Immigration Minister Mark Miller said Canada remains an “open country” after the Liberal government announced plans to reduce the expected number of new arrivals.
On Thursday, Miller and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the government was cutting its projected number of new permanent residents from 485,000 to 395,000 in 2025, followed by 380,000 in 2026 and 360,000 in 2027. It was announced that the number of employees would be further reduced to 5,000.
In an interview with CBC the houseMiller said people “still have a lot of desire to come to Canada,” but “not everyone can come to Canada, and we don’t have the privilege of becoming a Canadian after becoming a permanent resident.” There’s no way I’ll be able to do it,” he said.
“Canada is an open country,” Miller told host Katherine Cullen. “I think we realized the key point that to be successful, we need a managed transition system that makes sense for everyone, including new entrants.”
Under the previous plan announced last November, Canada was expected to admit about 500,000 people in both 2025 and 2026.
According to a government press release, the new immigration level plan will reduce the population by 0.2% over the next two years. It added that the plan would “reduce the housing supply gap by approximately 670,000 homes” over the next few years.
Immigration Minister Mark Miller said the government’s new immigration plans should help ease pressure on the housing market. The federal government plans to reduce the projected number of new permanent residents from 485,000 this year to 395,000 in 2025.
The immigration announcement drew the attention of former US President Donald Trump, who has promised mass deportations if elected in November.
in social media posts“Even Justin Trudeau wants to close Canada’s border,” Trump wrote.
President Trump added: “Through our ridiculous ‘open borders’ policy, we are the only ones who allow people, including hundreds of thousands of criminals, to freely enter the United States.”
Experts told CBC News that enforcement in one jurisdiction could have the effect of pushing migrants into another jurisdiction. In this case, large-scale U.S. deportations could move immigrants to Canada.
Asked what he thought about President Trump’s post, Miller said, “Of course, I never want to see these decisions used as weapons, because I think it’s the right decision. And I don’t want to see the president’s politics. We will leave it up to the American people to decide.”
Miller also said the federal government will be able to “actually work with any government and any president in the coming weeks.”
Canadians’ views on immigration
Miller said the new cuts reflect discussions with economists and “Canadians on their doorstep.”
“They want us to create a managed migration plan that is not only ambitious and reflective of what we need to do, but also reflects the stress and affordability that Canadians are putting on Canadians. I look forward to seeing it,” Miller said.
Recent polls show that Canadians’ attitudes toward immigration have worsened. An Abacus survey released last week found that more than half of respondents had a negative view of the immigration system.
Miller told Cullen that the federal government would “preserve” the national consensus on immigration “to serve not just Canadians, but newcomers who are here and ready to succeed.” He said it was necessary.
“I think perhaps we as a country have been too lazy to show the benefits. [immigration]“But that consensus is not unanimous, and it is something that we all have an obligation to build on in this country,” Miller said.
Canada’s new immigration plan is expected to reduce the population by 0.2% to about 80,000 people in 2025 and 2026. Immigration Minister Mark Miller told Power & Politics that the plan would stabilize population growth and reduce pressure on the housing market. Mr Miller also responded to critics of his decision to remain in office despite 24 MPs calling for him to resign.
Alicia Bachman-Beharry, an Alberta-based immigration lawyer, said: the house The cuts are “a big change in direction. A big change in direction from what the Liberal government had anticipated.”
“I think this is also inherently political,” she told host Katherine Cullen. “This was the plan I had hoped for from the Conservative government.”
Miller said Canada’s current immigration levels are “nowhere near” the levels set by former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government.
In 2014, when Mr. Harper was in power, 260,000 immigrants came to Canada, including 23,286 refugees, according to federal government figures.
Bachman-Beharie also noted that family sponsorship money is expected to decline. The government had planned to admit 84,000 spouses, partners and children in 2025, but that figure has now fallen to 70,000.
“It will impact spousal sponsorship.” [and] A family reunion,” she said.
Bachman-Beharie said the big takeaway from the revised targets is that “Canada says it’s putting Canadians first when it comes to who it wants Canadian companies to work with. “We want Canadians first when it comes to service.”
“And that means immigrants who cannot meet the pay cut in this competitive atmosphere lose out.”
“There were some difficult choices we had to make, and the Level Plan reflects those difficult choices…Canadians expect us to get that balance right,” Miller said. I think this is the right choice.”
