In a frank interview with NPR’s “Freakonomics” show, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller spoke about the country’s deliberate decision to keep its doors open for immigrants, temporary foreign workers and international students. His comments underscored the nation’s commitment to address demographic challenges through immigration, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

Last year alone, Canada received a record 471,550 immigrants, 982,880 foreign students and 766,520 temporary foreign workers. He admitted that geography limits the amount of illegal immigration Canada receives as it is surrounded by oceans on three sides and the United States. “You know we have an ocean to the left of us and an ocean to the right, a nuclear superpower to the south and a block of ice to the north,” said Miller. “So geographically it’s difficult to reach Canada.”
Replying to Bloc Québécois’ motion passed in February calling for revised immigration quotas, he argued that population growth was necessary for his country. “There is no doubt that we have made a conscious decision to be an open country and a country that needs to grow,” said Miller. “The reality is we don’t have much of a choice.”
During the interview he proudly announced that Canada now has 40 million people living there. The host likened it to California before Miller joked: “Yes basically without vineyards well maybe a couple British Columbia might disagree.”
Miller also talked about America’s melting pot theory of immigration compared with Canada’s approach which celebrates diversity. “You know America’s generally had a melting pot theory of immigration and Canada prides itself on our differences being our strength,” he noted.
He acknowledged issues caused by its aging population — which he described as “bloated in the 50, 60, 70-year old category.” Addressing this problem he added: “It’s something that we need to fix now or else we’ll be in serious trouble for all the broad social services that we provide as a country. That can’t be filled domestically through baby booms alone, it has to be filled through immigration.”
Additionally, Miller revealed that the Trudeau government wants to give out free contraception under their new pharmacare plan which seems to counteract their goal of addressing the aging population at home. He didn’t mention Canada’s falling birth rates.
He spoke about looking beyond electoral cycles and dealing with generational issues. “The challenge I face as the minister of immigration and our government is to look at things that move in generational cycles as opposed to electoral cycles,” he said. “And the thinking behind that can be quite different. There’s lots of things that we do for expedient purposes just to get re-elected.”
Ultimately, he said without immigrants coming into the country there would not be enough people working in hospitals or nursing homes or anyone paying taxes for them either for that matter. “This is about sustaining Canada as we understand it today and the health services, social services that our older generation expect, those who built Canada,” Miller concluded. “That is not doable without people coming in from abroad.”
The minister’s comments show how Canada deliberately embraces immigration so much so it becomes an essential part of tackling demographic challenges faced by this country while securing long-term viability for its social infrastructure.
Last Updated on by Alshaar Ansari