Malcolm: Liberals broke our immigration system. We need Conservatives to fix it.

Gives a sense of where the more extreme wing of Conservatives are. Some more realistic than others but overall, more a laundry list than serious, practical or politically viable. Malcolm, who did briefly work under Jason Kenney as a communications adviser, lacks the sophistication and nuance of her former boss:

Cutting off extended benefits for illegal immigrants is obvious, low-hanging fruit – so much so that the Conservatives shouldn’t waste political capital on it. They’re going to get called “racist” by elites and Liberals no matter what, so why not propose something meaningful?

Here are some ideas:

• End all temporary foreign work programs
• Deport all illegal immigrants
• Fast-track asylum hearings, or possibly send asylum claimants to a third party location while they await hearings (like Australia does with Nauru)
• Require visas from countries that abuse our asylum system. Automatically reject asylum claims from students whose visas are expiring
• Limit student visas to 5% of any college or university’s student body
• Reduce or pause economic immigration streams until GDP per capita grows by a certain per cent per year
• Bring back in-person interviews for all immigrants
• Crack down on immigration fraud and strip citizenship from those who committed fraud to become a citizen, show allegiance to a foreign terrorist group, or are convicted of a violent crime or gun crime
• Reserve social benefits for citizens, require visa-holders (including PRs) to buy health insurance
• Fortify Canadian citizenship: Adopt the Swiss model and require newcomers to spend 10 years living in Canada, pass a grade 12 equivalent English/French course, show sincere knowledge of Canadian customs and history, show financial stability (no social assistance use or major debts) and require references from Canadians citizens
• Most importantly for Conservatives: whatever you do, DON’T listen to people like Andrew Coyne!

It was the Liberals who broke our immigration system and destroyed the consensus. A majority of Canadians now oppose mass immigration. A majority say numbers are too high and must be lowered

Canadians rely on Conservatives to clean up the mess made by Liberals, and right now Conservatives have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to address very real problems and propose a strong and secure system for our future. It needs to be based in self-respect and a revitalized national pride. This is one area where Conservatives can meaningfully differentiate themselves from Liberals. They must confidently and unapologetically propose real changes.

Source: Malcolm: Liberals broke our immigration system. We need Conservatives to fix it.