Canada has traditionally held an international reputation as being a welcoming country and has been held as a global example of refugee sponsorship through its Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program. However, in the midst of healthcare system strains and affordability and housing crises, refugees and migrants in Canada have been scapegoated and the federal government has severely cut immigration levels.
A concerning shift
Public sentiment in Canada towards immigration is eroding at an alarming rate. A new poll reveals that nearly half of all Canadians believe that immigration is having a mostly negative effect on our country. This is a dramatic change from poll responses just one year ago, when only a quarter of Canadians held this view. Further, only 13 per cent of poll respondents supported an increase in immigration levels.
Hostile federal policy
These deteriorating sentiments have come alongside drastic immigration cuts made by the federal government in November 2025, including a 30 per cent reduction in the number of privately sponsored refugees approved for resettlement in Canada. IRCC polling in 2025 showed that over the past few years, public favourability towards immigration has dropped lower than seen since they began surveying public opinion about immigration in 1996.
Shifting Canada’s public conversation: A Renewed Canadian Welcome
To counter the harmful narratives that have taken hold in the media, Canada urgently needs to shift its conversation about refugees and migrants. It is time to renew Canada’s commitment to welcome by reimagining our immigration policies through the lens of lived experience.
In our mission to recognize and uplift the inherent dignity of all people and our vision of a world that fosters the flourishing of all creation, CPJ is publishing a book, A Renewed Canadian Welcome, with McGill-Queens University Press on March 17th.
The book reimagines Canada’s immigration policies through the lens of lived experience by bringing together leading migrants and advocates to help readers understand the barriers facing refugees and migrants and illuminating grassroots movements and advocacy efforts for change.
A Renewed Canadian Welcome: Eleven Visions from Migrants and Advocates is available for pre-order and purchase through Citizens for Public Justice. Pre-order your copy today and enjoy free-shipping until March 17th!
Interesting poll results. Public opinion on immigration really seems to be changing compared to a few years ago. I think a lot of it is connected to cost of living and housing pressures people are feeling right now. It will be important to see how policy adjusts to balance both public concerns and economic needs.
It’s sad to see this trend away from welcoming newcomers to Canada. It is a deterioration of a fairly strong consensus in favour of immigration, perhaps due in part to faulty management by the federal government. There is a sense now that the issues we are collectively facing are due to immigrants. It’s an easy (i.e. – simplistic) explanation. I truly hope that we collectively move past this to a more nuanced understanding of the multiple factors affecting the cost of living and other issues so that we can have a renewed Canadian welcome.