Canada immigration minister spokesperson defends strict refugee-claim timelines

On 2026-04-15, Laura Blondeau, spokesperson for Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, defended Ottawa's new refugee-claim timelines and said difficult decisions were needed to regain control of Canada's immigration system. The comments were made in Ottawa in response to rules that could render thousands of claims ineligible and that give claimants 21 days to provide additional evidence.