe, from 1972 to 2024, and far above the average rate of 1.9 residents for every new housing unit started during the study period.
From 2021 to 2024, the study reported, Canada’s population increased by an average of 859,473 people per year while only 254,670 new housing units were started annually.
By comparison, almost as many new housing units were built from 1972 to 1979, an average of 239,458 per year, while Canada’s population was growing by only 279,975 people annually.
The result of the Liberal government’s high immigration policies has exacerbated a chronic housing shortage across Canada.
“The evidence is clear — population growth has been outpacing housing construction for decades, with predictable results,” Globerman said, noting the national trend is broadly mirrored across the provinces.
The study cited research by the Bank of Canada showing that housing affordability — typically measured as median shelter costs compared to median disposable income — remains near its least affordable level since the early 1990s.
In addition, the study reported that “Canada has the lowest number of dwellings per inhabitant in the G7 and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation warns that the current rate of homebuilding is insufficient to improve housing and rental affordability.”
While not addressed in the Fraser Institute study, the Liberal government ignored warnings from its own public servants in 2022 that the big hikes in immigration targets the government was going ahead with would increase the cost of housing and put added pressure on already beleaguered public services like health care.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through an access-to-information request explicitly warned the Trudeau government in advance that:
“In Canada, population growth has exceeded the growth in available housing units. As the federal authority charged with managing immigration, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada policy-makers must understand the misalignment between population growth and housing supply, and how permanent and temporary immigration shapes population growth.”
Despite that, the Liberal government went ahead with dramatically increasing its annual immigration targets until Trudeau himself admitted the policy was a mistake and reduced its target of admitting 500,000 new permanent residents to Canada annually to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, as well as cutting the number of foreign students and temporary workers admitted to Canada.
New Liberal leader Mark Carney has released a multi-billion dollar taxpayer-funded election campaign promise to double the current rate of residential housing construction, to reach 500,000 new homes per year over the next decade.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Lorrie Goldstein
Published Apr 15, 2025 • Last updated 21 hours ago • 3 minute read
New home construction
In markets like Toronto, the gap has steadily increased significantly in the past five years due to the fact that the land to build more housing is so scarce.
The federal Liberal government is belatedly trying to fix a housing affordability crisis it created though immigration policies which caused population growth to far exceed Canada’s capacity to build new homes to accommodate it, according to a new Fraser Institute study.
“Despite unprecedented levels of immigration-driven population growth following the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has failed to ramp up homebuilding sufficiently to meet housing demand,” said Steven Globerman, co-author of the study, “The Crisis in Housing Affordability: Population Growth and Housing Starts 1972-2024.”
“Unless there is a substantial acceleration in homebuilding, a slowdown in population growth, or both, Canada’s housing affordability crisis is unlikely to improve.”
The study by the fiscally conservative think tank reported Canada’s population grew by a record 1.23 million new residents in 2023 alone, driven almost entirely by immigration and more than double the pre-pandemic record set in 2019.
In 2023, Canada added 5.1 new residents for every new housing unit started, the highest ratio for any year of the study’s timeframe, from 1972 to 2024, and far above the average rate of 1.9 residents for every new housing unit started during the study period.
From 2021 to 2024, the study reported, Canada’s population increased by an average of 859,473 people per year while only 254,670 new housing units were started annually.
By comparison, almost as many new housing units were built from 1972 to 1979, an average of 239,458 per year, while Canada’s population was growing by only 279,975 people annually.
The result of the Liberal government’s high immigration policies has exacerbated a chronic housing shortage across Canada.
“The evidence is clear — population growth has been outpacing housing construction for decades, with predictable results,” Globerman said, noting the national trend is broadly mirrored across the provinces.
The study cited research by the Bank of Canada showing that housing affordability — typically measured as median shelter costs compared to median disposable income — remains near its least affordable level since the early 1990s.
In addition, the study reported that “Canada has the lowest number of dwellings per inhabitant in the G7 and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation warns that the current rate of homebuilding is insufficient to improve housing and rental affordability.”
While not addressed in the Fraser Institute study, the Liberal government ignored warnings from its own public servants in 2022 that the big hikes in immigration targets the government was going ahead with would increase the cost of housing and put added pressure on already beleaguered public services like health care.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press through an access-to-information request explicitly warned the Trudeau government in advance that:
“In Canada, population growth has exceeded the growth in available housing units. As the federal authority charged with managing immigration, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada policy-makers must understand the misalignment between population growth and housing supply, and how permanent and temporary immigration shapes population growth.”
Despite that, the Liberal government went ahead with dramatically increasing its annual immigration targets until Trudeau himself admitted the policy was a mistake and reduced its target of admitting 500,000 new permanent residents to Canada annually to 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, as well as cutting the number of foreign students and temporary workers admitted to Canada.
New Liberal leader Mark Carney has released a multi-billion dollar taxpayer-funded election campaign promise to double the current rate of residential housing construction, to reach 500,000 new homes per year over the next decade.
Liberal government's high immigration policy created housing crisis: report
The federal Liberal government is belatedly trying to fix a housing affordability crisis it created, says the Fraser Institute.