Immigration Minister Marc Miller said during an interview on Monday that the Trudeau Liberals are "looking at a number of options" to reduce Canada’s permanent resident levels.
Miller said that the Liberal cabinet retreat, underway until Tuesday in Halifax, would see discussions on the topic.
"Now it's time to take a look at them and put real options on the table for the prime minister and for other cabinet ministers to look at, and not cosmetic changes simply to deal with public opinion. Real significant change," Miller said to CTV News.
Trudeau Liberals blame Harper for terrorists getting Canadian citizenship
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 16, 2024
Liberal Immigration Minister Marc Miller is considering stripping a Toronto ISIS terrorist of the Canadian citizenship given to him by the Liberal government.
However, Prime Minister Trudeau proclaimed in… pic.twitter.com/dft4HBdetr
The federal government faces pressure to address housing and affordability concerns amid increasing numbers of temporary and permanent residents.
On Monday, the government announced stricter rules to limit the low-wage stream of temporary foreign workers, in response to the surge in numbers post-COVID.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hinted at upcoming changes this fall, which could include reducing permanent resident levels—which would be a potentially huge policy shift for his administration.
"We're looking at the various streams to make sure that as we move forward, Canada remains a place that is positive in its support for immigration, but also responsible in the way we integrate and make sure there's pathways to success for everyone who comes to Canada," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.
The government previously froze permanent resident targets, with plans to welcome 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in both 2025 and 2026—significantly higher than the 296,000 in 2016.
Miller indicated that all options are being considered, including possible reductions in economically-driven immigration, which currently accounts for 60% of Canada's intake.
"There will be considerations about whether we reduce what type of immigration that we are supporting. Sixty per cent of our immigration is economically driven. That is probably unprecedented with countries that we compare ourselves to," Miller told CTV’s Vassy Kapelos. "But we have to see if we've done this in the right way, and if that growth merits to continue, needs to be paused or even reduced."
Immigration Minister Marc Miller warns of a possible recession as the Liberals backtrack on an influx of temporary foreign workers in Canada. "Some of the rhetoric out there is just downright unhelpful," adds Labour Minister Randy Boissonnault.https://t.co/TXq29qhTJo pic.twitter.com/YtpgnsDMd8
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) August 26, 2024
Earlier this year, Miller introduced a two-year cap on international student permits, reducing approvals to 360,000 in 2024, down from nearly 560,000 in 2023. A December 2023 Bank of Canada report highlighted that while strong immigration has bolstered the workforce, Canada's housing supply has not kept pace with the population growth driven by immigration.
Marc Miller, the Trudeau Liberals' immigration minister, puts the blame for Canada's housing crisis on the provinces for not building enough housing.
— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) March 21, 2024
The Liberals, meanwhile, have massively increased all forms of new arrivals to Canada.https://t.co/t50c3TNz74 pic.twitter.com/iqlSb3poVQ
Statistics Canada reported that Canada's population grew rapidly in 2023, surpassing 41 million in the first quarter of 2024, largely due to an increase in temporary residents.
