Liberal Leader Stephane Dion says that if elected his government would scrap recent changes to Canada's immigration system -- changes that his party abstained from defeating this spring.
Dion made the announcement while speaking Saturday at a rally in Richmond, B.C., and pledged $800 million of new federal funding to help new Canadians and reduce the log jam of immigration applications.
Of that new money, $400 million was to clear the 900,000-person backlog, $200 million for language training for immigrants and another $200 million on courses to prepare new Canadians for the workplace.
The Conservatives passed legislation this spring that gives the immigration minister more power to fast-track certain groups or professions.
"Stephen Harper's approach to immigration only responds to the short-term demands of the labour market. And foolishly, the Conservatives are actually letting fewer immigrants into our country every year. What a mistake," Dion said in his prepared remarks.
"We need to do a better job at helping new Canadians succeed -- we don't need to give the minister of immigration arbitrary power."
It was the second day in a row that the Liberals made promises aimed at immigrant voters, one of the main demographics of traditional Liberal support.
On Friday night, Dion said a Liberal government would apologize in the House of Commons for Canada's treatment of the Komagata Maru -- a ship carrying Sikhs and Hindus to Canada in 1914 that was turned away.
With files from The Canadian Press
