Will Justin Trudeau's new immigration proposal be able to address Canada's problems?

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently described his government's new strategy to cut immigration by about 20% while seated in a leather recliner and addressing the audience directly. He described the general framework of Canadian immigration policy in two movies, one in English and one in French. Without a question, the videos are damage control. Trudeau is facing calls to step down as party leader, dwindling public support for his government's immigration policies, and a federal election that the Liberals are expected to lose. The Canadian public's perception of immigration has been generally positive since the early 2000s. But now, popular sentiment has changed. The economy, housing, and health care continue to be the top worries for Canadians, but when questioned about immigration, the vast majority now believe that there is too much of it. Although the precise reason of this change is still unknown, Europe and the US have shown that there could be major societal repercussions. As immigration-focused educators, we are impressed by Trudeau's lucid delivery in the films. Public opinions are frequently predicated on false impressions, and immigration policy can be difficult to explain. However, some of his rhetoric shifts culpability in ways that are concerning. Trudeau presents an incomplete image and upholds false narratives regarding Canada's higher education, asylum, and immigrant selection processes by trying to control the conversation with a straightforward message. A growing number of "temporary" permanent inhabitants Canada's annual population growth rates in 2022 and 2023 were the highest since 1957. Although migration has been a major factor in Canada's population increase since 1999, temporary residents like migrant workers and international students were particularly responsible for the growth during these two years. Trudeau asserts that "most return home" and that temporary residents have "never been a part of the long-term immigration plan," despite their significant appearance in the video. However, the "rapid expansion" of two-step immigration—that is, bringing in temporary workers and students and then choosing some who are already in Canada for permanent status—has become more and more important to both Liberal and Conservative governments since the late 1990s. To put it another way, a lot of temporary inhabitants do remain. In actuality, two-step immigrants have made up the bulk of permanent residents entering through economic selection streams since the middle of the decade. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, which prevented many people from traveling abroad, this increased to 78% in 2021. Canada's "message to international students and graduates is simple: we don't just want you to study here, we want you to stay here," stated Marco Mendicino, the country's then-minister of immigration, refugees, and citizenship, in the same year. In the end, the new immigration plan might not be sustainable. Although it is unclear what this actually means, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has made ambiguous promises to tie population growth to the "availability of jobs, homes, and health care" if elected. For the time being, Trudeau seems to be trying to maintain his legacy and keep public opinions on immigration from further dividing. Yet this does not excuse the federal government for shifting the blame. Trudeau’s strongest critique is reserved for “really bad actors who outright exploit people” and “target vulnerable immigrants with promises of jobs, diplomas and easy pathways to citizenship — promises that would never come true”. Is he describing his own government?

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