A new report from the Fraser Institute revealed how Canada's immigration levels massively rose from 2016 through 2024, coinciding with the Liberals' return to power after Justin Trudeau became prime minister in late 2015.

“For example, from 2000 to 2015, the total number of immigrants increased at a simple average annual rate of 4% compared to 15% from 2016 to 2024,” researchers wrote, after finding the average annual immigration to Canada was 617,800 from 2000 to 2015 compared to 1.4 million from 2016 to 2024.

On Tuesday's Rebel Roundup livestream, hosts Sheila Gunn Reid and Lise Merle reacted to the Fraser Institute's findings and shared their thoughts on how these extreme levels of immigration affected Canada.

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“If we're wondering why we're in a health-care crisis, a housing crisis, an education crisis, it's because the Liberal Party of Canada, via the federal government of Canada, did not anticipate or did not plan or increase our public institutions to be able to handle this many people coming in,” remarked Lise.

“This is a catastrophe and quite literally why we are in the crisis we are in right now,” added Sheila.

The extreme level of immigration “does nothing to help Canada,” said Lise, highlighting how high numbers of new arrivals have strained the country's systems and services. 

“Now, I will give that we did have some labour shortages, particularly in the trades in some parts of this country,” Sheila confessed. “Then it flatlined, and then the Liberals get in, and then it's just wild. The only receding of the tide was during COVID.”

Temporary foreign workers are filling jobs traditionally staffed by young Canadians, Lise said, “and then they are taking advantage of our social safety net while also going back to their countries of origin to holiday. So how is it that you're able to claim asylum and claim refugee status under some sort of persecution and yet go back to that home country?”