NDP Leadership Hopeful Avi Lewis Proposes Mass Amnesty and Asylum Policy Shift
In a bold move that challenges current government policies, NDP leadership candidate Avi Lewis has proposed sweeping changes to Canada's immigration system, including mass amnesties for temporary migrants and reopening borders to asylum-seekers from the United States. This comes at a time when public dissatisfaction with immigration rates is reaching unprecedented levels across the country.
Restoring Post-COVID Immigration Levels
During an exclusive interview with New Canadian Media, Lewis advocated for reversing Prime Minister Mark Carney's cuts to immigration quotas and returning to the ambitious targets set before the pandemic. "We will reverse Prime Minister Mark Carney's cuts to immigration levels," Lewis declared, referring to the current government's efforts to dial back immigration numbers following an unprecedented migration surge.
The Carney administration has actively reduced immigration intake to address concerns that the post-COVID migration wave overwhelmed Canada's real estate and job markets. Between 2021 and 2025, the number of non-permanent residents in Canada surged from under one million to more than three million, contributing to a population growth of over three million people in just three years.
Ending the Safe Third Country Agreement
Lewis's most controversial proposal involves terminating the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States, which would potentially allow anyone in the U.S. to claim asylum in Canada. This agreement, established in 2004, currently bars foreign nationals from making asylum claims at official Canada-U.S. border posts on the premise that they are already in a safe country.
If implemented, this policy shift could return Canada to the system that prevailed between 2017 and 2023, when more than 110,000 asylum-seekers entered Canada through irregular border crossings. The majority of these crossings occurred at Roxham Road, a remote location on the Quebec-New York border that became notorious for its dedicated bus routes on the American side and temporary RCMP and CBSA facilities on the Canadian side.
Addressing the Housing Affordability Debate
Lewis framed his proposals as a response to what he called "anti-immigrant backlash" that links high immigration rates to real estate affordability challenges. "Immigrants are part of the solution, not the cause of problems," Lewis emphasized during his interview, directly challenging the narrative that immigration contributes to housing market pressures.
The NDP leadership hopeful's position stands in stark contrast to the current government's approach. Prime Minister Carney has repeatedly pledged to get the immigration system "under control" after acknowledging that the post-pandemic migration surge strained critical infrastructure and services. While Canada welcomed 393,750 permanent residents in 2025—a number still historically high—this represents a significant reduction from the 500,000 target originally set by the previous Liberal government.
Proposed Policy Changes
Lewis's comprehensive immigration reform package includes several key elements:
- Mass amnesty for temporary migrants currently residing in Canada
- Increased intake of international students
- Restoration of immigration levels to pre-reduction benchmarks
- Termination of the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States
- Creation of pathways for asylum-seekers to enter Canada legally
These proposals come as the NDP leadership race intensifies, with Lewis positioning himself as a progressive alternative to current immigration policies. His platform reflects a fundamental disagreement with the government's assessment that reduced immigration is necessary to stabilize housing markets and employment opportunities for Canadian citizens.
The debate over immigration policy continues to dominate Canadian political discourse, with Lewis's proposals adding fuel to an already contentious discussion about the country's future demographic and economic direction.
