Trudeau’s Liberals plan to increase immigration from 431,645 in 2022, which was already a historical record, to 500,000 in 2025. This is double the 250,000 when the Liberals took power. The previous record was 400,900 in 1913. Unless we are indigenous, we wouldn’t be here without the immigration of our forefathers (and foremothers) who came to this country in search of a better life. Having said that, in the middle of both a housing and healthcare crisis might not be the best time to have such a mass influx of newcomers. The ability to absorb this increase without putting a strain on the resources of current Canadian citizens and having the immigrants afford decent housing and accessing the healthcare system is highly doubtful. As well, the Liberals have allowed the number of foreign students and other non-permanent residents to quadruple from half a million to two million, with the net increase in 2022 alone of 607,782, adding more fuel to the housing wildfire.

Immigrants and non-permanent residents will usually end up in the big cities where the cost of living is already such a problem that many residents are leaving them for cheaper housing costs on the outskirts or in rural areas. This is proving to be a shock for immigrants, many of whom are competing for low-income jobs as well as affordable housing.

“Strong population growth from immigration is adding both demand and supply to the economy: newcomers are helping to ease the shortage of workers while also boosting consumer spending and adding to demand for housing,” the Bank of Canada said in a press release on its latest rate hike.

The new immigration rates will be substantially higher than rates in similar countries, such as Australia, said University of New Brunswick political science professor Ted McDonald.

“There’s no assessment that I have seen of the impact of these targets on housing affordability and availability, no assessment of these targets in terms of additional pressures on health care,” said Andrew Griffith, a former high-ranking official at Immigration and Citizenship Canada.

Quebec Premier Francois Legault is maintaining that the province cannot accept more than 50,000 immigrants a year despite Ottawa’s plans to significantly raise the country’s immigration levels. The federal government, Legault told reporters Wednesday, needs to understand that Quebec is facing a special challenge to preserve the French language.

The ability of the government to properly screen applicants is also questionable. Opposition parties say the fact the government allowed half of foreign nationals red-flagged as security risks into the country between 2014 and 2019 is shocking and erodes Canadians’ trust in the immigration system.

This is very concerning and undermines trust and confidence of Canada’s immigration process, NDP MP and Immigration critic Jenny Kwan said in a statement Tuesday. She was responding to a National Post report that between 2014 and 2019, 46% of foreign nationals flagged by security agencies to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for ties to serious offences such as war crimes, espionage and terrorism were allowed to take up residency in Canada.