Most Canadians support immigration, but their support decreases when they learn about the full extent of federal immigration targets, according to an internal government survey. The 2022–23 IRCC Annual Tracking Survey report states that approximately 52 percent of surveyed Canadians believe that the right number of immigrants are coming to Canada. However, among those who don’t believe the right number of immigrants are coming, 22 percent feel that the levels are too high, while another 22 percent think that there are too few immigrants.
The survey, conducted by Ottawa-based research firm Phoenix SPI, involved 3,400 Canadians and was prepared for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). IRCC has revised its immigration targets to 465,000 for this year, 485,000 for 2024, and half a million for 2025. Once survey participants were informed about these planned immigration numbers for 2023, their sentiments changed. The report reveals that while 51 percent of participants believed the number was about right, approximately 35 percent felt that it would be too many immigrants, showing a 13 percent increase among this group when told about the quota for 2023. Conversely, the proportion of respondents who believed the number was too low decreased to 10 percent from 22 percent after being informed about Canada’s 2023 target for immigrants.
Canada’s record-high immigration levels have raised concerns across the country, especially in the housing market where there is a significant gap between demand and supply. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has suggested that increasing immigration is the solution to address rising housing affordability woes and labor shortages. He emphasized the need for more workers in the construction industry to support the growing economy.
TD Bank’s report states that out of the 1.2 million individuals who were added to Canada’s population last year, 60 percent consisted of non-permanent residents employed to fill job vacancies. On the other hand, Scotiabank believes that rising immigration is contributing to elevated inflation, which increased to 4 percent in August from 3.3 percent in July. The bank notes that the surge in immigration without a corresponding increase in housing supply will push rents and house prices higher.