Canada was once seen as one of the most inclusive countries, but it is now grappling with an ever-widening gap between the migrant population and those in power. A recent Leger poll discloses a difficult truth that puts a dark cloud on the country’s reputation as being multicultural.
The survey conducted among more than 2,100 young newcomers who have arrived in Canada within the last decade describes their growing discontent. Astonishingly, up to 42% of these novices claim that there will be too many immigrants due to the current Liberal government’s immigration plan which contradicts the popular narrative of Canada having open arms.
Leading on from this, the introduction to the survey itself goes ahead to highlight how much unease exists in relation to Canada’s ambitious targets at 465,000 for this year, 485,000 for 2024 and an overwhelming half a million people by 2025. Combined with this shocking statistic is another that reveals over 437k immigrants were allowed into Canada just last year alone raising concerns amongst recent settlers here. Indeed only slightly less than True North had previously reported when they indicated that while half of Canadians felt like Liberals’ immigration policy was too high (Duffy), even though it should still be noted that there are slight differences between new immigrants and Canadian citizens.
Geographically, however, Quebecians stood out with a mere quarter (25%)of them feeling like too many individuals may be entering under present proposals compared to a towering number of enormous proportions (45%) for all other provinces.This geographical divide goes further in bringing about divisions within this already tenuous national consensus on contentious topic.
In what seems like an indication of changing political fortunes among new arrivals in this country; only 22% professed allegiance towards Liberal party ideologies and standpoints while dwarfed by a whole percentage point more who found themselves leaning toward the conservative party’s platform. The New Democratic Party (NDP) received an unimpressive 8% backing whereas 3% and 1% of these respondents supported the Green Party and Bloc Québécois in that order. Disturbingly, many recent immigrants were unsure about which federal party they most agreed with among them as a full-blown crisis between politicians and people continues to develop before their eyes.
We recently conducted a poll in the community section of our YouTube channel, inviting Canadians to share their insights on who is to be blamed for Canada’s low employment rates, Justin Trudeau or Immigrants. The results were surprising, with a significant majority blaming Justin Trudeau. Join the ongoing conversation on our Scoop Canada YouTube Channel! Cast your vote and contribute your thoughts to ensure your voice is heard in shaping Canada’s future.
The Tories’ decision to fit immigration figures into available jobs or housing has struck a chord since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself acknowledged a “big jump” in temporary migration beyond what the country could handle. This remark is an implicit recognition of the mounting pressure on public infrastructure and other resources in Canada, thus confirming new entrants’ fears.
Moreover, such statistics as those on demographics create complexity around this story for the newcomers. An astounding majority of 79% are university graduates while almost all have college diplomas at 12%. The age distribution shows that most of these individuals belong to younger generation with 43% aged between 18-34 years old and another 48% aged between 34-54 years old .This youthful group of educated citizens is Canada’s way to show her commitment to attracting global talent but now, disillusionment seems imminent.
Moreover, these concerns compound each other when one takes into account the fact that only three out of ten recent immigrants have attained Canadian citizenship; 41% holds permanent resident status whereas 16% possess work permits; and 11% are classified as student permit holders. Only a mere 1% have been given refugee status, while less than 1 % hold visa or any other category of entrants. This tenuous legal status only increases their vulnerability and uncertainty among various people in this diverse community.
At present, Canada is faced with an imminent crisis which begs the question: Can its current leadership fill up that widening gap between what it stands for and what the newcomers actually feel? According to Polling Canada’s poll data, Conservative support has surged to an all-time high of 44%, leaving Liberal at 24% and NDP trailing at 17%. The political landscape seems to be shifting on its axis. The fate of Canada’s cherished multiculturalism is unknown and it can no longer dismiss the voices of its immigrant population anymore.
Last Updated on by Alshaar Ansari
