Canadians’ opinions are shifting on immigration, with more people opposing Canada’s generous immigration support systems.
According to surveys commissioned by the Canadian Museum of Human Rights by Probe Research Inc. in 2023 and 2024, there has been a “significant increase” in the number of respondents, 56% reporting in 2024, who indicated that refugees and asylum seekers receive too many benefits.
The survey used a representative sample of 2,500 people in Canada from Protege, a national sample provider. The sample was statistically weighted for age and gender to represent Canada’s demographics according to 2021 census data.
The online panel is not a random sample, so no margin of error can be ascribed. A probability sample of the same size carries a margin of error of greater or less than 2%, 19 times out of 20.
Among the 56% who reported that asylum seekers and refugees receive too many benefits that could be better used on Canadians, 29% strongly agreed, while 27% said they “somewhat agree.”
Only 5% of the 16% of respondents who disagreed with the sentiment said they “strongly disagree.”
Refugees and asylum seekers have multiple taxpayer-funded supports available to them, including financial assistance with housing and payments for food and clothing through the Resettlement Assistance Program, language training, and access to Canada’s government-funded social and healthcare programs.
Refugees and asylum seekers have also been granted taxpayer-funded hotels in cities across Canada.
The survey found that 41% of Canadians felt that there was too much attention focused on the rights of newcomers.
There was also a “significant decrease” in Canadians who believe immigrants improve the country. In 2023, 52% of respondents agreed that immigrants improve Canadian society, while that number decreased to 44% in 2024.
According to the CMHR, in responses to open-ended inquiries, there was a “notable increase” between 2023 and 2024 in responses reflecting negative feelings toward immigration linked to economic strains Canadians are experiencing.
The survey also asked newcomers about their views on human rights in Canada.
Two-thirds of newcomers said they thought human rights protections are stronger in Canada than in their country of origin, and 39% of those said it was “much stronger” in Canada.
The study also asked Canadians what human rights issues are the most important in Canada. Free speech, censorship, and “being cancelled” were the top issues among respondents.
The number of Canadians who said they are most worried about their freedom of expression rights being trampled on rose by 5% from the previous year, from 9% in 2023 to 14% in 2024.
Over the last year, other surveys have shown that Canadians’ opinions on immigration are taking an adverse turn in a country that has historically had positive attitudes toward newcomers and the immigration system.
One study by the Angus Reid Institute found that Canadians’ concerns about immigration have quadrupled in just two years. Many other surveys True North has reported on show similar trends of growing concerns as it relates to immigration and the volume of newcomers being welcomed into Canada.
This comes just weeks after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government announced an attempt to reverse its immigration policies and halt population growth caused by immigration.
In a video released by Trudeau Sunday, the prime minister admitted his immigration policies have caused the number of newcomers to outpace the country’s social and healthcare services, economy, and housing sector.
