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“It’s a demographic tsunami!” Consensus about the benefits of Canada’s mass immigration is now starting to fray
BY SIMONE J. SMITH
Over the last few years, Environics public opinion data indicated that Canadians felt very positively about immigrants and immigration levels.
Something changed in 2023…
An Environics public opinion survey revealed a significant increase in the number of Canadians who believe the country accepts too many immigrants. It marks a dramatic reversal from a year ago, when support for immigration levels were at an all-time high. Rising concerns about the number of arrivals have become evident across Canada but are most widely expressed in Ontario and British Columbia.
Canadians, who tend to think of themselves as pro-migrant, have broadly agreed that bringing in immigrants would improve the country’s economic growth and help fund the country’s generous social programmes as its population ages. Similarly, by making the country more diverse, migrants boost its culture, too.
Immigrants often contribute to the economy through labour, entrepreneurship, and consumption. Skilled immigrants can fill gaps in the labor market and contribute to economic growth. Immigration can bring new: ideas, skills, and perspectives to a country, fostering innovation, and cultural diversity, which can be beneficial for economic and social development. Immigration can contribute to population growth, which, if managed properly, can stimulate economic activity and innovation. However, rapid population growth without adequate infrastructure development can strain resources and lead to challenges.
It is the exact reason that consensus about the benefits of Canada’s mass immigration is now starting to fray. In November 2023, The Economist published that for the first time in decades, the number of Canadians who want to take in fewer immigrants is increasing: it jumped from 34% in March to 53% in September. In June 2023, Canada’s population reached 40 million. For the first time in history, the population grew by more than a million (2.7%) in a single year. Temporary and permanent migration accounted for 96 per cent of this population growth.
Research shows that negative attitudes toward immigrants can develop when situational factors — for example: housing shortages, inflationary pressures ,and a rise in anti-immigration ideologies — combine to create perceptions of group competition. Perceived competition may be rooted in real, or imagined national economic challenges, as well as beliefs about access to: housing, employment and other resources.
Another point of contention; the fact that Canadians’ overall standard of living hasn’t improved in a decade.
This was recently confirmed by Statistics Canada’s latest numbers, which show that real GDP per capita is about the same today as it was in 2014. Real GDP (or gross domestic product) per capita is the amount of wealth our economy produces every year, divided by the number of Canadians, and adjusted for inflation. According to Canadian lawyer and politician Maxime Bernier, this is unusual, because except during recessions, or major crises like Covid, real GDP per capita usually goes up, thanks to economic growth, but during the past two years, it’s gone down, even though we’re not in a recession.
Why is that you may wonder?
“It’s because any economic growth we’ve had in that period has been canceled by massive population growth,” states Maxime. “During these past two years, the Liberals have let even more people come to Canada than before covid. Just last year, 1.2 million entered the country. It’s a demographic tsunami.”
“It’s simple. If the pie is getting bigger, but not as fast as the number of people who are eating it, we each get a smaller piece,” Maxime explains, “And of course, all those who are forced to pay outrageous prices for a house, or an apartment, thanks again to mass immigration, are seeing their standard of living go down even faster.”
“Pro-immigration lobbies keep repeating the lie that we benefit economically from mass immigration. Unfortunately, it’s not true. We’re getting poorer because of mass immigration.”
It’s important to acknowledge that the impact of immigration varies depending on the context, and blanket statements about its effects on the standard of living oversimplify a multifaceted issue. It looks like Canada will need to ensure that effective immigration policies balance economic needs, social integration, and resource management, which are essential for maximizing the benefits of immigration while mitigating any potential challenges.
REFERENCES:
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-2415.2011.01269.x
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/231219/dq231219a-eng.htm
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/about/smr09/smr09_139
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects-start/population_and_demography/40-million
https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2023/11/02/canadians-are-starting-to-sour-on-migration