Ottawa ( Rajeev Sharma): Conservative Member of Parliament Michelle Rempel Garner has cited nearly 496,000 asylum claims submitted between January 2022 and October 2025 as evidence of the strain on Canada’s immigration system.
According to Rempel Garner and the Conservative Party, this figure represents approximately 1.2 percent of the Canadian population during that period. The MP’s statement comes as her party pushes for amendments to Bill C-12, which focuses on border security and immigration policy. Conservatives argue that the volume of claims underscores systemic inefficiencies and the need for reforms, including faster processing and stricter oversight of the asylum system. Government data support the broad scale of the claims. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada reports that more than 92,000 claims were submitted in 2022, over 144,000 in 2023, and more than 173,000 in 2024. Combined with early 2025 data, this aligns closely with the figure cited by Rempel Garner. However, officials note that these numbers refer to claims submitted, not to finalized or approved cases.
Many claims remain pending due to a growing backlog at the Immigration and Refugee Board, where claimants may wait several years for a decision. The surge in applications and the backlog have placed considerable pressure on Canada’s immigration system, prompting ongoing debate over how to balance the country’s commitment to asylum seekers with the need for timely and efficient processing.
Conservatives say their proposed changes to Bill C-12 are intended to address these challenges, while critics caution that reforms must ensure fairness and access to protection for vulnerable individuals.
