Canadian Prime Minister Justin
Trudeau announced Thursday that Canada will scale back its immigration targets after acknowledging his government’s struggle to balance labour demands and
population growth following the pandemic. The decision comes after widespread criticism of the government’s initial plan to welcome 500,000 new permanent residents annually over the next two years. Trudeau now aims to reduce this number to 395,000 in 2025, with further cuts to 380,000 by 2026 and 365,000 by 2027.
“In the challenging post-pandemic environment, we didn’t strike the right balance between labour needs and sustainable population growth,” Trudeau stated. “While immigration is crucial to Canada’s future, it must be controlled and sustainable.”
Trudeau has faced growing pressure, even from within his
Liberal party, not to pursue a fourth term. Critics argue that the rapid population growth has exacerbated Canada’s housing affordability crisis, adding strain to essential services. The Prime Minister emphasised that freezing population growth over the next two years will allow the government to better address housing, healthcare, and social service needs before scaling up again. Canada’s population reached 41 million in April, up from 37.5 million in 2019.
Adding to his critique, Trudeau pointed to “exploitation” of Canada’s temporary
foreign worker program, where certain corporations have prioritised hiring foreign workers over Canadians at fair wages. He also highlighted issues within certain educational institutions, which he said over-enroll international students beyond what communities can sustain.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller expressed that reducing immigration targets would help alleviate housing shortages and acknowledged changing public sentiment on immigration. “Canada remains an open country, but not everyone can come,” Miller said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to ambitious but adjusted immigration targets.
Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre blamed Trudeau’s policies for undermining Canada’s longstanding immigration consensus, arguing that Trudeau has damaged public trust in the system. Political analysts like
University of Toronto’s Nelson Wiseman agree that while the government’s goals to support economic growth and counter an ageing population were sound, the lack of provincial-federal coordination on housing and welfare issues fueled public discontent.
