Trudeau resigns as party leader, Canadian parliament adjourns
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. Trudeau stated that he intends to continue serving as prime minister until the Liberal Party elects a new leader. The Prime Minister also requested Governor Mary Simon to suspend parliament until March 24th.
Once the parliament adjourns, all current bills will become invalid, and the federal government will not pass any legislation until the parliament resumes.
background
Trudeau resigned due to a recent decline in his public support, with many Liberal MPs calling for his resignation. On Monday, December 16th, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland announced her resignation just hours before submitting her autumn economic statement.
The parliament was originally scheduled to resume its next meeting on January 27th. Opposition leaders Pierre Poilievre and Jagmeet Singh announced their intention to support a vote of no confidence, which would force the Prime Minister to resign or demand the Governor General to dissolve parliament.
Delay some policies
Due to the suspension of parliamentary sessions, the federal government will not be able to propose legislative changes regarding citizenship by descent before the extended deadline of March 19th. The current legislation includes provisions regarding the 'second-generation cutoff', according to which Canadian citizens born abroad cannot pass on their citizenship to their children born abroad.
On December 19, 2023, the Ontario Superior Court ruled that the current legislation was unconstitutional. The federal government did not choose to appeal the ruling.
In response to the unconstitutional nature of current legislation, the federal government has proposed Bill C-71 to amend the Citizenship Act. According to the provisions of the C-71 Act, Canadian citizens born abroad can pass on their citizenship to their children born abroad, provided that the parents have resided in Canada for at least three years prior to the birth or adoption of their child.
The parliamentary recess will cause the C-71 bill to be put on hold, and the federal government will miss the deadline to propose court mandated legislative changes.
The impact on immigrants
It is currently unclear how Trudeau's resignation as party leader will affect immigration policies. Under the leadership of the recent Liberal minority government, Immigration Minister Mark Miller took the lead in implementing a series of significant reforms to Canada's immigration program, including
Limit the number of study permit applications to restrict the number of international students entering the country;
Cancel the post graduation work permit (PGWP) qualification for graduates from colleges and universities who provide courses under the course license agreement;
Reduce the number of open work permit applications for spouses;
Add language testing requirements for Graduation Work Permit (PGWP);
Increased the learning field requirements for PGWP graduates of vocational courses in colleges and universities;
Reduce the permanent resident landing target by 20% compared to the previous level;
Add temporary resident targets in the annual immigration level plan;
Prohibit border visa exchange services;
Cancel additional CRS points awarded for valid job opportunities.
After the parliamentary recess, the federal government will not be able to pass any new legislation, which may delay some planned reforms to Canada's immigration system.
Source: Shunda Immigration