New figures provided by polling firm Léger also indicate that 63% of those surveyed believe the volume of new arrivals is increasing pressure on educational systems.
Christian Burke, executive vice president of Leisure, said more and more Canadians appear to link immigration to issues like housing affordability.
“The makeup of the country and the problems it faces are a little different than they were before the pandemic,” Burke said.
However, on the other hand, research shows that most Canadians see some benefits to increased immigration.
About three-quarters of participants agreed that young immigrants contribute to the country’s cultural diversity and to a workforce that supports older generations.
For some experts, the poll results underscore the mixed feelings Canadians have about the impact of immigration on the country.
Meanwhile, CTV News reports that this signals a shift in public sentiment on immigration, as the country faces affordability challenges and problems with public service delivery.
In 2022, Canada’s population increased by more than one million people, a number that included 607,782 non-permanent residents and 437,180 immigrants.
Léger’s research also found that compared to March 2022, the proportion of Canadians who want the country to welcome more immigrants fell from 17 per cent to nine per cent.
On the other hand, more people say Canada should welcome fewer immigrants, and that number has risen from 39 per cent to 48 per cent.
The federal government has come under scrutiny for rapidly increasing its annual immigration targets, while the number of temporary residents in the country is also rising significantly.
It is expected that the number of permanent residents that Canada will receive in 2024 and 2025, as planned, will rise to 485,000 and 500,000, respectively.
Omani Riyal/adr
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