Close Reading

Canadian immigration and recruitment of military people is the same as Russia - recruitment of mercenaries

More BS from a supposedly neutral balanced media outlet. At least when the CBC have a panel they have one from each party. Here are the facts. The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab is the current Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. She was appointed to the role in May 2025 by Prime Minister Mark Carney following the April 2025 federal election. Her current activity is defined by a shift toward more restrictive and "talent-focused" policies. Here is the technical breakdown of her recent initiatives: 1. 2026 Express Entry Overhaul On February 18, 2026, Diab announced significant adjustments to the Express Entry system. The primary objective is to transition from broad intake to "sustainable levels" while addressing specific labor gaps. * New Categories: Streams were added for researchers, senior managers, transport occupations (pilots/mechanics), and foreign military personnel recruited by the Canadian Armed Forces. * Medical Priority: A specific category was introduced for foreign medical doctors already possessing Canadian work experience. * Tightened Requirements: She doubled the category-specific work experience requirement from 6 months to 12 months. This move is designed to narrow the candidate pool and prioritize those with deeper integration into the Canadian labor market. 2. Legislative Reform (Bill C-12) Diab is currently championing a major immigration and border security bill (C-12), which is moving through its third reading in the Senate as of February 26, 2026. * Executive Power: The bill grants the Governor in Council (acting on cabinet advice) broad authority to vary, cancel, or suspend immigration documents and applications in the "public interest." * Asylum Restrictions: Diab has been vocal about curbing what she terms "fraudulent" claims. The legislation proposes making anyone who has been in Canada for over a year ineligible to claim asylum, and it restricts claims from those entering via land borders outside official ports of entry. 3. Shift in Strategy The Minister’s rhetoric marks a pivot from previous Liberal administrations. Her current messaging focuses on "taking back control" of immigration levels. While she continues to promote the recruitment of "the best and brightest," she has explicitly stated the government's goal is to reduce the total annual number of both permanent and temporary residents. Summary Table | Focus Area | Recent Action | |---|---| | Express Entry | Increased experience threshold to 12 months; added military/researcher streams. | | Asylum Policy | Supporting Bill C-12 to restrict claims made after 1 year of residency. | | Staffing | Recently appointed Isaac MacDonald (former P.E.I. Liberal executive) as Director of Parliamentary Affairs.

Not entirely accurate. It's pro-wealthy immigration here in Canada absolutely. It's citizenship for sale. Not necessarily wealthy in terms of really wealthy (like Switzerland) but it's definitely citizenship for sale, so if you don't have money, don't bother. Newcomers with medical and engineering expertise can't get jobs here in Canada, in spite of our healthcare system being on the point of collapse and our supposed hi-tech push. Regulatory boards here have made it impossible. Estimates are around 175000 qualified, internationally trained doctors and nurses who gave up trying to practice here and moved into other careers. Ukrainian doctors, for eg, with extensive trauma experience and willing to staff our emergency departments have been told they have to requalify by going to Canadian medical school to retrain for at least 4 years. Same story in engineering. By IT, our government seems to mean low-paid call center IT work, moving the IT sweatshop racket from India onto Canadian soil. If you can afford to buy a business - I believe the total business investment was 500 000 pre-pandemic - that's another way in. Not sure if thats gone up now. So many of our franchise businesses are essentially being used as citizenship tickets. The big ticket item: If you can afford 4 years of postgraduate or undergrad university program, or 3 to 4 year college program - and if you don't have the cash, loan sharks in India will distribute debt across the whole family for decades so one student can go . There us a very good documentary by an Indian filmmaker on the Canadian college/University recruitment drive in India and its consequences. Several of our colleges have student enrollments at over 70% of the entire student body, direct entry from India. Additional problems like grade inflation, different education standards, and outright fraud on ESL testing also mean that Indian students are not well prepared for school here. Many do not have enough English to succeed in their studies. They either need to spend for additional tutoring, take a qualifying year or two ESL (on top of the 3 or 4 program), or fail courses. Universities and colleges keep the tuition though. Honestly our colleges and universities are staying afloat because of Indian students. They're being treated like cash cows - and Indian recruiters are scamming the system, taking fees on their end with unsuspecting students getting falsified documents, or being told they passed their ESL when they didn't. It's a national disgrace. I'm a prof here, I've seen all of this firsthand. Your data may be correct, but the narrative you've constructed for it is not the real picture.