Now even Justin Trudeau knows that immigration has broken Canada

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends the third session of the G20 Leaders' Meeting
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends the third session of the G20 Leaders’ Meeting - Mauro Pimentel/AFP

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced his Liberal government was going to cut immigration levels for the first time in years. The number of permanent residents in 2025 will decrease from a previously announced target of 500,000 to 395,000, or 21 percent.

What caused this abrupt shift? Trudeau said in an Oct. 24 press conference that Ottawa “didn’t get the balance quite right” in the post-pandemic period with respect to significant labour shortages. Hence, the government’s decision to “pause population growth” would help adjust this economic deficiency.

Hold on. The Left-wing Canadian PM actually did something right for a change? It’s a miracle! Hallelujah!

Umm, hold on again. Before Gabriel blows his horn in triumphant fashion, we need to recognise the fact that Justin didn’t reach Judgement Day by his own volition. The reason he woke up to reality on Canada’s immigration policy was due to the litany of mistakes and foolish decisions he’s made on this policy.

Canada’s immigration levels were about 235,000 per year in the 1990s. The highest tally that had been recorded was in 1913, when 400,900 new immigrants arrived on our shores. Trudeau was elected in 2015, and his first two full years as PM witnessed immigration levels at 296,350 in 2016 and 286,480 in 2017.

In other words, nothing too out of the ordinary.

Alas, the government’s economic advisory council had suggested in a 2016 report that the level could potentially be increased to 450,000 new immigrants. Ottawa claimed it was going to look at the matter prudently. In reality, this was the opening that Trudeau desired to make immigration a main priority of his government going forward.

In fairness, Canada’s Liberal Party has made immigration a priority for decades. Part of it was to promote Canada as a kind, open and welcoming society. While Conservative and Liberal governments both supported this position, it was the latter, who governed this country for nearly 70 years in the 20th century, that spearheaded it the most.

The other part was related to building and maintaining an immigrant population that would consistently vote Liberal. They were the government that welcomed them to this country, and their votes would help keep them in power.

The Liberals hiked the immigration level to 321,040 in 2018, and increased it to 341,180 in 2019. During the first year of Covid, the immigration level dropped to 184,370, but Trudeau has motored ahead ever since. The number of new immigrants rose to a record-breaking 405,330 in 2021, followed by another record-breaking 437,500 in 2022 and a further record-breaking 471,550 in 2023.

These immigration numbers were not only eye-popping, they made no economic sense. Canada, like many other democracies, has been going through an affordability crisis since the pandemic. Individuals and families are struggling to keep up with high costs of food, clothing and shelter. Housing is expensive and unaffordable in many parts of the country, while labour shortages are rampant in most Canadian provinces.

If Canadians were struggling financially, how would this massive influx of new immigrants be able to live and work properly? More importantly, shouldn’t most of the time, effort and money being spent on increasing immigration be shifted over to Canadian residents who are struggling to make ends meet?  

That’s why many Canadians have become fed up with this situation. Here’s an example. The Environics Institute’s Fall 2024 focus on immigrants and refugees noted “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.” It’s now at 58 percent, or nearly six in ten Canadians. These figures would have been unheard of in previous generations, let alone a few years ago.

The immigration fumble is one of many reasons why Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives have led Trudeau’s Liberals in opinion polls for the past two years. It’s been consistently in double digits since last September and, in some cases, by 15 to 20 points.

There’s also some speculation that Trudeau and his senior advisers took this approach with immigration when it started to look like Donald Trump could become US President once more. Now that it’s happened, it makes you wonder if this was part of the thinking behind the scenes.

Has Trudeau learned any lessons from Canada’s immigration debacle? Don’t count on it. This is a leader who never admits his mistakes. He often attempts to use softer language and vapid explanations to escape further punishment from would-be voters. It’s not going to work this time, especially when new and recent immigrants are amongst those who can’t help but be frustrated with this Prime Minister’s incompetence and ignorance.