Canadian Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reinstate visa requirements for Mexican citizens, amid a continued increase in asylum requests from people from that country.

In 2016, the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau abolished the visa requirements imposed by the previous Conservative government led by Stephen Harper.

Instead of obtaining a visa, the Canadian government allowed Mexican citizens to visit Canada simply by purchasing an electronic travel authorization costing seven dollars.

Trudeau also announced the cancellation of the visa requirement as part of a set of new measures aimed at restoring Canada’s relationship with Mexico following a two-day state visit by then-Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Trudeau said in 2016 that this measure would make it easier for our Mexican friends to visit Canada, while growing our local economies and strengthening our communities.

In 2016, about 250 asylum claims were referred to the CISR. This number rose to 17,490 in 2023.

The Conservatives called on the Trudeau government to reintroduce visa requirements to prevent more abuses of the asylum system, which drains resources that should be helping those with legitimate asylum claims.

Also, in a press release published on January 24, Poilievre said that the removal of visa requirements for Mexican travelers led to increased fraud and misuse of the Canadian asylum system, causing long delays in processing claims of legitimate asylum seekers.

At the end of last week, Federal Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government is exploring options to address the increase in asylum claims from people coming from Mexico, including reinstating visa requirements.

LeBlanc said: "My colleague [Immigration Minister] Marc Miller and I have discussed the appropriate way to ensure that people coming from Mexico arrive for the right reasons, and that this does not become a back door into Canada."