Thank you, Chair.
We know that the international student program is a shared responsibility, with the federal government managing the study permits and the provinces overseeing the designated learning institutions.
In recent years, international student enrolment has grown rapidly, especially in Ontario, raising concerns about student well-being and the integrity of the program. Based on the data that I was able to get, in 2023 Ontario hosted roughly 54% of Canada's 833,920 post-secondary international students.
I would like to focus on how the federal government raised these concerns with Ontario and why federal action became necessary when the Province of Ontario did not act.
My first question for the officials is, can you tell the committee when IRCC first raised concerns with the Government of Ontario about the pace of growth in international student enrolment and what specific risks were flagged at that time?