Immigration taking a big space in political discussions ahead of federal election in Canada

Last updated on September 5th, 2024 at 09:22 am

It appears immigration has become a political flashpoint ahead of the 45th Canadian federal election to be held on or before October 20, 2025. Canada is taking both official and unofficial steps to limit the number of people coming to the country.

Reuters has obtained shocking figures that demonstrate that the ratio of refused visitor visa applications to approved ones is higher in recent months than at any point since the height of the pandemic. Immigration officials have been rejecting relatively more applications.

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The number of approved education and employment permits has also dropped. In July, Canada refused entry to nearly 6,000 foreign travellers – the most since at least January 2019, reported the Guardian. The shift seems to be informal and not dictated by a policy change.

Is elevated immigration important for Canada’s economy?

Canadians’ changing perception of immigration comes against a backdrop of a mounting cost of living crisis. Recently, Immigration Minister Marc Miller said his ministry is planning to reassess the number of people applying for permanent residency.

Miller is stressing the need to bring a “real significant change” and not “cosmetic changes” to address public opinion. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also recently said his government is ready to scale back the controversial temporary foreign workers program.

Trudeau also mused about reducing the number of permanent residents Canada accepts each year, dramatically upending years of increased immigration levels under his tenure, according to the Guardian. Nonetheless, he believes immigration is important for the economy.