Canadian consensus on immigration under threat, but not gone: minister

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada’s long-held consensus on immigration is under threat, but has not disappeared.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans to slash Canada’s immigration targets by 20 per cent next year and admitted his government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre accused the Liberals of trying to correct course after destroying the national consensus on immigration Conservatives and Liberals have held for 150 years.

He says attitudes toward immigrants have soured thanks to the policies of the last several years, as Liberals ramped up the number of permanent residents and the number of temporary residents ballooned.

Miller says concerns about social cohesion and anti-immigrant sentiments exist in Canada, as they always have, and the new targets won’t entirely assuage people’s fears.

He says the government needs to respond to Canadians who are concerned about the volume of newcomers but he also hopes people, provinces and institutions who have benefited from immigration will speak up.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2024.

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press