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The state broadcaster’s watchdog called out star radio host Ian Hanomansing for a 2023 broadcast where he encouraged 'mass immigration.' He called out the host for issuing a "value judgment" not based on fact.

The episode of Cross Country Checkup strayed from balanced treatment of a contentious issue to a "value judgment," said an Ombudsman’s report. Host Hanomansing said people "want more immigrants to come to Canada."

"It was simply too easy to interpret these remarks as a value judgment," wrote Ombudsman Jack Nagler. "I agree that CBC can do better."

The radio broadcast featured an interview with Immigration Minister Marc Miller, asking, "Is it fair to increase immigration when housing is scarce?" Hanomansing again praised record immigration quotas as indispensable, prompting listener complaints, reported Blacklock’s Reporter.

Last year, Canada admitted a total of 2.3 million foreigners, including 1,040,985 foreign students, 766,250 migrant workers, and 471,550 landed immigrants. An updated Immigration Levels Plan is due in November.

'Canada will become a third-world country': Maxime Bernier sounds alarm on mass immigration

'I said it and it's part of our platform, we need to deport the illegals,' said Bernier.

People's Party of Canada (PPC) leader @MaximeBernier discussed how unsustainable mass immigration… pic.twitter.com/2Mp4VF0GlN

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 3, 2024

"We invite and rely on immigrants to come to this country," said Hanomansing, who called immigration "an essential part of the Canadian experience." He contended that newcomers were "filling much needed jobs from health care to high tech to the trades."

However, the Bank of Canada disputed claims that immigration is an immediate net benefit to the country. It said newcomers drive up rents, are slow to gain employment, and contribute to "inflationary pressures in some sectors."

Richard Goddard, senior producer of Cross Country Checkup, defended the broadcast as unbiased. "We did include views on the possible housing impacts of the relatively high level of immigration," said Goddard.

Still, Ombudsman Nagler cautioned CBC hosts to not confuse opinion with fact. "Don’t put your finger on the scale when it comes to determinations about which sides are right or wrong," he wrote.

"Rather than saying that immigration has been an ‘essential’ part of the Canadian experience, perhaps it could be described as a 'prominent' one."

Trudeau says the government's "most important responsibility" is making sure Canadians support immigration because it's a "huge advantage" compared to other countries.https://t.co/vD78U4ZuZQ pic.twitter.com/A4LQPOfEQq

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) February 16, 2024

According to Emigration of Immigrants: Results from the Longitudinal Immigration Database, one in twenty (5.1%) immigrants who became permanent residents between 1982 and 2017 emigrated from Canada within five years of admission. That jumps to 16% of newcomers within 20 years of residency.

Those permitted entry through investor and entrepreneur categories are more likely to emigrate, the study said.

At least one in three (30%) of immigrants from the investor and entrepreneur categories emigrate within 20 years of admission. The departure of highly skilled labour negatively impacts the country's economic growth, StatsCan explained.

Conversely, less-educated immigrants, refugees, and those admitted through caregiver streams are more likely to stay.

CBC panellist Andrew Coyne says Canada "can afford to be a generous country" and should welcome more immigrants and refugees.

Meanwhile, everyday Canadians are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.https://t.co/BjtziNMiha pic.twitter.com/OkiA3sa19s

— Rebel News Canada (@RebelNews_CA) February 23, 2024

In February, a CBC panelist appeared to endorse 'mass immigration' by urging Canada to take in more foreigners after breaking records in consecutive years.

"Can we take more people in? And if they're coming without us planning, how do we prepare for that?" CBC News host Rosemary Barton posed to her panel.

"Well, we can take more, and I would support taking more," said Andrew Coyne, a columnist for The Globe and Mail. "I would like to see a high level of immigration, a high level of intake of refugees," he added.