Citizenship and Immigration

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration studied the international student program, hearing from five witnesses: Roopa Desai Trilokekar, an associate professor at York University; John Tibbits, president of Conestoga College; Rob Kristofferson, president of the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations; Lisa Brunner, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of British Columbia; and Jason Jacques, interim Parliamentary Budget Officer, with Caroline Nicol.

Roopa Desai Trilokekar recommended delinking international education from immigration and labour market policy, arguing that the current linkage has created conflicting messages and enabled exploitation. She urged Canada to learn from policy mistakes in other countries, such as Australia, and to reinvest in international students as a soft power resource for public diplomacy, rather than as a solution to domestic problems.

John Tibbits stated that Conestoga College’s growth in international enrolment was aligned with federal, provincial, and municipal policies encouraging immigration to address labour shortages, and that the college invested in housing and student supports. He acknowledged challenges but defended the college’s role in meeting regional labour needs, and disagreed with characterizations that the region is in a mess, noting that all students found housing.

Rob Kristofferson said that universities turned to international students for revenue due to declining provincial funding, and that international students have subsidized the education of additional domestic students. He called for predictable, coordinated federal-provincial policy on study permit numbers, and recommended that any increases be tied to institutions’ ability to provide housing and student services, while noting that bad actors are primarily outside the university sector.

Lisa Brunner described the international student program as a disjointed policy arena lacking multi-level coordination, and urged forward-looking, systems-thinking planning. She recommended rigorous, publicly accessible reporting on how tuition revenue is used for student supports, and clearer, more predictable pathways to permanent residency to reduce precarity and exploitation, while cautioning against scapegoating international students for structural issues like housing.

Jason Jacques and Caroline Nicol presented the Parliamentary Budget Officer’s estimate that the 2025-2027 immigration levels plan will reduce nominal GDP by about $37 billion on average over three years, due to fewer hours worked and reduced consumption. They noted that the office has not been asked to analyze the impact of international student policy changes on health care, housing, or social infrastructure, but would be open to undertaking such work upon a committee request.

The committee also heard from members, with Conservative members questioning Tibbits on the impact of Conestoga’s growth on housing, youth unemployment, and community services, and suggesting that the federal government did not tie permit numbers to housing or job availability. Liberal members focused on the role of provincial funding and the need for coordination, while a Bloc Québécois member raised questions about federal transfer cuts and jurisdictional issues. No procedural debate, motions, or votes were recorded during this meeting.