By FAIR
Canada, well known for its liberal immigration policies, has announced plans to limit immigration. Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that the country will for the first time cap the number of temporary residents in 2024 and that this would continue for the next three years. Minister Miller also said that Canada would impose a two-year cap on the number of international students, who currently make up 42 percent of temporary residents in Canada. In 2024, the cap will reduce the number of international students by 35 percent.
The announcements, made earlier this year, mark an about-face for the Canadian government. Canada has intentionally targeted an increase in international students, inviting more than one million international students in 2023 alone, up 245 percent from a decade earlier and 60 percent since 2019.
The limits imposed on temporary residents were announced only a few months after the Canadian government said it will freeze the number of permanent residents beginning in 2026. In 2022, Canada was determined to increase immigration levels and announced a new plan to welcome 1.5 million new residents, using its points-based system. Just two years into this expansive new plan, the government realized that dramatic levels of immigration were impacting the ability of residents to find affordable housing. Now, they are reversing course and rolling up the welcome mat.
Between the dramatic increase in temporary and permanent residents, Canada’s population has boomed. According to a new report from the Canadian government, Canada’s population surged by nearly 1.3 million people from January 2023 to January 2024 – the highest annual increase since 1957. At least 98 percent of that growth, according to the report, is due to immigration.
The mass influx of immigrants has changed how Canadians view immigration. Last fall, the Environics Institute released a survey showing that Canadians are not satisfied with the direction of the country and are more pessimistic about the economy. The survey notes that “Inflation and the cost of living, along with housing affordability and interest rates, are now seen as the top issues facing the country.” At the same time, 44% of those surveyed say there is too much immigration to Canada – an increase of 27 percent over the year before. “More than four in ten Canadians now strongly (23%) or somewhat (21%) agree there is too much immigration to Canada, up 17 percentage points since one year ago.” Reuters also reported on the “seismic shift in public opinion” and stated that “Trudeau’s welcome mat for immigrants wears thin.” They credited the change of heart to campaign politics, noting that the Conservative Party leader has taken a “commanding” lead in opinion polls. Trudeau is seeking his fourth term next year.
This uncontrolled growth has even led economists to push for policy changes. In a report by the National Bank of Canada, economists said the country is “caught in a population trap” and that while “immigration is good for our potential GDP, all good things have their limits.” The economists attributed the immigration surge to a housing crisis and argued that “to meet current demand and reduce shelter cost inflation, Canada would need to double its housing construction capacity to approximately 700,000 starts per year, an unattainable goal.”
The fallout of his immigration policies have finally forced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reverse course. Speaking to reporters, President Trudeau said that the level of immigration needs to “get back under control.” He continued about Canada’s approach saying it “holds the line a little more on the temporary immigration that has caused so much pressure in our communities,” noting that the numbers of temporary foreign workers and international students “have grown at a rate far beyond what Canada has been able to absorb.”
Given Canada’s historic stance on immigration, time will tell if its shift in thinking will reverberate to other countries and change the minds of advocates who believe increased immigration is the solution to all problems. As Canada curbs its growth, many cities in the United States could also stand to benefit from the lessons learned and how immigration is truly impacting taxpayers, their finite resources, and public services.
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Excerpts from Canadian Public Opinion About Immigration & Refugees:
—Environics Institute |
