Juno News - Feds fail to meet border targets for third year

00:00:00.000 The Liberal government is under fire after failing to meet its performance targets at

00:00:09.180 the border for the third year in a row. Attendees of Conservative MP Jameel Javani and Ned Kirk's

00:00:14.520 quote Restore the North events on campus are praising the open dialogue spurred on by the

00:00:19.980 MPs. The Conservative immigration critic is calling for transparency from the Liberals on

00:00:25.080 their plan for over 3 million temporary residents in Canada. Hello Canada, it's Monday November 17th

00:00:31.440 and this is the True North Daily Brief. I'm Isaac Lamoureux. I'm Willie Tantem. We've got you covered

00:00:36.540 with all the news you need to know. Let's discuss the top stories of the day and the True North

00:00:40.700 exclusives you won't hear anywhere else. The Liberal government is facing heavy fire from

00:00:49.260 federal Conservatives after Canada's Border Security Agency failed to meet its key performance targets

00:00:54.880 for the third year in a row, raising serious concerns about the state of immigration enforcement.

00:01:00.100 The Conservative Party on Friday blasted the Liberals for quote failing to deliver on Prime

00:01:04.960 Minister Mark Carney's promise to quote secure our border, citing CBSA departmental results that show

00:01:11.840 a sharp decline in national security screening and enforcement outcomes. The CBSA report reads quote

00:01:18.080 the immigration national security screening program is facing pressures due to increasing volumes and new

00:01:24.340 demands. In 2024-25, only 12.9% of national security recommendations were completed within the

00:01:32.300 service standard, down from 27% the previous year and far short of the 80% target. According to the

00:01:39.540 Conservatives, this failure allows quote bad actors to remain in Canada, while border officials struggle

00:01:45.860 with growing caseloads. The number of foreign nationals flagged for removal has jumped by 77%,

00:01:52.340 yet only 71% of those deemed inadmissible and without known impediments were actually removed. The third

00:01:58.820 consecutive year the Liberals missed their removal target. On trade enforcement, CBSA also fell behind.

00:02:05.140 Just 51% of importers potentially subject to anti-dumping duties were verified for compliance,

00:02:10.940 well below the 80% standard. Only 48% of trade appeals were resolved within the service standard,

00:02:16.580 compared to 70% two years earlier. The Conservatives said quote,

00:02:21.380 by failing to meet security screening targets and ensure bad actors are deported,

00:02:25.220 the Liberals' reckless immigration system and broken border make Canadians less safe.

00:02:30.020 So, Waleed, what else did Conservatives criticize the Liberal government for as a result of this report?

00:02:35.460 Well, Isaac, as you know, the security of the border agenda is part of the national security agenda,

00:02:40.180 and of course on national security. The government has also had a number of other concerns that the

00:02:45.060 opposition has made clear they are failing on. So, for example, on the border itself, they're looking

00:02:51.060 at the promise that was promised a few months ago by the Liberal government on hiring 1,000 new border

00:02:57.140 agents. It became news last month when Public Safety Minister Gary Ananasangri admitted that the

00:03:03.620 government hadn't even completed the staffing plan or even identified a timeline for hiring the officers.

00:03:08.740 So we don't know if those are actually 1,000 new border agents or bureaucrats and other kinds of

00:03:13.380 staff and employees that are part and parcel of the CBSA and may not actually be agents deployed to

00:03:19.060 border crossings at all. And of course, that plan, or lack thereof, is a concern as well.

00:03:25.140 The party, Conservatives that is, have also criticized the government's priorities pointing to the $742

00:03:30.260 million budgeted for the Liberals' gun compensation program. And yes, it's a gun compensation program,

00:03:36.420 mandatory, not voluntary. And the money, they say, the Conservatives could have been used to hire

00:03:42.100 these new CBSA officers.

00:03:47.540 Conservative MP, Jamil Javani and Ned Kirk's, quote, Restore the North free speech event is being

00:03:52.660 hailed by participants for achieving what seems impossible today, bringing people together for real,

00:03:57.380 honest dialogue, just like in the good old days. Javani and Kirk hosted a Restore the North event at the

00:04:03.220 Canadian Christian College in Whitby, Ontario on Wednesday, and several attendees were grateful for

00:04:08.260 the opportunity to share their opinions and ask questions to setting MPs. Javani opened the event

00:04:13.460 by asking attendees what they think needs to be done to restore the North. He first outlined how

00:04:18.980 many Canadians feel the country is no longer welcoming to business, Canadian culture is endangered,

00:04:24.100 and the economy is failing many, especially young people, who have abandoned the hope of ownership.

00:04:28.820 Javani and Kirk spent the two-hour event answering questions from anyone who wished to come up to

00:04:32.260 the microphone and be heard. Questions ranged from restoring Canada's sovereignty and not being

00:04:36.260 beholden to international bodies such as the World Health Organization, World Economic Forum,

00:04:40.260 and the United Nations, to healthcare, the economy, gun rights, and free speech.

00:04:44.260 One attendee even debated Javani disagreeing with his stance on government-sanctioned euthanasia.

00:04:48.500 Opa Fifle Hope, a breast cancer survivor and podcaster living in Scarborough, attended the event.

00:04:53.140 She spoke about the importance of restoring a shared Christian culture in Canada,

00:04:56.260 and the need for conservatives and Christians to end their support with what she viewed as

00:04:59.620 quote, Trojan horses in a movement, or quote, fake conservatives, such as Ontario Premier,

00:05:04.180 Doug Ford. Favel Hope told Trudeau in an interview, quote, For some reason,

00:05:07.860 conservatives in Ontario are refusing to look in the mirror and see what they are. The reason why Canada

00:05:11.780 is falling, Alberta is doing their part. That is why Alberta wants to leave, because you get fed up 1.00

00:05:16.740 of carrying the heavy lift. Doug Ford is a Trojan horse for the progressive liberal movement.

00:05:21.620 So Isaac, what were the attendees saying about the event itself? Why has it received such a positive

00:05:25.940 reaction from attendees? Yeah, Waleed. So attendees described the event as meaningful because it 0.96

00:05:31.460 gave them a rare opportunity for direct, unfiltered discussion with sitting MPs. People repeatedly

00:05:37.780 emphasized that being able to walk up to a microphone and ask any question they wanted to

00:05:42.500 was what made the night stand out, especially compared to the highly managed political events

00:05:47.380 they are used to. Several participants highlighted that the MPs were willing to hear every viewpoint,

00:05:53.060 including strong disagreements. You mentioned the attendee that openly challenged Jamil Giovanni

00:05:57.860 on his position on government-approved euthanasia, and that exchange continued respectfully despite

00:06:03.940 the disagreement. So that willingness to allow debate rather than avoid it was something attendees

00:06:08.900 pointed to as a major strength of the event. Other attendees praised the level of attentiveness from

00:06:13.780 the MPs. For example, they told True North, the attendees did, that they felt their opinions were

00:06:18.820 genuinely listened to, not treated as a formality or box-ticking exercise. They said the MPs engaged

00:06:25.220 directly with what was being said, rather than steering the conversation around uncomfortable

00:06:29.860 topics. Some attendees described the format as reminiscent of the way political engagement

00:06:34.660 used to feel years ago. People told True North that the open mic style, the candid tone, and the lack

00:06:39.620 of filtering felt familiar to earlier eras of political discussion. They viewed the event as an example of how

00:06:45.540 political conversations once unfolded in Canada, face-to-face, unscripted, and without the polarization

00:06:50.980 that now dominates national debates. Participants also said they valued hearing questions from other

00:06:55.700 community members. They noted that the conversation covered a broad range of issues, from sovereignty

00:07:00.100 to healthcare to economic concerns and cultural identity, and that the MPs allowed every topic to be

00:07:05.540 raised without restricting discussion. MP Jamil Giovanni told True North that what stood out most to him

00:07:11.540 was the energy in the room and the high level of engagement from attendees. He said people constantly

00:07:16.580 expressed appreciation for the opportunity to speak directly with their elected representatives,

00:07:21.540 and that this feedback is one of the reasons he plans to continue holding similar events, including

00:07:26.900 upcoming sessions on university and college campuses. MP Ned Keurig said people are often surprised by how

00:07:34.100 open the conversations are, and he uses those moments to reinforce, that the intention is to genuinely hear what

00:07:39.860 people think. But overall, attendees reacted positively because the event gave them direct access to

00:07:45.620 elected representatives, allowed them to raise any topic they wished, and created a setting where their

00:07:50.100 views were fully heard. All elements they say have become increasingly rare in Canadian political life.

00:07:59.540 A Liberal MP on the Immigration Committee is sponsoring a petition that demands the government

00:08:04.420 fast-track permanent residency and federal aid for temporary residents. Conservative immigration critic Michelle

00:08:10.500 Rempel-Garner is calling for the Liberals to be transparent about their plan for the over 3 million

00:08:15.540 temporary residents in Canada. Liberal MP Amandeep Sodhi has sponsored a petition to the House of Commons

00:08:22.100 calling for realistic pathways to permanent residency for hundreds of thousands of temporary residents,

00:08:27.140 including international students and foreign workers, as first reported by Black Locks Reporter.

00:08:32.180 The petition also asks the government to fund dedicated guidance and community support programs

00:08:38.420 for temporary residents facing status insecurity and distress. It asks the federal government to

00:08:44.020 prioritize the needs and futures of temporary residents already living in Canada over increasing

00:08:48.900 new immigration and to publicly recognize that temporary residents are not to blame for challenges in 0.99

00:08:53.540 Canada's economy and social systems. Despite the recent immigration levels plan, government messaging remains vague

00:09:00.180 and inconsistent Canada must provide clear timelines and realistic pathways to permanence for those who

00:09:05.380 have already demonstrated their commitment to this country, the petition reads. Conservative immigration

00:09:10.500 critic Michelle Rempel-Garner told True North that she is concerned the government will try to solve the

00:09:15.460 backlogged immigration system by rubber stamping those waiting for approval or rejection. She noted there are

00:09:20.900 still many unknowns regarding the Liberal government's immigration levels plan. She said similar points during a show

00:09:26.660 on Juneau News the same day.

00:09:28.660 They, rather than trying to send anybody back, they're probably some of those, that, that, that, that, that PR number is

00:09:36.100 probably coming out of those pools. It could be that they, but I think more likely they're looking at the 300,000 person backlog.

00:09:43.940 They're probably going to have to rubber stamp a bunch of those applications and find spots for those people somehow too.

00:09:49.380 So, but I need, we need more detail and we need more clarity. There's been a lot of commentary on the fact

00:09:55.300 that the government didn't provide clarity on what those spots were for. And I've also heard a lot of people,

00:10:01.860 you know, who have been waiting in the queue to come to the country, uh, you know, through, through regular means,

00:10:08.660 like sort of through the legal channels waiting for years going, wait a second, what is this?

00:10:13.140 Um, but the fact that we didn't have that clarity in the levels, again, it, it tells me that they're,

00:10:19.780 they're trying to solve problems of their own creation and it, and it's not necessarily matching

00:10:27.540 those immigration levels with any sort of metrics on healthcare, jobs or housing. And that's really

00:10:33.060 concerning and that's where we've got to hold the government to account on that.

00:10:36.500 Rempel-Garner wants Soti to explain how the Liberals plan to provide enough housing,

00:10:40.580 healthcare and jobs for migrants before discussing fast-tracking the over 3 million temporary

00:10:45.700 residents currently residing in Canada on expired or other visas. Soti did not respond to True North's

00:10:51.860 request for comment. So, Waleed, what else did Rempel-Garner bring up when reacting to this

00:10:56.900 Liberal-sponsored petition that aims to make temporary residents already in the country permanent?

00:11:02.180 Well, Isaac, Rempel-Garner's criticisms are really just resonating with Canadians right now because,

00:11:06.660 of course, Canadians themselves are increasingly concerned about the levels of immigration we've had

00:11:10.420 over the last couple of years because of their effects on the following. She mentioned

00:11:14.740 unsustainable in terms of housing, healthcare and jobs, and the fact that Canada cannot support the

00:11:20.900 numbers that are being brought in. And of course, by looking at the temporary residents right now,

00:11:25.700 we have at least over 3 million temporary residents in the country, which is over 7% of Canada's

00:11:31.380 population, which is far higher than that number was. I think it was around 2% 10 years ago,

00:11:37.860 instead of 7%. So, what Rempel-Garner continued to focus on was the effects that this mass migration

00:11:43.620 regime has on Canadian society. Of course, housing, healthcare, jobs are perennial election issues,

00:11:50.180 and by mentioning the fact that this population would have an increasingly burdensome effect rapidly

00:11:56.420 without providing any time for our systems to accommodate as well. Of course, Rempel-Garner has been

00:12:02.260 the immigration critic for the past term, and she's been eyeing on critiquing the number of temporary 1.00

00:12:10.180 residents that are even inside of the forecast for the future years. So, Rempel-Garner said,

00:12:15.140 quote,

00:12:15.700 even the number of new temporary residents that the Liberals put in their most recent immigration

00:12:19.460 levels forecast doesn't take into account that there are still 3 million people in the country

00:12:24.740 that they have no plan to get to leave when their visa expires. So again, not only do we have the 3

00:12:30.900 million, the upcoming levels, but we're also having this issue with deportations or removals. A lot of

00:12:37.060 people in that list of temporary residents have expiring visas, some of which have expiring visas that have

00:12:42.580 probably already expired or are about to expire in the short term. So again, with the recent report we

00:12:48.100 covered a few days ago on the CBSA targets, as well as the report we published as well on the deportation

00:12:55.300 challenges that the CBSA are facing, it seems to me that Rempel-Garner and other conservatives are looking

00:13:01.700 to zone in on the fact that Liberals have failed to take a strong strategy on removals and a strong

00:13:07.940 strategy on managing that temporary population. That's it for today, folks. Thanks for tuning in.

00:13:16.260 You can stay on top of new episodes every weekday by subscribing to The Daily Brief on iTunes and

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Juno News - November 17, 2025

Feds fail to meet border targets for third year

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