Affordability and housing issues are among the focal points of the retreat, with an increasing emphasis on understanding the impact of unprecedented levels of immigration on these areas.
Mr. Fraser said that during his tenure the government became aware of “significant growth” in the International Student Program and gave the provinces time to adjust, since the issue is under their jurisdiction.
“When it became clear that we weren’t going to find a solution that way, we started to develop the trusted institutions model and started exploring the possibility of a cap,” Mr. Fraser said.
‘Time to Rein It In’
Mr. Fraser acknowledged the negative effects the increase in international students has had and spoke on the impact he expects the newly announced measures might have on housing woes.“We do see that there’s certain pockets of the country that have seen significant increase in population growth as a result of institutions taking on more students than they could handle,” Mr. Fraser said.
“I anticipate, as you see, in some of those communities, fewer students that may come to Canada. As a result, you may see some pressure alleviated.”
“There are some schools that, frankly, have come to exist to profit off the backs of vulnerable international students under the false promise of permanent residency that should never have been made,” said Mr. Fraser.
“I expect that some of those schools may end up closing. And I think that may be a good thing, because it wasn’t doing a service to the students who came here, it wasn’t doing a service to the communities in which they were located.”
In response to a reporter asking what would happen after the two-year temporary measures were over, Mr. Miller focused on the need to take action now.
“Well, look, we’ve got two years to actually get the ship in order. It’s a bit of a mess, and it’s time to rein it in,” he said.
Though the government has “put a lot of thought” into these measures, Mr. Miller said, he acknowledged they are pretty much “blind.”
“We’re playing with taps that we’re turning on and turning off and allocating between provinces. So did we get it right? We'll see,” he said.
