Jason Kenney on Canadian immigration

Over the last week or so the debate over Canada’s immigration policy has come to the forefront.In Alberta, Premier Danielle Smith has promised to put a series of restrictive new immigration policies to a provincial referendum.In Ottawa, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has brought forward a motion that would compel the federal government to review and restrict the services available to asylum seekers.Critics have said both moves scapegoat immigrants.This is all happening at a time when polling shows that popular support for immigration is on the decline.Today's guest is someone who is uniquely positioned to talk about the proposed changes in immigration policy.Jason Kenney is the former United Conservative Party Premier of Alberta.Prior to that, Kenney spent nearly two decades in federal politics, and was a cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s Conservative party.He spent years working on the immigration and multiculturalism file and was widely credited for shifting the support of new Canadians from the Liberals to the Conservatives.Note: On the same day this podcast was recorded, Jason Kenney was publicly listed as a lobbyist for a firm that deals with skills-based immigration.For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts