Is Canada able to bear the burden of having so many new immigrants at such a high rate, in so little time?

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

It’s a frequent complaint that cities in Canada are too congested, and that housing is unaffordable. Additionally, accommodating more people requires extra space to be developed.

It is why there are some Canadians who are anxious about the announcement made by the federal government in November 2022, announcing an aggressive plan to take in 500,000 immigrants a year by 2025, with almost 1.5 million new immigrants coming to the country over the next three years.

This plan would see Canada welcome about eight-times the number of permanent residents each year – per population – than the UK, and four-times more than its southern neighbor, the United States. Canada has historically had very high support for immigration, but a recent poll shows that there is also anxiety about welcoming in so many newcomers.

Statistics Canada has finally shown what’s been obvious for a long time: the actual numbers of people coming in are a lot higher than what’s publicly talked about. Specifically, over one million people came to Canada on some kind of visa in 2022.

The usual disclaimer needs to be added: this is just the official numbers, and they are estimates. It’s difficult to get information on how many people have left or died.

One source of immigration that is expected to grow is from Ukraine.

Geoffrey Cameron, a political scientist at McMaster University, said that while many countries, like Canada, face lower birth rates and an aging population, the success of any immigration system relies on popular support.

“The limiting factor for most countries is public opinion,” Geoffrey commented.

Of the 943,730 applications for CUETAs, Canada-Ukraine authorization for emergency travel, 616,429 have already been approved. That’s about two thirds. Some 133,323 have already arrived, according to Government statistics.

There also seems to be a growing number of people from the islands immigrating to Canada. In 2021, some 21,215 Jamaicans acquired permanent resident status in Canada, accounting for 45% of the 47,265 Caricom nationals who have immigrated there since 2015.

Haiti followed with 12,885 nationals immigrating, Guyana 2,605; Trinidad and Tobago 2,525; St Vincent and the Grenadines 2,310; St Lucia 1,970; Barbados 985; The Bahamas 845; Grenada 615; Antigua 455; Belize 380; Dominica 215; St Kitts and Nevis 185; while Suriname accounted for 55.

The IRCC data showed that most Jamaicans immigrated through sponsorship from a spouse or partner under the Federal Skills Trade Program or the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

The Federal Skilled Worker Program is for skilled workers with foreign work experience who want to immigrate to Canada permanently, while the Federal Skilled Trades Program (Express Entry) caters to skilled workers who want to become permanent residents based on being qualified in a skilled trade.

The question: s Canada able to bear the burden of having so many new immigrants at such a high rate, in so little time? Here are some thoughts to keep in mind:

• Advocates for affordable housing are typically silent on immigration, and the concept of supply and demand. More people vying for the same number of spots drives prices up
• Advocates for “the living wage” are typically silent on immigration, and the impact on salaries. Having more people compete for the same amount of employment tends to drive wages down, as demand for workers is pushed down
• Environmental advocates are typically silent on the topic of immigration. Yes, they will oppose the development of undisturbed lands, but few will publicly make the obvious connection

In any event, get ready for more changes. This trend isn’t likely to be reversed anytime soon, as there are too many with vested interests in seeing it continue, and that is a whole other report…