Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said, if he becomes Prime Minister, the number of immigrants he’d allow into Canada would be “much lower” than the Liberal Government’s record-breaking figures.
It’s the first time Poilievre has said he’d reduce immigration after being asked the question a number of times, particularly since public-opinion polls have increasingly revealed that Canadians want less immigration.
“It’s going to be much lower, especially for temporary immigration,” Poilievre said in an interview with TVA Nouvelles, originally in French.
“It’s impossible to invite 1.2 million new people to Canada each year when we are building 200,000 homes. It’s impossible. There’s no room. Quebec is at the breaking point,” he added.
Poilievre made his comments during a Quebec tour, with planned stops in Estrie, Centre-du-Québec, Mauricie, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Charlevoix, and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean.
Previously, when asked for his immigration plan, Poilievre said that his numbers would be tied to housing, implicitly suggesting he’d lower the numbers, but never outright stating it.
Quebec Premier François Legault recently asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a 50% reduction in asylum seekers and temporary immigrants, insisting that Quebec is currently overwhelmed with them, and their resources are tapped.
Legault asked the feds to “better distribute asylum seekers throughout the rest of the country.”
“Asylum seekers have trouble finding a place to live, which contributes to accentuating the housing crisis,” the letter said. “Many end up in homeless shelters, which are overflowing.”
Liberals to continue increasing immigration
The federal Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, said in November of last year that his party would continue to increase immigration numbers.
“Canada intends to maintain it’s targeting of welcoming 485,000 thousand new permanent residents in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025,” he said.
In 2022, Canada took in more newcomers than ever before, with 431,645 new permanent residents. The year prior, Canada also set a record, with 401,000 newcomers.
