Ontario Premier Ford retreats from provincial work permit initiative

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has abandoned his recent commitment to issue provincial work permits to asylum seekers, just days after joining other premiers in calling for increased provincial control over immigration matters. Ford emphasized that asylum seekers "need to be working" without explaining his changed position. The federal immigration department countered Ford's previous claims of two-year processing delays, stating that work permits are typically processed within 45 days of receiving completed applications. Federal officials emphasized that immigration remains a shared jurisdiction with established legal frameworks for provincial-federal coordination.

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