Conservative Leader Pierre Poirierbre said Thursday he would curb Canada’s population growth if elected, arguing the Liberal government has “destroyed our immigration system” and arguing for cuts in immigration to protect a system that was once widely popular.
Poirierbre told reporters on Parliament Hill that immigration was “not even a controversial issue” before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was elected, but the surge in international students and low-wage temporary foreign workers has undermined “generations of consensus” that more people living in the UK is a good thing.
“The radical and out-of-control NDP-Liberal government has destroyed our system,” Poirierbre said. “We must curb population growth.”
Poirievre said a future Conservative government would keep the country’s population growth rate below the number of new homes being built and would also take into account factors such as access to health care and jobs.
This is an imprecise indicator, making it difficult to predict exactly how many permanent residents and non-permanent residents such as temporary foreign workers, international students and refugees will be allowed into the country under Poirievre’s watch.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poiriervre said Canada’s population growth rate needs to “below the growth rates of housing, health care and jobs,” but did not say whether he wanted to cut the number of permanent residents allowed in Canada. He also said he would curb the government’s temporary foreign worker and student programs.
Poirievre has previously said immigration levels should be linked to housing starts. Housing starts in July were about 255,000 units.
The federal government has already said it will admit about 485,000 permanent residents to Canada this year, with a goal of raising that to 500,000 in 2025 and 2026.
in It seems to have been inspired by Mike Moffat’s research.Canada “cannot grow its population three times faster than its housing stock, as Trudeau has done,” said Poirierbre, senior director of policy at the Smart Prosperity Institute, which studies immigration and housing issues.
The government has not set clear targets for non-permanent residents but has already announced efforts to curb the number of international students and, at a Liberal cabinet meeting in Halifax earlier this week, announced a crackdown on low-wage temporary foreign workers (TFWs).
The number of non-permanent residents has been growing at a rapid pace in the post-COVID era since the federal government relaxed regulations on non-permanent residents, allowing Canadian universities to significantly increase their international students.
The non-permanent resident population has more than doubled in three years
Over the past three years, the number of non-permanent residents (which includes TFWs, international students and asylum seekers) has more than doubled, from about 1.3 million in 2021 to about 2.8 million in the second quarter of this year, according to data compiled by Statistics Canada.
Of these, 1.3 million are in Canada on a work permit, including TFWs.
The number of workers in the low-wage TFW sector, which embraces workers in food service but also fields like construction and hospitals, is projected to grow from 15,817 in 2016 to 83,654 by 2023, according to federal data.
The government says changes to the system for low-wage workers will see the number of TFWs fall by about 65,000, returning to pre-pandemic levels.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the federal government “must be careful” not to push Canada into a recession when making changes to the temporary foreign worker system. Employment Minister Randy Boissonneau said he doesn’t expect the influx of low-wage temporary foreign workers from rural and remote parts of Canada to end.
Poirierbre said the government had “destroyed” the TFW program by eliminating several regulations designed to restrict foreign workers to certain industries in areas with low unemployment.
The agriculture sector has long relied on TFWs to grow and harvest food for the nation’s population and for export, and Poirievre said he would maintain the program for that purpose.
But he also said he wants to “stop temporary foreign workers from taking jobs from Canadians.”
He said international students would only be admitted if they had a place to live, the means to pay for it, and a “genuine letter of admission to a genuine educational institution.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that the Canadian government is considering reducing the number of permanent residents it accepts each year, a potentially major policy shift given years of increased immigration levels under Liberal governments.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Liberals are “continuing to” consult on immigration and the job market and that the government plans to present an “immigration levels plan” this fall that takes into account both permanent and temporary residents.
Unemployment rates are high among new immigrants
Talk of cutting immigration comes as unemployment among immigrants and youth has risen to worrying levels in recent months. Federal Data.
According to a recent financial report from the Bank of Canada, the unemployment rate for “new immigrants” is currently 11.6%, well above the overall unemployment rate of 6.4% recorded in June.
Asked by CBC News whether his government was considering broader changes to the immigration system beyond cutting TFWs amid rising unemployment, Trudeau said the government plans to review immigration levels this fall.
Asked whether cutting the number of permanent residents was being considered, Trudeau said the issue was being taken “very seriously” and suggested it would be discussed among cabinet ministers.
“We are committed to ensuring that the full package of measures best serves the needs of Canadians and the needs of our economy,” Trudeau said.
“We will be looking at unemployment rates and opportunities for further adjustments as we develop a comprehensive level plan that addresses the realities Canada faces now and in the years and decades to come,” he said.
He said immigration needs to be “done right” and changes may be coming to ensure “Canada remains a country that actively supports immigration, but also takes responsibility for how integration takes place and ensures that everyone who comes to Canada has a path to success.”
Immigration Minister Mark Miller also said “all options are on the table” when it comes to the issue of immigration levels.
He acknowledged that some people have expressed concern about the current pace of population growth, which is the highest among developed countries.
