Justin Trudeau withdraws from Canada liberal immigration policy

Business groups express apprehension regarding implementing policies that aim to decrease the number of migrant workers entering the country.

Justin Trudeau reversed Canada’s foreign worker program this week to mitigate public criticism of one of the world’s most progressive migration policies.

The prime minister announced measures to reduce the number of new arrivals in anticipation of an election next year, as she was currently trailing in the surveys. Conversely, executives are concerned that the new regulations will restrict their access to inexpensive labour.

Simranzeet Singh, policy manager at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, stated that additional consultation was necessary to prevent “incidental harm to our economy or critical services” due to the proposed changes.

On Monday, Trudeau informed reporters that the government was considering “the various [migration] streams to ensure that, as we progress, Canada remains a nation that is positive in its support for immigration but also responsible in the way we integrate and create pathways for success.”

Trudeau, who has advocated for Canada’s welcomingness to migrants and refugees from war-torn nations such as Syria and Ukraine, experienced an abrupt shift in his stance with the announcement. In 2015, he welcomed Syrian refugees at Toronto’s airport by distributing winter outerwear and expressing his sentiment that they were “home.”

The foreign worker’s program is acknowledged for its assistance in Canada’s recovery from the pandemic; however, it has been increasingly criticized for the high cost of housing, the strain on the healthcare system, and the increase in youth unemployment.

Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative party’s leader, has made the sluggish economy and escalating cost of living in Canada a central theme of his election campaign.

Poilievre asserted on Thursday that Trudeau’s administration had “devastated our immigration system.” “We must limit population growth,” he stated.

In response to public concerns regarding an influx of immigrants, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany have implemented immigration restrictions. Immigration has also become a central issue in this year’s US election, with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris facing criticism for the rise in the number of migrants crossing the southern frontier from Mexico during the Biden administration.

According to official data, Canada has admitted 1.63 million new citizens since January 2018, with nearly one-third hailing from India, the Philippines, or China.

According to official data, in 2021, expatriates comprised nearly 25% of Canada’s population or over 8.3 million individuals. In contrast, the migration observation centre at Oxford University estimates that approximately 14% of the nearly 70 million individuals in the United Kingdom were born abroad in 2022.

David Coletto, the CEO of Abacus Data, an Ottawa-based polling firm, stated that the opposition Conservatives’ 17-point polling advantage over Trudeau’s Liberals was partially due to migration.

He stated, “Our data indicates that only one in four individuals believe that the country is progressing in the right direction.”

Canada’s population reached 40 million last year, an increase of over 1 million year over year. 96 percent of this population growth resulted from temporary and permanent migration.

Coletto reported that in November, two-thirds of surveyed Canadians expressed that immigration was “too high,” and 31% said it was “way too high.” 

In March 2024, a poll by the Association for Canadian Studies and the Metropolis Institute revealed that “one in two Canadians” believed an excessive number of immigrants existed.

Trudeau’s new measures would reduce the percentage of low-wage transient foreign workers that Canadian employers can employ from 20% to 10%. 

This would reverse a 2022 policy that has resulted in a nearly three million-person stock of temporary foreign workers in the country. In the autumn, Trudeau has suggested that a more comprehensive immigration reform may be implemented.

Ottawa also established a yearly limit of 360,000 international students in January. “The supply of foreign students has become so lucrative that it has created a pathway for its abuse,” stated Immigration Minister Marc Miller, referring to profiteering education institutions and prospective students.

Michael Bonner, a ministerial counsel in the previous Conservative government, stated that companies utilize foreign worker schemes as a fundamental component of their business model to maintain low wages and prices.

“This is already detrimental, but it also excludes Canadians from the labour market,” he stated.

The new measures include an exemption for agricultural producers, particularly those in remote locations where meeting local labour requirements is challenging.

Canada’s immigration model is currently experiencing significant duress.

According to Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the nation’s largest business association, labour shortages “will only worsen in rural areas, agriculture, caregiving, and skilled tradeEnglishs.”

He referred to the criticism of foreign labourers as “unfounded political attacks” and stated that “94 percent of employers” who depend on the program comply with protection measures.

The Canadian government has also been under pressure to restrict the movement of foreign labourers across the border with the United States, which has resulted in strained relations between the two governments.

“Due to concerns regarding illegal migration from Canada, US lawmakers are advocating for reinforcing the northern border with Canada.” Glenn Cowan, the founder and CEO of One9, a venture capital company specializing in security, stated that United States relations will be improved by halting the flow of these visas.