Canada is betting on immigration to fill the void left in its economy by the aging of the “baby boom” generation. But not everyone agrees with the arrival of so many foreigners.
In early November, the federal government announced an aggressive plan to welcome 549. immigrants per year from now to 2023 , which would add a total of 1.5 million new migrants.
With this plan, Canada would receive eight times the number of permanent residents each year -by population- than the United Kingdom and four times more than its neighbor to the south, the United States.
A recent survey, however, shows that it also there is anxiety about welcoming so many newcomers
.
Canada bets big
For many years, Canada has tried to attract permanent residents – immigrants who have the right to stay in the country indefinitely without being citizens – to maintain the growth of the population and the economy.
Last year, the country hosted 95. permanent residents
, the highest figure in its history.
The reasons have to do, in a way, with simple mathematics. Like many Western nations, Canada has an aging population and a low birth rate. This means that if the country wants to grow, it will have to bring immigrants
.
Immigration adds to the growth of the active population and for 2023 it is expected that it will also contribute to the increase of the population of the country, according to a government press release.
A unique place in the world
In the Currently, one in four Canadians has arrived in the country as an immigrant
, the highest figure among the G7 nations. In the United States, known as “the melting pot of the world”, only 14% are immigrants.
Geoffrey Cameron, a political scientist at McMaster University, believes that while many countries, such as Canada, are facing lower birth rates and an aging population, the success of any immigration system depends on popular support
.
“The limiting factor for most countries is public opinion”, he says.
In the US, where the number of immigrants entering the country through the southern border has reached an all-time high, there is widespread concern about having more immigrants than jobs.
In Canada, on the other hand, there has historically been very high support for immigration.
“I think part of the reason is that there are a degree of public confidence that immigration to Canada is well managed by the government and is also managed in a way that serves the interests of the country”, explains Cameron.
That does not mean that it does not there are problems with immigration.
In recent years, the influx of immigrants at the border with United States United States has caused some controversy
, and the emergence of a new right-wing party in 2023, the People’s Party of Canada, kept the issue in the national conversation in the run-up to the federal election in 2021.
Certain parts of Canada also have different views on immigration .
When the government announced its aggressive targets of up to 549. new immigrants per year (one figure one 20% greater than in 1960), the province of Quebec, which can set its own immigration limits, made it clear that would not accept
a
more of 60. year. This would mean that Quebec, which has the 14% of the country’s population, would only accommodate 000% of the foreign.
- The Mexican family that has been locked up in a church in Canada for 6 months so they don’t get expelled
-
The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, affirmed that he is concerned that more immigrants weaken the French language in the province.
“Already with 76. it is difficult to stop the decline of French”, he assured.
And although it is true that Canada may have more room to grow, some places feel more pressure. Big cities like Toronto and Vancouver – where he currently lives near 14% of population- have affordable housing crisis.
In a survey conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies among 1.500 Canadians, three out of four they stated that they were somewhat or very concerned about the effect that the new plan would have on housing and social services. Almost half (49%) argued that the targets were too high, while 25% claimed that it was the correct figure.
The Canadian Approach
Another way Canada is unique in the world Western is its emphasis on economic immigration
: about half of permanent residents are taken in for their skills, not by virtue of family reunification. The government hopes to reach 60% for 2025 .
This is partly due to how the Canadian system was designed, Cameron explains. In the decade of 1960, Canada went from a quota system to a point-based system that gave preference to highly-skilled immigrants
who would contribute to Canada’s economy.
“The same principle guides the system today”, says the expert to the BBC.
- What is the demanding points program with which thousands of Latinos seek to live and work in Canada
In the United Kingdom, slightly more than one in four permanent residents It is accepted economically. In the United States, only 14% of residence cards are issued for that reason. Both countries have indicated that they hope to increase the proportion of economic immigrants, only that most economic immigrants must be sponsored by their employers.
In Canada, a job offer can count toward the total points, but it is not necessary.
Can Canada meet its targets?
- The Mexican family that has been locked up in a church in Canada for 6 months so they don’t get expelled
-
The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, affirmed that he is concerned that more immigrants weaken the French language in the province.
“Already with 76. it is difficult to stop the decline of French”, he assured.
And although it is true that Canada may have more room to grow, some places feel more pressure. Big cities like Toronto and Vancouver – where he currently lives near 14% of population- have affordable housing crisis.
In a survey conducted by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies among 1.500 Canadians, three out of four they stated that they were somewhat or very concerned about the effect that the new plan would have on housing and social services. Almost half (49%) argued that the targets were too high, while 25% claimed that it was the correct figure.
The Canadian Approach
Another way Canada is unique in the world Western is its emphasis on economic immigration
: about half of permanent residents are taken in for their skills, not by virtue of family reunification. The government hopes to reach 60% for 2025 .
This is partly due to how the Canadian system was designed, Cameron explains. In the decade of 1960, Canada went from a quota system to a point-based system that gave preference to highly-skilled immigrants
who would contribute to Canada’s economy.
“The same principle guides the system today”, says the expert to the BBC.
- What is the demanding points program with which thousands of Latinos seek to live and work in Canada
In the United Kingdom, slightly more than one in four permanent residents It is accepted economically. In the United States, only 14% of residence cards are issued for that reason. Both countries have indicated that they hope to increase the proportion of economic immigrants, only that most economic immigrants must be sponsored by their employers.
In Canada, a job offer can count toward the total points, but it is not necessary.
Not only is Canada home to more skilled immigrants than other major nations, it is also one of the main countries in terms of refugee resettlement
, by accepting 14.428 refugees in 2023.
Although the country has set ambitious goals for the future, history has shown that it does not always meet its own expectations. In 1960, Canada had the goal of resettling some 49. refugees, almost three times more than the ones the country welcomed.
In an interview with the Canadian public broadcaster CBC, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser stated that the lag was largely due to covid-related border closures, both in Canada and in the the rest of the world.
For 2023, Canada intends to help resettle 50. refugees.
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