AOCC Holds Seminar on Immigration POLICY Reform

Alliance of Chinese Conservatives Hosts Immigration Policy Seminar to Discuss the Direction of Canadian Immigration System Reform

July 4, 2025 – The Alliance of Chinese Conservatives (AOCC) held an online "Canadian Immigration Policy Seminar" on Friday, focusing on the issues within the Liberal government's immigration policies and the direction for reform. Conservative Member of Parliament and member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, Costas Menegakis (Ma Guoji), was a special guest who engaged in an in-depth dialogue with community representatives.

Discussion Focus: Problems in the Immigration System and Community Concerns

Participants engaged in a spirited discussion on issues such as unlicensed immigration consultants, backlogs in immigration and citizenship applications, long waiting times, the deportation of immigrants with criminal records, and policies affecting international students.

Community representatives pointed out that the Liberal government's significant increase in immigration quotas in recent years (introducing the "Centennial Immigration Plan" in 2024 with a quota of up to 500,000 per year) lacks the necessary supporting resources. This has led to an overloaded immigration system, inconsistent processing standards, and has left applicants in a prolonged state of uncertainty. Some speakers expressed concern that the system's inefficiency is damaging Canada's international reputation, causing some immigrants to leave out of disappointment.

Participants called for:

  • Strengthening supervision and cracking down on "ghost consultants."

  • Optimizing policies to prioritize support for international students who have graduated locally and for entrepreneurs.

  • Establishing stable and predictable immigration policies to rebuild fairness and trust.

MP Menegakis: Liberal Government's Policy Failures Have Led to System Imbalance

MP Menegakis pointed out that the Liberal government's policies lack coherence. The frequent changes in Immigration Ministers (seven in the past few years) have led to inconsistent and poorly executed policies, resulting in an inefficient immigration system. He stated that it was even more excessive to bring in one million new immigrants in the single year of 2024, which has caused numerous negative consequences.

He contrasted this with the immigration system under the Harper government (2006-2015), which had a clear and efficient structure: 65% economic immigrants, 25% family reunification, and 10% refugees. Furthermore, the Harper government strictly denied entry to refugees with criminal records to ensure public safety.

Menegakis criticized the Liberals for significantly relaxing refugee policies and expanding quotas without investing sufficient resources for background checks, thereby increasing security and law enforcement risks. He added that the high quota policy has also placed immense pressure on public services such as housing, healthcare, and education, forcing the Liberals to recently reduce the quotas. He suggested that immigration numbers should be based on economic, healthcare, and educational affordability, and be controlled between 270,000 and 300,000 annually.

The Conservative Party's Plan: Restoring Rationality and Efficiency

Menegakis stated that the Conservative Party will continue to push for:

  • Process reform: Optimizing resource allocation to improve processing efficiency.

  • Strict enforcement: Deporting immigration applicants who conceal their criminal histories.

  • Public safety: Opposing drug legalization to maintain community stability.

He urged the community to remain confident: "Today's discussion was productive. We will continue our efforts to improve Canada's immigration system. Please do not lose faith in Canada."

About Costas Menegakis (Ma Guoji)

Costas Menegakis is a Conservative Member of Parliament representing the Ontario riding of Aurora—Oak Ridges—Richmond Hill and currently serves as a member of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. Born into an immigrant family in the 1950s, he grew up in Montreal and graduated from the Concordia University Faculty of Commerce. He settled in Richmond Hill in 1985 and founded the logistics company Tilwood Inc. From 2011 to 2015, he served as a Member of Parliament and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, participating in the formulation of the Harper government's immigration policies.

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