At a press conference last week, opposition leader Pierre Poilievre declared, “It’s not about immigration, it’s about math.” His remarks coincide with concerns about Canada’s housing shortage and increased anti-immigrant sentiment.
In an interview with reporters, Poilievre clarified that his party would cap population growth to equal the number of new homes built if they were to win the next federal election. “It’s not a question of whether you support immigration or not; it’s about basic mathematics,” he stated.
The head of the Conservative Party stated unequivocally that ending the housing crisis is his top priority and that changes to Canada’s immigration laws are required to do this. He highlighted the disparity between the pace of population increase and the number of newly built homes.
Our yearly building count is just over 240,000, representing a 1.4% rise in housing availability. Under Trudeau and the NDP, our population is growing by almost 3%. That clarifies our situation of running out of dwellings, as Poilievre noted.
Although the figures about the suggested immigration cap remain undisclosed, he underscored the pressing need to synchronize population expansion with housing supply. We cannot increase the population faster than we build homes; otherwise, we will have much more severe shortages.
Reducing the number of foreign students
Poilievre said that his government would reduce the number of foreign students admitted to the country and restrict population growth overall since he felt it had gotten out of hand.
He said we should return to the system we knew before Justin Trudeau. A few bright young people who excelled might come here, study, and stay, provided they followed the rules.
He cited accounts of over 20 students living in a single basement in towns like Brampton due to congestion. Poilievre claims the current scenario is unsustainable, as the number of overseas students studying in Canada has increased from 350,000 to over 1 million since 2015.
Influence on the labour market
The burden from Canada’s immigration statistics extends beyond housing. Poilievre expressed worries about the effect on the job market as well. According to recent statistics, the nation’s jobless rate increased from 6.4% in July to 6.6% in August.
Last month alone, we added 96,400 persons to the working-age population, yet, he said, we did not generate enough jobs for them. In that time, we lost 44,000 full-time positions and added 60,000 more people to the jobless rolls.
Statistics Canada, the country’s statistical body, has expressed similar worries, noting that employment growth is outpacing population growth.
“Given this pace of population growth, employment growth of about 50,000 jobs a month is needed just to maintain the employment rate,” the government cautioned.
In addition to housing and employment, Canadians are still greatly impacted by the rising cost of living. Even if it is below its peak, many people are still concerned about Canada’s inflation rate, especially regarding necessities like food and housing.
Rent and housing expenses increased by 5.7% in July 2024, with the biggest increases occurring in areas like Toronto and Vancouver. Poilievre maintained that these problems are being made worse by excessive population increase.
Deporting criminals
Poilievre also mentioned immigration enforcement, saying that people who flout the law should be removed, but those who contribute positively should be welcomed in Canada.
“You ought to stay if you abide by the laws, pay your taxes, and pick up one of our official languages. But you have to leave if you’re breaking the law and taking advantage of the system,” he stated in answer to inquiries over the growing demand for tougher deportation policies for immigrants engaged in criminal activity.
Fraud related to the international student system has also increased in Canada. Approximately 700 Indian students from Punjab were on the verge of deportation the previous year after finding out their offer letters from Canadian institutions were fraudulent. Due to his involvement in the scheme, Brijesh Mishra, a 37-year-old education consultant from Jalandhar, India, was arrested in Surrey, British Columbia.
Mishra was given a three-year prison sentence for giving fictitious acceptance letters to prospective students while working under an expired tourist visa. Authorities claim that he charged between Rs 14 and 16 lakh per student while guaranteeing them a smooth transition into the educational system in Canada.
The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) conducted an inquiry and found that between 2016 and 2020, Mishra’s actions affected hundreds of students. Because of this, the federal government has been investigating more than 2,000 examples of bogus letters.
Immigration-related worries among Canadians
In Canada, immigration is becoming a more and more popular topic during election campaigns. According to a recent survey by Canadian market research and analytics firm Leger, 65% of Canadians think the country is accepting too many immigrants. 78% of respondents believed immigration rates were a factor in the housing issue, and 72% believed Canada’s immigration laws were too lax.
Poilievre believes that the voters will support his recommended actions. He said, “This is not about closing the immigration door. It’s about ensuring that our public services, employment market, and housing market can continue to thrive without intolerable burdens on them.”
