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Canadians will head to the polls next month to vote for a new federal government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced today.听
The election call kicks off a campaign period that will culminate with Canada鈥檚 43rd general election on October 21.
Trudeau framed the coming vote as a choice between 鈥渕oving forward鈥� or going back to the 鈥渇ailed policies鈥� of the Conservative Party of Canada, which the Trudeau-led Liberal Party of Canada ousted from power in 2015.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the choice,鈥� Trudeau said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that clear and it鈥檚 that important.鈥�
have the two parties effectively tied as they hit the campaign trail.
It is widely believed that immigration could emerge as an issue in this election. While Canada鈥檚 main federal political parties all stand in favour of immigration, the past four years have seen them diverge on a number of related issues, such as asylum seekers and Canada鈥檚 immigration levels.听
Asylum seekers
Since the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump in 2017, nearly 50,000 people 鈥� mostly non-Americans 鈥� have crossed into Canada from the United States via unofficial ports of entry to claim asylum.听
Among other impacts, the sharp rise in asylum claims overwhelmed Canada鈥檚 Immigration and Refugee Board and forced it to abandon its 60-day requirement for protection hearings, which now face an of nearly two years.
The Conservatives have frequently portrayed the situation as 鈥渁 crisis鈥� that has undermined public confidence in Canada鈥檚 borders and damaged public support for immigration more broadly.听
The Liberals have fought back against the 鈥渃risis鈥� label and accused the Conservatives of spreading misinformation about the situation and using it to stoke public fears for political gain.听
Conservative leader Andrew Scheer has publicly questioned the legitimacy of many asylum seekers, that 鈥渟ome are able to jump queues, exploit loopholes and skip the line.鈥�
The 鈥渓oopholes鈥� that Scheer alluded to are found in Canada鈥檚 Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) with the United States, which holds that both countries are safe for refugees and strictly limits who can claim asylum at ports of entry along the land border between the two countries. The agreement, however, only covers claims made at official border crossings, leading to the spike in so-called 鈥渋rregular鈥� crossings between recognized ports of entry.听
The Liberals , which Scheer is pledging to do if elected.
Canada鈥檚 left-leaning New Democratic Party (NDP), which is running a distant third in opinion polls, has called for the STCA to be suspended, saying the United States under Donald Trump is not a safe country for refugees.
Suspending the STCA, NDP immigration critic Jenny Kwan , 鈥渨ill allow asylum claimants to make safe, orderly entries into Canada at authorized ports of entry to make an asylum claim.鈥�
Elizabeth May, leader of Canada鈥檚 Green Party, has opposed Liberal efforts to close the loophole and prevent irregular crossings, saying they 鈥渄o not reflect Canadian values of hospitality and protection.鈥�
鈥淧eople who risk their lives to flee across a border in the middle of winter are desperate and out of options,鈥� May said in earlier this year.
Public opinion polls released over the course of this year have shown on refugees and immigration more generally, with Conservative voters expressing greater concerns than supporters of the Liberals and Canada鈥檚 other mainstream federal parties.
Immigration levels
The Liberals and Conservatives have also been at odds when it comes to , which the Liberals have raised significantly since coming to power in 2015.听
In 2017, the Liberal government introduced a new approach to immigration levels planning that moved away from single-year plans to a three-year approach. The first so-called multi-year plan called for a gradual increase in the number of immigrants admitted to Canada in each of the three subsequent years, from 310,000 in 2018 to 340,000 in 2020.听
This was followed last year with an updated plan through 2021 that could see the number of newcomers admitted to Canada reach 350,000, or nearly one per cent of the Canadian population.
The Conference Board of Canada says an immigration rate of one per cent is the baseline for mitigating the impacts of Canada鈥檚 declining birth rate and rising workforce retirements on the country鈥檚 social and economic development in the years to come.
The Conservatives, however, have compared the Liberal approach to immigration levels to 鈥渁n auction鈥� with little regard for whether those admitted find work or meet existing employer needs.
If elected, Scheer a Conservative government will 鈥渟et immigration levels consistent with what is in Canada鈥檚 best interests,鈥� but he has not provided specific targets.
The NDP, meanwhile, has called for more ambitious immigration targets that reflect a more 鈥渂alanced and diverse range鈥� of newcomers, including a greater number of privately sponsored and government-assisted refugees.
Pleas for civility and respect
Representatives of Canada鈥檚 business community and more than 140 civil society organizations have separately requested that Canada鈥檚 federal political leaders avoid making immigration an issue in the coming weeks, or tone it down significantly if they do.
Business Council of Canada President and CEO Goldy Hyder this summer that he hopes immigration won鈥檛 be used as a 鈥減olitical weapon here like it has been in the United States.鈥澨�
鈥淭he facts clearly demonstrate that Canada is going to need immigrants to help grow the economy,鈥� he said.
signed by more than 140 civil society organizations makes a similar appeal.听
Posted by the Canadian Council of Refugees and endorsed by organizations including Amnesty International Canada, the Canadian Council of Churches and the Canadian Council of Imams, the letter calls on Canada鈥檚 political leaders to discuss refugees and migration in ways that will not contribute to xenophobia and racism or promote misinformation, among other concerns.听
鈥淲e know Canadians value compassion, equality and safety for all,鈥� the letter reads.听
鈥淚n the upcoming federal election campaign, we call on you to demonstrate your leadership by respecting these principles and speaking out when they are undermined by others.鈥�
Keep up with the latest immigration-related news from Canada鈥檚 2019 federal election by subscribing to the Canada Immigration Newsletter.
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