Major row in Canada as Ontario says it will give its own work permits, won't need federal government's nod

Ontario premier Doug Ford announced that he will issue work permits to asylum seekers bypassing the federal government, as he can do that using a clause written in the Constitution. Ford said they don't need to wait for the federal government as the asylum requests pile up -- leading to a major row as Canadians fear that the asylum system will be abused in Ontario, leading to an influx of cheap foreign labor.

Ford said this was pointed out by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith at the three-day summit of the nation's leaders that Section 95 of the Constitution gives provinces the right to make decisions on immigration. Alberta has been seeking independence from Canada for quite some time now.

Ford said his administration will start issuing work permits as there are a huge number of asylum seekers who want to work. “I have a tremendous amount of asylum seekers that are up in Etobicoke in the hotels, they’re healthy, they’re willing to work, they’re hardworking people, but they’re waiting over two years and they’re just sucking off the system — not their fault,” Ford said.

“The fault falls under immigration that it takes over two years to get a work permit.”

The premier's office said there was no timeline for when the province could start issuing work permits and nothing has been finalized yet, Global News reported. But Ford has given clear direction that internal work to figure out how to grant work permits should begin. “They want to get out there and they want to be like every other Canadian,” Ford said. “They want to find a job, they want to be able to first start off renting a condo or part of a house and then buying a house.”

In 2024, more than 90,000 people made asylum claims in Ontario. Ontario's unemployment rate is 7.80 per cent.