Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged that the federal government “could have acted quicker” in managing the surge of migrants entering Canada following the COVID-19 pandemic. His comments were made in a video posted over the weekend, where he outlined the reasons for new measures aimed at limiting immigration.
In the video, Trudeau explained that the Canadian government is placing stricter controls on its temporary foreign worker program and reducing the number of permanent residents allowed into the country by 27% by 2027. This plan aims to address the massive influx of migrants spurred by a post-pandemic labor shortage.
Trudeau largely blamed “bad actors,” including corporations and universities, for encouraging immigrants to come to Canada with promises of education, permanent residency, and job opportunities. Many of these entities, he said, exploited vulnerable workers with false promises. However, Trudeau also admitted that the federal government shared some responsibility for not acting sooner to slow immigration once the labor shortage eased.
“Looking back, when the post-pandemic boom cooled and businesses no longer needed extra labor, we could have acted quicker,” Trudeau said in his video. “Immigration is primarily a federal responsibility. We have the tools to manage it, and we are using them.”
The new immigration plan, announced last month, will reduce the number of immigrants seeking permanent residency in Canada over the next three years. In 2025, the threshold will drop from 500,000 to 395,000, followed by 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027.
Additionally, Canada will impose limits on the number of temporary foreign workers allowed into the country, with a goal to reduce their share of the population to 5%.
Canada’s government has faced growing public pressure regarding immigration. Support for Trudeau’s liberal government has waned this year, and amid rising criticism, Canada has begun tightening visa requirements. According to Reuters, Canada turned away about 20% more immigrants per month during the first seven months of 2024.
Meanwhile, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has criticized Trudeau’s handling of the immigration system. In a podcast released Friday, Poilievre blamed Trudeau for a 300% increase in Canada’s population over recent years, which he claimed led to chaos in the immigration process. Poilievre also accused the prime minister of being responsible for the waste and fraud that accompanied the influx of migrants after the pandemic.
Now, Trudeau is denouncing his own immigration policy and expecting us to believe he can fix the problems he created,” Poilievre said. “The bottom line is we need to fix our immigration system and return to the one that brought my wife here as a refugee legally and lawfully, the system that has served Canada well for years.”
Trudeau’s remarks and the new immigration measures are likely to be a focal point in the upcoming political debates as Canada grapples with its evolving immigration challenges.
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