Prime Minister Mark Carney has just made another ‘executive decision.’ After allowing low-income, low-skilled workers (and plenty of non-workers) to invade Canada for years, the Liberal government, under the direction of Mr. Carney, is shifting gears; they now want only highly-paid foreigners to immigrate. That is, foreign-born workers who will take high-paying Canadian jobs. Under the new directives, employers hiring from this demographic will not be required to show that they had first advertised in Canada to allow skilled and skill-acquiring Canadians first consideration.

The policy has not been explained as a method for ensuring that Canada prioritizes access to immigration, residency and citizenship to foreigners who possess some tremendous knowledge or skill that Canadians do not have. It has not been proposed as a method to bring the ‘brightest and best’ to Canadian industry or as a means to reverse the ‘brain drain’ Canada has suffered as some of our most gifted have migrated South where their talents have been more highly appreciated. It simply says that if you make a lot of money, we’ll open the door to you and give you a shortcut to citizenship. So much for the lame Liberal claims of compassion for the oppressed and relief from poverty and persecution.

I’m all for a merit-based immigration system. I’m all for allowing companies to fill key positions with highly-educated, well-trained and skilled professionals, if Canadians possessing those same skills and qualifications cannot be found. Of course, it raises the obvious question: if such Canadians cannot be found, why are we failing to equip our young people with the skills and motivation to achieve at those levels? That question deserves a very deep and reflective study of our education system from kindergarten through college and university levels. The question that must first be answered is: are there Canadians who could be recruited into these positions and succeed? If companies are allowed to skip that step, we may never know the answer to that question.

Another question arises—why would a Canadian employer seek to hire a foreign worker if there were a Canadian available who could do the job? The answer is money. That motivation applies in spades to entry-level occupations. The foreign-born, minimum-wage workers who have become the predominant staff demographic at coffee shops and burger joints across the country have come to Canada for a better life and higher wages than they had in their countries of origin. But they are often willing to work for less than their Canadian counterparts in the same age bracket. In some cases, they have also brought with them some lower standards for hygiene and efficiency. But they have also allowed their corporate employers to get by with lower wages and lower standards of employer-employee relationships.

So it will be, no doubt, in the thinner air of corporate management where ‘highly-paid’ may have a different meaning in Canada than it does in a foreign country. There is no other logical reason that a Canadian employer would choose to hire a foreign worker to fill an executive position. In doing so, they have the additional paperwork of recruiting and placing a person hired offshore. They may have to overcome language deficiencies and make adjustments to their corporate culture. Nevertheless, they may see a benefit in making these accommodations if they can pay reduced salaries and benefits. Of course, if they can fill positions at lower costs from abroad, it may even allow them to trim the salaries and expectations of their current administrative staff. The old saying, “A rising tide lifts all boats,” also applies in reverse.

The other dangerous aspect of this recent move by the Prime Minister (without—by the way—getting approval in the House) is that the policy still increases the number of new residents. The pressures on housing, healthcare, education and infrastructure, as a direct result of rapid increases in population, are very real. In fact, because these newly-approved immigrants are higher paid perhaps than the average Canadian, there could be a proportionate increase in the purchase price of a home. Their children may be more apt to attend university than the average Canadian young person. Like all immigrants fast-tracked by the Liberal government, they will also be more likely to become Liberal voters.

The Christian Heritage Party of Canada (CHP Canada) proposes a realistic and responsible policy for immigration. Our focus should be on bringing in immigrants who will contribute to Canada’s economic growth and who will adopt and adhere to Canada’s cultural and moral values. The number of immigrants and refugees must be greatly reduced until our housing, healthcare, education and infrastructure capacity has caught up with the excess immigration numbers allowed in recent years. By reducing abortion and incentivizing family growth and strength, Canada can greatly reduce the need for filling positions with foreign-born immigrants.