Support for immigration in Canada hits record low

By Mata Press Service

For the first time in a quarter century, a clear majority of Canadians say there is too much immigration, states a new study by the Environics Institute, marking a notable shift in perspective for a nation historically welcoming to newcomers.

According to the country's longest-running survey on the topic by the Environics Institute, the new research reflects a further erosion of public support for immigration in Canada.

This view has strengthened considerably for the second consecutive year, said the Environics Institute.

The latest Focus Canada research shows that almost six in ten (58%) Canadians now believe the country accepts too many immigrants. This reflects a 14 percentage point increase since 2023, building on a 17-point increase over the previous year (2022 to 2023).

This is the most rapid 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 is too much immigration since 1998.

The latest findings suggest the balance of public opinion about the volume of immigration currently being admitted into the country has effectively flipped from being acceptable (if not valuable) to problematic.

Rising agreement about too high immigration levels has taken place across the country, with the most substantial change taking place in the Prairie provinces.

Quebec follows the general trend but at a slower pace, and increasingly is the region in Canada expressing comparatively less concern about immigration levels.

Notably, on this question, there is little difference in the perspectives of people who are first-generation and those born in Canada.

As before, opinions about immigration diverge most sharply across federal political party lines, with Conservative Party supporters most widely in agreement about too much immigration (now up to 80%). But there has also been an equivalent increase in this sentiment among those who would vote for the Liberal Party (45%) or NDP (36%).

Public support for immigration has been grounded in large part in the belief that it contributes to the country's economy. For two decades a decisive majority of Canadians have adopted this view, but rising concerns about immigration levels appear to be eroding this consensus, said the study authors.

Close to seven in ten (68%) agree that immigration has a positive impact on the Canadian economy, but this majority has declined for the second consecutive year. Since 2023, this view has weakened most significantly in the Prairie provinces and among Canadians ages 18 to 29.

Canadians who say the country is accepting too many immigrants cite various reasons for this view, but as in 2023, they are most likely to express concerns about how newcomers can be accommodated given the lack of housing availability and affordability, as well as concerns about the state of the economy, about overpopulation, and the potential strain on public finances.

The most notable change from a year ago is an increase in the proportion who believe there is too much immigration because it is being poorly managed by the government.

By comparison, the public is less likely to focus on concerns about high immigration levels due to a threat to Canada's (or Quebec's) culture and values, as a security or public health risk, or to an influx of international students.

A year ago – in 2023 – the public was expressing increasing concerns about the number of immigrants arriving in the country, but there was no corresponding change in how they felt about immigrants themselves and their place in Canada. In 2024 this is no longer the case. The increasing view that immigration levels are too high now appears to be accompanied by changes in how Canadians view immigrants themselves and how they are fitting in, states the Environics Institute.

Over the past year, an increasing proportion of Canadians agree that many people claiming to be refugees are not real refugees (43%, up 7 points from 2023) and that too many immigrants are not adopting Canadian values (57%, up 9); in both cases the balance of opinion reflects a notable uptick in concerns following several years of notable stability. On this question, the balance of opinion is the same between racialized Canadians and those who identify as white.

Similarly, an increasing minority of Canadians believe the country accepts too many immigrants from racial minority groups (39%, up 15 points from 2022), and that immigration increases the level of crime in Canada (35%, up 21 points from 2019).

Canadians are still more likely to say that immigration makes their local community a better place (32%) than a worse one (14%), but the balance of opinion is less positive than it was a year ago.

Such growing concerns notwithstanding, Canadians believe the government should continue to give some priority to newcomers across all categories of permanent and temporary status, with some more likely to be valued than others. As of 2023, the public most widely believed the government should give a high priority to immigrants with specialized skills in high demand (73%) and people with a good education and skills who move to Canada permanently (64%). Fewer assign this priority to admitting refugees fleeing conflict or persecution in their own countries (47%), and reuniting family members of current citizens (33%).

According to Canada's latest Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-2026, the country intends to welcome 485,000 new immigrants in 2024. This will be followed by a target of 500,000 additional immigrants in both 2025 and 2026.

The government is currently preparing to introduce a new Immigration Levels Plan in November, which is expected to further significantly reduce the number of immigrants, temporary foreign workers and international students entering Canada.