Will Canada reduce its new immigration targets? Some analysts seem to think so
Immigration Minister Marc Miller had a clear response about a year ago when asked if he would lower Canada’s immigration targets amidst concerns that the rising numbers could further exacerbate the country’s housing crisis.
“Looking at the numbers and knowing what I know and the needs that exist in Canada, I don’t see a world in which we decrease it currently,” he said in August 2023, barely a week after taking up the immigration portfolio from Sean Fraser.
But with the federal government getting ready to release its new annual immigration targets on Nov. 1, the minister’s comments haven’t been as straightforward lately.
“I am considering a lot of things … we are putting together a number of propositions … and those choices will be ones that we will have to decide in cabinet, but you will know on November 1,” he said at a press conference on Sept. 18 after being asked again if he might consider reducing immigration targets.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in response to a similar question at a press conference on Aug. 26, said government officials were having “ongoing conversations” about the overall immigration numbers and that they are “constantly adjusting” to the needs of the economy to make sure they meet “the moment every step of the way.”
The contrasting statements reflect the “dramatic shift in the discourse around immigration,” said Diana Palmerin-Velasco, a senior director at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which represents more than 200,000 Canadian businesses.
She pointed to a July poll conducted by Leger Marketing Inc. that said 60 per cent of respondents felt there were too many immigrants in Canada, a jump from 35 per cent in 2019.
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