OTTAWA (TDI): As public support for new arrivals decreases, Canada has decided to control population growth by drastically reducing its immigration targets.
According to AFP, for a nation that has long been known as a place to attract immigrants, particularly economic migrants from underdeveloped nations looking for improved living conditions, this is a significant turning point.
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Citing the national statistics bureau, Canada’s population increased 3.2% between 2023 and 2024—the largest annual increase since 1957—and is at 41 million. It claimed that an extraordinary influx of newcomers contributed to the increase.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the restrictions, saying that while the infusion had helped the Canadian economy recover from the Covid pandemic’s disruptions, the moment had come for “adjustments.”
“Today, we’re announcing that we will reduce the number of immigrants we bring in over the next three years, which will result in a pause in the population growth over the next two years,” AFP quoted Trudeau saying as.
According to Trudeau, Canada needed to stabilise its population and also the government need time to make the necessary investments in health care, in housing, (and) in social services to accommodate more people in the future.
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The immigration ministry had previously decided to settle 500,000 new permanent residents in the country in 2025 and 2026.
But the new targets were revised and reduced to 395,000 next year and 380,000 for 2026. In 2027 about 365,000 people will be accommodated.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller called the plan first of its kind in terms of efforts to control population growth in Canada.
