Is Immigration Harming Canada? If Not, Why All This Brouhaha?

The narrative that “immigration has destroyed Canada” highlights how perceptions can shape our reality.

Let’s go back to 2023. Canada’s population had just surpassed 40 million, with 1 million added in 2022 alone, 96% through immigration. For a nation grappling with an ageing workforce, a declining birth rate, and a concerning economic outlook, this influx should have been welcomed—an occasion to celebrate. After all, most newcomers were contributing to Canada’s depleted workforce and economy as skilled professionals, tech workers, builders, and, importantly, taxpayers.

Yet, the reality of these statistics was overshadowed by a different perception.

In that same year, a research firm published the findings of a public survey gauging Canadians’ sentiments toward immigration. Instead of expressing gratitude for their economic lifeline, many Canadians voiced distress.

What could explain this disconnect?

One possible reason is the timing. The increase in immigrant numbers coincided with Canadians facing financial strains, a rapidly escalating housing crisis, and a stressed healthcare system. In this climate of economic and infrastructural uncertainty, many sought a scapegoat, and the surge in immigrant numbers became the convenient target.

However, another factor was at play here.

Around this time, immigration had shifted from a policy discussion to a political debate across the Western world. Anti-immigration parties effectively linked societal and economic anxieties to the presence of “the dreaded aliens.”

Unsurprisingly, by 2025, the proportion of Conservative voters in Canada who believed there was too much immigration had surged from 41% in 2020 to 82%—the highest recorded in over half a century. Alarmingly, the sentiment spread beyond their base: 56% of non-Conservative Canadians also believed immigrants were responsible for Canada’s issues, the highest level recorded since 2020.

A recent survey commissioned by a news portal shed light on public opinion in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA):

Poll Snapshot – GTA*:

– 54% felt that reduced immigration levels were acceptable, while 37% favoured a complete halt.

– Nearly 50% believed that a crackdown on immigration hadn’t resulted in measurable changes.

– 65% thought immigration was a primary reason for housing unaffordability.

– 59% attributed rampant youth unemployment to new arrivals.

– 58% connected high immigration numbers to crowded emergency rooms.

– 57% felt that immigration was not having a positive impact.

– 78% of newcomers settled in the GTA preferred economic immigrants for immigration priority.

– 77% believed Canadian employers hired new immigrants to save on labour costs rather than due to a shortage of workers.

– 27% thought the government had done well in reducing immigration, while 22% disagreed.

– 35% supported admitting refugees and protected persons, with 34% feeling similarly about temporary foreign workers.

– 37% believed that government support for immigration and immigrants was sufficient, while 33% thought it was too much, and 30% believed it was not enough.

*The above content highlights only the topline numbers to provide readers with a brief overview of the poll results.