We must maintain Canada’s status as an immigration nation
Canada has emerged as the only developed country in the world that continues to embrace high levels of immigration. Is it time for a rethink?
Increasing worry over housing costs and suppressed incomes have some some analysts urging a cutback in immigration levels. Others, including this writer, continue to champion immigration as the best means to counter societal aging, promote growth and boost social dynamism.
Right now, all major national parties support high levels of immigration. That consensus has kept Canada from descending into the polarizing fights over newcomers that plague other countries. To preserve that consensus, the time may have come for a commission on the future of immigration.
The annual migrant intake in Canada rose to more than 313,000 in 2019, from 250,000 in 2001; during that time, levels in the United States remained flat, at slightly more than one million legal newcomers annually, even though polls show more Americans want immigration increased than want it decreased.
