Sixty percent of Canadians say immigration levels are too high: Poll
Canadians are growing more and more weary of mass immigration, with three out of five people now saying that there are “too many” immigrants in the country.
The findings, in a poll conducted by Leger for the Association of Canadian Studies, mark the highest rate of dissatisfaction among Canadians with the country’s immigration policies in decades, the poll suggests.
Sixty percent of Canadian adults surveyed in July said Canada accepts too many newcomers. That marks a 10 percent increase since February.
One-third of Canadians will be foreign-born by 2041 if immigration continues at its current rates, Statistics Canada said in a briefing note. Canadian-born residents would also become a minority in Toronto.
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Breaking down those numbers further, 76 percent of Conservative voters say immigration levels are too high. Just 28 percent of respondents said that the number of immigrants is about right, and only three percent said that there are “too few” immigrants coming to Canada.
Jack Jedwab, president of the Association of Canadian Studies, told the National Post that the housing crisis and economic concerns are significantly altering public perceptions of immigration numbers, a trend that has become evident since the pandemic.
Immigration is also becoming a prominent issue on the political agendas of the U.S. and various European countries, “and I don’t think Canadians are insulated from those global debates,” Jedwab noted. “My sense is that global instability, whether it’s Russia-Ukraine or the Middle East, is affecting some of this. I think Canadians are taking notice.”
The Department of Immigration is radio silent after Immigration Minister Marc Miller called Canada an “open country” for foreigners
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Previous polls by Jedwab asked Canadians to explain why they felt as though there were too many immigrants. He explained that it was more about economics and infrastructure and less about identity and fears that immigrants may not share “Canadian values.”
Among those who believe the immigration level is too high are recent immigrants. A poll by Leger from December 2023 to February 2024 found that 42 percent of over 2,000 adults who came to Canada within the last decade feel as though the Trudeau Liberals’ immigration policies are too lenient.
When asked if there are too many, too few, or about the right number of immigrants in Canada, 35 percent said there were too many. 48 percent said the number was about right. This marks the lowest amount of support for immigration quotas since 2006.
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The Leger poll indicates that across all political parties, a greater number of people believe there are too many immigrants rather than the right amount: 45 percent of Liberal voters expressed this view, while 43 percent felt Canada was accepting "about the right number."
Concerns regarding immigration are most pronounced in Alberta (67 percent of respondents said there are too many newcomers), Ontario (62 percent), and Quebec (61 percent).
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