Who lives in the best country in the world?

1 July 2025

Who lives in the best country in the world? This is a question I jubilantly asked the thousands of people that lined up Yonge Street to participate in the Canada Day Parade.

It truly filled the heart to see so many people, of all ages, participating in the celebration of our great country. A sea of red and white adorned the Town of Aurora with flags, caps, shirts, pins, mugs, glasses and even temporary tattoos. Participants came well prepared and included a plethora of colourful costumes, floats, displays, musical bands, dancers, first responders and many more.

We are fortunate to live in one of the most diverse communities in the country. What a gift it is to see folks who have chosen Canada as their home proudly celebrate our national holiday.

In the Greater Toronto Area, there are over 160 languages and dialects spoken daily. Immigration is necessary for our country given that we have more deaths than births on an annual basis. However, it is imperative that the immigration system is managed in a manner that is both reasonable and sustainable.

The Liberal Government has had no less than seven Immigration Ministers over the past ten years. This has not been helpful. In fact, the Fraser Institute released a study recently that confirmed what we already knew: the Liberals broke our immigration system.

This is a point expressed widely by residents in our community as well when I knocked on doors leading up to this year’s federal election. With my appointment to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Citizenship & Immigration I intend to focus on the concerns that were shared with me. In this regard I am sharing the Conservative Party’s position on immigration which I believe responds to points raised by people across Canada.

  • Our immigration system must put Canada First. That means inviting the right people in the right numbers, numbers we can absorb into housing, health care and jobs. It means having a system that allows newcomers to succeed as part of the Canadian family. It also means restoring the value of citizenship, so that everyone who calls our country home regardless of where they come from is Canadian above all else.
  • By contrast, Liberal immigration policies have overwhelmed our housing, health care and job market. That is not fair to people who come here. Conservatives believe we must reduce the numbers so health care, housing and job creation can catch up.
  • We must also end the abuse of the temporary foreign worker program, the international student program and the fraudulent refugee claims.
  • Any temporary resident convicted of any crime must be deported.
  • The government must do real and full security and criminal vetting of everyone who comes to Canada.
  • Those whose visas expire and who are not eligible to renew must leave on schedule or be deported.
  • We oppose the Century Initiative and other radical proposals that seek to boost the population to 100 million people by 2100.
  • We don’t blame people for wanting to come to Canada. We blame the Liberal government’s radical policies and incompetent management. We want those who come here to succeed. For example, we will set up a Blue Seal professional standard for provinces to sign onto so internationally trained doctors, nurses, and others can prove they are qualified and can get working anywhere in Canada.

Conservatives will make Canada a place where anyone from anywhere can achieve anything by working hard, following the rules and contributing. Liberal policies have allowed corporations to add large numbers of low-wage temporary foreign workers (TFWs), who drive down wages and block Canadians from jobs.

Conservatives believe in reducing the number of TFWs and setting a hard rule that Canadians must always come first for Canadian jobs.

The Temporary Foreign Worker programs cannot be a tool to suppress wage growth; employers must pay fair wages to Canadians and TFWs alike.

While farms and a small number of businesses in low-unemployment regions may need these workers, they should not be used to displace Canadian workers anywhere in Canada.

We do indeed live in the best country in the world! Let’s keep it that way