The Canadian Federal government has unveiled plans to stabilize the intake of new permanent residents by 2026 in an effort to alleviate the pressure being exerted onto housing and other essential services. The announcement came from the esteemed Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, on Wednesday.
Minister Miller presented the government’s fresh objectives for the next three years to Parliament. According to these goals, the country aims to maintain the number of new permanent residents at 500,000 by 2026.
The outlined plan indicates that the targets set for 2024 and 2025, a projected 485,000 and 500,000 respectively, will remain on an upward trajectory, as initially intended.
The Liberal Party has been characterized by its assertive approach to augment these figures over the last few years. This vigorous pursuit has resulted in record-breaking numbers of admitted permanent residents in both 2021 and 2022.
However, this incrementation has been subject to escalating scrutiny. The pressure is mounting for the government, amid a national crisis of scarce and expensive housing.
Despite these concerns, the government is striving to strike a balance, placing equal emphasis on the noteworthy benefits immigrants bring to the Canadian economy and labour market, as voiced by Minister Miller in a press conference at Parliament Hill.
He elucidated, “These immigration levels will help set the pace of Canada’s economic and population growth while moderating its impact on critical systems such as infrastructure and housing.”
Miller further clarified that an increase in new permanent residents does not automatically lead to a proportional surge in housing demand. He stated that the aim behind preserving the 2026 target is to gain a deeper grasp of the actual impact.
Minister Miller acknowledged the rising public curiosity over immigration matters. He said, “I think the eyes of Canadians are more intensely focused on immigration. They’re not xenophobic, but they’re asking us to get a little more organized.”
He continued, “We’re gonna have to take the next year and dive into some of the more microeconomic forces that are driving the sentiment that Canadians are expressing to us.”
On the final note, it is expected that the majority of the new permanent residents will primarily immigrate as part of economic streams under this newly ushered plan.
