By Carlito Pablo
A new survey shows eroding public support in Canada for immigration due to housing and economic concerns.
The poll indicated that for the first time in 25 years, a majority of Canadians think that the country is accepting too many immigrants.
“For the first time in a quarter century, a clear majority of Canadians say there is too much immigration, with this view strengthening considerably for the second consecutive year,” the Environics Institute for Survey Research stated in an October 17, 2024 report.
Environics Institute is a Toronto-based nonprofit engaged in in-depth public opinion and research work.
The group noted that based on its poll, almost six in ten (58 percent) Canadians “now believe the country accepts too many immigrants, reflecting a 14 percentage point increase since 2023, building on a 17 point increase over the previous year (2022 to 2023)”.
“This is the most rapid change over a two-year period since Focus Canada began asking this question in 1977, and reflects the largest proportion of Canadians who say there is too much immigration since 1998,” the Environics Institute reported.
Moreover, “The latest findings suggest the balance of public opinion about the volume of immigration currently being admitted into the country has effectively flipped from being acceptable (if not valuable) to problematic.”
The nonprofit also looked into what’s driving the trend.
“Public judgement about too much immigration continues to be driven by concerns about housing, but also by the state of the economy, about over-population and – increasingly – about how the immigration system is being managed,” the Environics Institute stated.
Further, “Canadians who say the country is accepting too many immigrants cite various reasons for this view, but as in 2023 they are most likely to express concerns about how newcomers can be accommodated given the lack of housing availability and affordability, as well as concerns about the state of the economy, about over-population, and the potential strain on public finances.”
The Environics Institute survey is based on telephone interviews with 2,016 Canadians ages 18 plus between September 9 and 23, 2024.
The poll was conducted in partnership with the Diversity Institute at Toronto Metropolitan University, and with the support of the Century Initiative, a charity with the goal of promoting the growth of Canada’s population to 100 million by 2100.
The federal Liberal government on November 1, 2023 tabled in Parliament its immigration plan over three years.
The plan shows that Canada intends to accept permanent residents numbering 485,000 in 2024; 500,000 in 2025; and 500,000 in 2026.
“While public support for immigration in Canada has remained relatively stable and strong for many years, it can decline quickly if the perception of a well-managed migration system with positive outcomes is lost,” the plan stated.
Moreover, “Canadians are still likely to see immigration as having a positive effect on economic growth and the availability of labour, however they are also increasingly seeing it as having a negative impact on access to healthcare and the availability of affordable housing, signaling the need to stabilize levels.”
The government also informed Parliament that Canada welcomed more than 437,000 new permanent residents in 2022.
Also, that the country was “on track to meet the target of 465,000 for 2023”.
Previous surveys by other polling outfits show declining public support in Canada for immigration.
To cite an example, a survey conducted exclusively for the National Post newspaper by market research firm Leger showed that 65 percent of Canadians believe that the federal Liberal government’s current immigration targets are too high.
In a report, the National Post quoted Andrew Enns, an executive vice-president with Leger, saying that attitudes toward immigration have been hardening over the past few years.
“What’s starting to happen now is that we’re starting to see Canadians, rightly or wrongly, are connecting a few issues to immigration,” Enns said.
The Leger poll shows that 78 percent of respondents believe high immigration levels are contributing to the housing shortage.
In addition, 76 percent said that immigration is having an impact on health care.
Leger’s poll was conducted between August 23 and 25, 2024.
On September 4, 2024, the Angus Reid Institute, a market research company, reported that concerns by Canadians over immigration has “risen four-fold over the last two years”.
One-in-five or 21 percent of people in Canada say that “Immigration/refugees” is one of the top issues facing the country.
Angus Reid suggested that the concern over immigration “perhaps represents a ripple effect from Canada’s booming population driven by immigrants, both temporary and permanent”.
