Canada is deporting thousands of migrants, despite a pledge to let them stay

In today’s The Big Story podcast, in 2021 the federal government vowed to create a pathway to allow thousands of migrants to remain the country. Instead, deportation levels the past two years are higher than they’ve been in more than a decade. And we’ve spent more than $100 million on the deportation process.

Noushin Ziafati wrote about migrant deportations for The Breach. “[Advocates] aren’t necessarily making the case for more temporary residents to come here, but they’re making a case for the ones that are here to be better supported, to be able to access the same rights and protections as permanent residents and Canadian citizens,” says Ziafati.

How did we end up with the opposite of what the government promised? Given Canada’s shortage of housing and the health care crisis, how should the government handle the hundreds of thousands of migrants in the country? Why does the deportation process cost so much money? And is there a better way?’

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify. You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.