Canada's Rushed Population Growth Through Immigration

"It's quite a significant shift over the past two years in [people's] sense about the numbers and their confidence in the system, and the way in which immigration is being managed."

"I think, fairly or unfairly, many Canadians are looking at newcomers and saying, 'Well they are adding to a problem. Suddenly all these new people need a new place to live, and we are competing with them'."

"[Immigration is] certainly not the primary cause of the  housing crisis, but I think people are making the connection."

"[The public's concerns linked to immigration were more about] who is being admitted, from where and how they were fitting in."

Keith Newman, senior associate, Environics 

Passengers arrive at Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ont. on March 14, 2023.  Chris Young

There has been a notable decline in public support for the number of immigrants arriving in Canada in the past several years, according to a new national survey. Close to six in ten Canadians share the belief that Canada accepts far too many immigrants, according to the results of a survey conducted in September of about 2,000 people. "For the first time in a quarter-century, a clear majority of Canadians say there is too much immigration", the report established published by research group Environics Institute along with Toronto Metropolitan University's Diversity Institute, supported by the charity Century Initiative.

This is a wholesale change of attitude within a two-year period, representing the largest proportion of Canadians since 1998 who declare too much immigration is harming Canada. Immigration Minister Marc Miller stated he was exploring the option of reducing the number under the current plan of accepting 500,000 newcomers in 2025 and 2026. "There is certainly a world now in which we see reductions", he assured his critics.

A cap was announced for the first time in March, the goal to cut the number to five percent of the overall population by 2026, from the current 6.5 percent. Canada is dependent on immigration for its economy; newcomers accounting for over one-third of the workforce in industries like accommodation and food services, transportation and warehousing. Along with the professional stream of scientific and technical sectors, according to Statistics Canada. As well, the aging population represents another reason for a high government reliance on immigrants. Of respondents to the Environics survey, 68 percent felt that immigration while having a positive impact on the economy, is six and 5 percentage points lower than in 2023 and 2022

Environics senior associate Keith Neuman links the attitudinal change to several factors; how Canadians perceive the impacts of newcomers on economic concerns such as the housing shortage and the steadily rising cost of living in Canada. According to Neuman, Canadians haven't turned away from immigration unlike other countries where the sentiment is more negative. The issue for Canadians is about how the system is being managed. 

 

Canada's population as of July 1, 2024 was seen to be 41.2 million, according to Statistics Canada.

The total population increased by a whopping 1.2 million people in the last year, representing a rate of about three percent, due primarily to immigration (reflecting a growth rate similar in the past two years). 250,229 people were added between April and July of 2024, a quarterly growth rate of 0.6 percent; high yet lower than the 334,606 and 253,510 people during the same quarters in 2023 and 2022.