58% Canadians feel country taking in excess immigrants, say economy suffering

A majority of Canadians feel that too many immigrants are entering the country, according to a study by the Environics Institute. It further said public support for immigration to Canada was decreasing.

Many refugees fake

Over the past year, an increasing number of Canadians feel many claiming to be refugees are not real refugees and that too many immigrants are not adopting Canadian values. Environics Institute for Survey Research

Their concerns

• Shortage of housing for immigrants in Canada
• State of the economy and overpopulation; potential strain on the public finances

The Asian Pacific Post reported today that according to the country’s longest-running survey on immigration by the Environics Institute, almost six in 10 (58%) Canadians now believe the country was accepting too many immigrants. “This reflects a 14-point increase since 2023. This builds on a 17-point increase over the previous year (2022 to 2023),” said the study, uploaded on the institute’s website this week.

The Environics Institute for Survey Research was established by Michael Adams in 2006 to survey public opinion on the issues shaping Canada’s future. “It is through such research that Canadians can better understand themselves and their changing society,” the institute said on its website.

The study pointed out, “Over the past year, an increasing proportion of Canadians agree that many people claiming to be refugees are not real refugees and that too many immigrants are not adopting Canadian values. In both the cases, the opinion reflects a notable uptick in concerns following several years of notable stability.”

The study said this was a notable change “over a two-year period since Focus Canada began asking this question in 1977 and reflects the largest proportion of Canadians who say there has been too much immigration since 1998”.

The study mentioned, “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. This trend is evident across the population but is most significant in the Prairie provinces, while least so in Quebec.” It said Conservative Party supporters were mostly in agreement about too much immigration (now up to 80 per cent) while 45 per cent of the Liberal Party and 36 per cent of the NDP backers felt the same.

Though almost seven in 10 agree that immigration has had a positive impact on the Canadian economy, but this number has declined for the second consecutive year. Since 2023, this view has weakened most significantly in the Prairie provinces and among young Canadians (18-29 age group). Regarding the reasons to discourage immigration, Canadians had concerns about how newcomers could be accommodated given the lack and affordability of housing, as well as concerns about the state of the economy, about overpopulation, and the potential strain on public finances.

According to Canada’s latest Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-2026, the country intends to welcome 4,85,000 new immigrants in 2024 and another 5,00,000 in both 2025 and 2026, said the Asia Pacific Post.