Video of a group of temporary residents confronting the Ontario premier surfaced online this week. “No relief has been given to us,” a man said as the group sought extensions to the permits allowing them to remain in the country.

“I wish I could snap my fingers and say OK you can stay,” Doug Ford responded, passing the buck to the federal government. “Immigration is a federal issue,” he said, noting he called on Prime Minister Mark Carney to allow non-citizens to remain.

Premier Doug Ford is confronted by temporary residents demanding extensions to permits. Instead of telling them to follow the rules, he sympathizes:

"I wish I could snap my fingers and say okay, you can stay"pic.twitter.com/6tww08Eh8p

— Riley Donovan (@valdombre) April 29, 2026

On Thursday's Rebel Roundup livestream, hosts Sheila Gunn Reid and Lise Merle shared their thoughts on Ford's response to the demands.

“We are taking control over who gets the temporary foreign worker permits,” Sheila said of Premier Danielle Smith's government's response in Alberta, noting an upcoming referendum on immigration issues later in 2026.

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And while the Ontario premier said he wished he could snap his fingers to allow them to remain, Sheila countered that she wished she could snap her fingers to send the migrants back “so Canadian kids can have jobs.”

“We all wish that we could snap our fingers and say send them all back,” added Lise.

“I have nothing against them personally against them, but you must go. You are stealing jobs from Canadian kids — I'm sorry, you must go,” said Sheila.

“It is not controversial for Canadians to want their public services back,” replied Lise. “It's not too much for Canadians to want health care, it's not too much for Canadians to access their natural resources, it's not too much for Canadians to want their kids to be educated in Canadian schools first. It's not controversial.”

The key aspect of the conversation is around the word “temporary,” stated Sheila. “That is not permanent; so, if you came here under that track, off you go.”