Canada slashes immigration as public concern rises

A survey last month from the Environics Institute on public attitudes toward immigration found that “for the first time in a quarter century, a clear majority of Canadians say there is too much immigration.”
Fifty-eight percent of Canadians believe the country takes in too many immigrants, up 14 percentage points from 2023, the survey found.
In figures released last week, Abacus Data found that one of every two Canadians say immigration is harming the country.
The Abacus figures also noted that concern among Canadians about the impact of immigration is mostly linked to unease regarding a perceived lack of essential resources, notably affordable housing.
Miller predicted that revising immigration targets downwards will address the housing supply gap, reducing by 670,000 the number of homes Canada needs to build by 2027.
“That is significant,” Miller told reporters.
Voicing concern about the shift, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce warned immigration is Canada’s “only source of workforce growth in the near future,” given its ageing population, low fertility rates, and waves of retirements from the baby-boomer generation.
“Significantly decreasing our labour pool will impact thousands of these employers across Canada struggling to find the workforce they need,” the group said in a statement.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre, whose Conservative Party is trouncing Trudeau’s Liberals in recent polling, said the prime minister is desperately trying to boost his popularity as he confronts a revolt inside his own party and declining support nationally.
“We can’t expect that Justin Trudeau will keep any of these frantic, panicked, last-minute promises,” Poilievre told reporters in Toronto.
Canada is due to hold elections next year.