Nearly half of Canadians now hold the opinion that Canada is letting too many immigrants into the country, according to in-house research by the Department of Immigration.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the 2024 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Online Tracking Survey found that 47% of Canadians believe that the Trudeau government’s current immigration targets permit “too many” into Canada.
Provincially, the anti-immigration sentiment was highest in Saskatchewan at 58%, 56% in Prince Edward Island, 52% in Ontario and 48% in Alberta.
“The research objectives of this study include assessing Canadians’ perceptions of immigration levels, the impact of immigration on Canada, Canada’s immigration system and priorities, and the settlement and integration of newcomers,” reads the report.
The survey also found that a growing number of Canadians are taking issue with the amount of street protests and antisemitic crimes that have taken place since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
The survey was conducted by Léger Marketing Inc. last November over a two-week period that included 2,279 respondents from across Canada, with the research costing the department $49,991.
When asked about the Liberals’ initial immigration target of 485,000 immigrants for 2024 at the time, 56% of respondents said that number was “too many.”
The IRCC research also found that 59% of respondents agreed that “immigration has placed too much pressure on public services in Canada,” while 58% agreed that “Canada should focus on helping unemployed Canadians rather than looking for skilled immigrants for our workforce.”
Another cohort of respondents said that they thought immigration was causing the country to change in unlikable ways at 42%, with 33% disagreeing with that sentiment.
Additionally, 63% agreed “that immigrants need to do more to integrate into Canadian society,” with 32% saying that “refugees take jobs away from Canadians.”
The survey also found 38% of respondents agreeing that “refugees pose a risk to the safety and security of Canadians,” while 45% disagreed, instead saying that “accepting refugees places too much pressure on public services in Canada.”
Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that Canada would scale back immigration levels to 365,000 people a year by 2027 last month.
The government’s change in tune was in response to a growing sentiment that the Trudeau government has let in far more people than Canada can handle.
Miller said that he expects the nearly 5 million people living in Canada with visas poised to expire by the end of next year to leave the country voluntarily.
“There are many ways that people leave the country,” Miller told the House of Commons immigration committee last week. “The vast majority leave voluntarily. That is what is expected.”
According to documents tabled in Parliament by the immigration department, 4.9 million visas are going to expire between September 2024 and December 2025.
The department also tallied a total of 1,073,435 foreign students in Canada as of last May.
“These changes will make immigration work for our country so that everyone has access to the quality jobs, homes and supports they need to thrive. We have listened to Canadians, and we will continue to protect the integrity of our system and grow our population responsibly,” said Miller in a statement last month.
“Today’s announcement is the next step in our plan to address the evolving immigration needs of our country. While it’s clear our economy needs newcomers, we see the pressures facing our country, and we must adapt our policies accordingly.”
The 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan projects Canada’s population to decline by 0.2% over the next two years before returning to a population growth of 0.8% in 2027.
The number of permanent residents will be reduced from 500,000 to 395,000 next year and then to 380,000 in 2026, before reaching a target of 365,000 in 2027.
