Did Canada Ignore Immigration Fraud on Purpose?

Canada’s international student program is under fire and the numbers are hard to ignore.In this episode, Sabrina Maddeaux and Mike Moffatt break down a shocking Auditor General report that uncovered major enforcement failures inside Canada’s immigration system. With over 153,000 potentially non-compliant students flagged and little follow-up from authorities, this isn’t just a bureaucratic slip-up. It raises serious questions about oversight, accountability, and trust.Is this really about growing too fast, or did the government fail to enforce its own rules?We dive into:The difference between a capacity problem vs. an enforcement problemWhy thousands of fraud cases were never investigatedHow approval rates hit 98% in high-risk streamsThe impact on housing affordability and job marketsWhat this means for public trust in Canada’s institutionsAnd whether cutting immigration targets actually solves anythingThis conversation unpacks how policy decisions ripple across the economy, and why fixing the system may require more than just lowering the numbers.Chapters:00:00 – Intro: Auditor General Report: The Big Findings00:45 – Enforcement Failure01:47 – “Deliberate and Scandalous” Fraud Handling03:42 – What the Program Was Supposed to Do04:34 – What It Became: Wage Suppression & Exploitation05:24 – Housing Crisis Impact07:45 – Only 40% Confirmed They Leave Canada09:32 – The Case for Retroactive Enforcement11:02 – Why Cutting Immigration Isn’t EnoughRESEARCH LINKS:Auditor General Report on International Student Program (March 2025): https://www.canada.ca/en/auditor-general/our-work/audit-reports/auditor-general-report-2026-international-student-program-reforms.htmlHosted by Mike Moffatt & Cara Stern & Sabrina MaddeauxProduced by Meredith MartinFunded by the Neptis Foundation https://neptis.org/