Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled a surprising new shift in immigration policy as his Liberal Party trails in the polls.
The government is slashing the number of immigrants it allows into the country for the first time in years.
Polls show a growing share of the population thinks Canada has too many immigrants and the topic has become a contentious issue.
Now, Canada is set to allow 395,000 new permanent residents in 2025, 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027, down from 485,000 in 2024, according to the National Post.
‘In the tumultuous times, as we emerged from the pandemic, between addressing labor needs and maintaining population growth, we didn’t get the balance quite right,’ Trudeau said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the government is slashing the number of immigrants it allows into the country
‘With the plan we’re announcing today, along with previously announced measures, we’re making our immigration system work better.
‘Immigration is essential for Canada’s future must be controlled and it must be sustainable. With today’s annual immigration plan, that is precisely what we’re doing.’
He said his government will reduce the number of immigrants Canada brings in over the next three years by 21 percent.
The government had initially targeted to bring in 500,000 new permanent residents in both 2025 and 2026, according to CTV News.
Canada’s population reached 41 million people in April. The population was 37.5 million in 2019.
Trudeau said Canada needs to stabilize its population growth to allow all levels of government to make necessary changes to health care, housing and social services so that it can accommodate more people in the future.
Under Trudeau, Canadian immigration officials have approved fewer visas this year and border officials turned growing numbers of visa-holders away, data obtained by Reuters revealed.
He said his government will reduce the number of immigrants Canada brings in over the next three years by 21 percent
The federal election has not yet been scheduled, but could come any time between this fall and October 2025. The Liberals must rely on the support of at least one major party in Parliament as they don’t have the majority of seats.
The Liberals trail the opposition Conservatives 38% to 25% in the latest Nanos poll. The poll of 1,037 respondents has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Some lawmakers in Trudeau’s own Liberal Party have even asked the leader not to run for a fourth term.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corp said 24 of the party’s 153 legislators had signed a letter calling on Trudeau to go.
As of April, the country is battling a 130 percent spike in the number of Mexicans, Haitians, and others seeking asylum there, overwhelming shelters and leaving officials scrambling with an $822 million crisis.
Shelter systems in Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, and other Canadian cities are over capacity.
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Justin Trudeau’s stunning immigration policy U-turn after his polling numbers tanked