Approximately 39% of Canadians think that the Liberal government’s current immigration targets are too high.
According to a June 28 Angus Reid Institute poll, 22% of Canadians responded by saying that the number of people the Liberals want to immigrate to Canada was “far too many” and that the “number should be way lower.” Meanwhile, an additional 17% called the target “too many.”
On the other hand, 34% of Canadians said they were content with the targets and called it “about right.” Meanwhile, only 13% want to raise immigration levels, with 8% claiming that current targets were “too few” and 5% responding that “the number should be way higher.”
When broken down regionally, opposition to increased immigration was the highest in Saskatchewan where 54% of people wanting immigration levels to be lowered and in Alberta where 50% of people polled responded the same.
Substantial levels of people in Ontario and BC also wanted to lower immigration levels with 39% and 35% respectively of people supporting a reduction.
Instead of responding to popular support for lower immigration targets, the Trudeau Liberals have stated that they intend to follow through with plans to ramp up Canada’s immigration levels to historic highs.
In March, Liberal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino told a House of Commons immigration committee that the federal government hopes to increase Canada’s immigration targets by 117%.
The current Liberal targets are 401,000 new immigrants for the year 2021, which is a significant increase from 2020 when Canada welcomed 184,370 new immigrants.
Other studies including one commissioned by the Department of Immigration also found that most Canadians do not agree with the current targets.
In that survey, out of 1,500 people polled, 57% said Canada should limit the number of immigrants coming to the country.
Similarly, a survey commissioned by True North last year found that 76% of Canadians wanted a total pause on immigration into Canada until the COVID-19 threat has passed and until Canada’s economy has fully recovered.
