Trudeau’s gambit

THE more the merrier — this has been Canada’s immigration mantra for decades. The Maple Country has been welcoming newcomers with open arms, even radicals and extremists at daggers drawn with their native countries. The Justin Trudeau government has been patting itself on the back for making Canada a better place for immigrants than peer Western nations. The policy of keeping the floodgates open, however, has put increasing strain on housing, healthcare and social services. Under pressure not only from the Opposition but also his own party, Trudeau has admitted that his government failed to get the balance right between addressing labour needs and maintaining population growth. At long last, he has realised that immigration must be sustainable.

With the popularity of his Liberal government waning, Trudeau has taken this drastic step in a bid to wrest the initiative a year ahead of the Canadian polls. The 52-year-old PM is bent on entering the fray for a fourth term, considering himself to be the best bet for his party. Well, that’s what his American counterpart Joe Biden thought about himself before he was forced by the Democrats to abandon the presidential race. In his desperation, Trudeau has not shied away from damaging Ottawa’s relations with an old ally, New Delhi. India, in fact, is among the countries that will be hit the hardest by the decision to allow fewer new permanent residents into Canada.

The Canadian PM has found support from expected quarters — Donald Trump has said that “even Justin Trudeau wants to close Canada’s borders,” buttressing his own argument for tougher border measures in the US. The stumbling block in Canada’s case is its heavy dependence on immigrants, who have played a vital role in bolstering its economy. Dealing with labour shortage would be a big challenge at a time when the Canadian population is ageing alarmingly. Trudeau, who had wooed the diaspora in 2016 with a historic apology for the 1914 Komagata Maru incident, has his work cut out.