Canada has garnered a reputation for being a country that is welcoming of immigrants. Our political leaders often invoke the idea that diversity is our strength, and anyone living here knows how many of our neighbours were not born here. However, in the face of difficult economic circumstances and geopolitical uncertainty, Canadian public opinion has undergone a concerning shift to viewing migration–and immigrants themselves–negatively. Moreover, the new federal government is making concerning changes in Canadian immigration policy with Bill C-2, which contains significant rollbacks to refugee and migrant rights, some of which violate international law.
A crucial responsibility of the policy staff at Citizens for Public Justice is to shape the Canadian public discourse and to get everyday Canadians oriented towards the common good, and God’s vision for justice in the world. We invite you to read this Q&A with CPJ’s Refugee and Migrant Rights policy staff to get the facts on immigration in Canada, and to share that knowledge with your community.
Does immigration affect housing availability?
While there is a connection between increased population and housing availability, it’s not quite as simple a relationship as many may think. A complex array of factors affect the affordability of housing. Housing availability is not only affected by families and individuals looking to buy and rent housing, but also by investors looking to buy up housing stock for the purpose of making profit. In fact,one third of all new homes purchased in the last few years were not purchased by families in need of shelter, but by private investors looking to turn a profit. Furthermore, the 25 largest investment firms own 20 per cent of Canada’s rental housing with more than six units. While the recent cuts to immigration numbers may temporarily lower demand for housing, it will not solve the problem. Economist Dr. Tu Nguyen states that the real problem is Canada’s housing shortage stemming from years of underbuilding.
In short, there are many factors that affect housing affordability.While increases in population do cause changes in the amount of available housing, immigrants are not causing the housing crisis. There are much bigger structural problems that are making it harder for people to afford a place to live.
Pictured: CPJ staff members and supporters attended a rally in Ottawa on World Refugee Day to speak out against Bill C-2, which includes significant rollbacks to refugee and migrant rights, some of which violate international law.
How does Canada know whether individuals applying for refugee status are genuinely in need of protection?
When someone applies for refugee status from abroad or comes to the Canadian border and seeks asylum, they are subject to a series of rigorous measures to determine if they do indeed have a ‘well-founded fear of persecution.’ Claimants must prove that they ‘genuinely’ fear persecution if they return to their home country. They also must prove that their fear is indeed based on real life facts and circumstances. Individuals can prove this fear through an interview or providing evidence to prove that they are fearing persecution. Evidence can include things such as identification documents, newspaper articles, medical reports, or police reports. This process can be incredibly long, emotional, and difficult for those applying. Language, mental health, and other barriers make this especially difficult. After refugees seeking government sponsorship go through this process and before they are accepted, they must go through a medical exam, pass security and criminal record checks, and give biometric information which induces fingerprints and photos. Once all of these steps are concluded, the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) will determine if they believe this person qualifies for refugee status.
Is immigration overwhelming Canada’s health care system?
Immigration is vital to maintaining Canada’s social services, particularly healthcare. A significant portion of healthcare professionals are immigrants, including 25 per cent of registered nurses, 37 per cent of physicians, 43 per cent of pharmacists, and 45 per cent of dentists. Beyond their individual skills and expertise, immigrant healthcare workers help to address Canada’s workforce shortages and the growing demands of an aging population. It is suggested that immigration reductions could result in higher healthcare staff burnout, longer hospital wait times, and a decrease in patient care quality.
Additionally, many immigrants arrive in Canada healthier than the Canadian-born population and contribute more financially to the healthcare system than they use in services. Despite this, they often face barriers to accessing care, including language challenges, unfamiliarity with the healthcare system, and a lack of insurance coverage. Immigrants are essential to strengthening Canada’s social services and ensuring they have equal access to the very system they help sustain is critical.
How does immigration impact the economy?
Immigration plays a major role in sustaining Canada’s economic growth. Economists suggest that without high immigration levels, the country would have entered a recession in 2023. . This impact is driven by several key factors.
First, immigration strengthens Canada’s labour market. The country faces a growing workforce shortage with an aging population and a declining birth rate. By 2035, an estimated five million Canadians will retire, reducing the worker-to-retiree ratio to 2:1. To address this, the government selects approximately 60 per cent of immigrants based on their potential economic contributions. As a result, immigrants play a crucial role in key Canadian industries and help create economic stability.
Beyond employment, immigrants drive economic growth through entrepreneurship. Programs like Canada’s Start-Up Visa have helped launch over 200 immigrant-led businesses. Garnett Picot and Anne-Marie Rollin found that over an 11-year period, immigrant-owned businesses consistently created more new jobs on average than those owned by Canadian-born individuals.
Immigration also fuels innovation. Canada’s immigrant population is highly educated, surpassing the education levels of the country’s Canadian-born population. This expertise strengthens Canada’s knowledge-based economy and boosts its productivity. Many newcomers also maintain business and trade connections with their home countries, opening new international markets for Canadian goods and services. Overall, immigration is a cornerstone of Canada’s economic success, helping the country achieve long-term stability.
Is there a relationship between immigration and crime in Canada?
The simple answer is no–except in rare cases where immigration is proven to decrease the occurrence of certain types of crime. A 2020 paper examining crime rates between 1976 and 2011 found that the proportion of the population not born in Canada had either no significant impact on crime rate or resulted in a decrease in crime. This analysis is agreed upon by many scholars, such as McGill economics professor Nicolas Ajzenman and University of Manitoba criminologist Frank Cormier. Ajzenman states that in the Americas and Europe, the effect of immigration on crime is “virtually nonexistent.” Cormier speculates that the reason why immigration does not cause an increase in crime may be that immigrants or anyone who is not a citizen of Canada have a lot more to lose than a Canadian citizen as a conviction of some criminal offences can lead to that individual being deported–a huge life altering risk that the few who may consider criminal activity are often simply not willing to take.
It is important to understand that crime data, specifically in the form of charts and graphs, is difficult to read and interpret and is often misleading. There are many factors that shape crime data and can affect its accuracy and objectivity. It is far too easy to misrepresent or misinterpret crime data either intentionally or unintentionally, often to stoke public fear and make political gains. When we look at data over a large period of time in the table pictured here, we can see that crime in Canada has been on a steady decline since the 1990’s when crime was at an all time high.
Over time, data may show certain crimes increase and others may decrease, but this is natural and often also the result of police focus. If police are focusing more on sexual assault, the rates of sexual assault are likely to increase not because more people are committing the crime, but because more of those individuals are being caught by police.
Studies in Chile have shown that when people are aware that immigration is increasing, they are more likely to rank crime as their biggest concern and believe that they are likely to be a victim of crime. The data shows us, however, that immigration does not change the likelihood of us being a victim of crime and, if anything, having immigrants in our community makes us safer.
How can the government balance the needs of Canadian citizens and newcomers?
While there are certain services specifically designed to help newcomers adjust to life in a new country, many of the needs of Canadian citizens and newcomers are the same.
Some of the support provided to newcomers is funded by the federal government. These include assistance with finding housing and jobs, improving language skills, enrolling children in school, filing taxes, and adapting to life in Canada.
Aside from these specific supports for newcomers, regardless of status or how long someone has been in Canada, we all benefit from many of the same things. Newcomers and citizens alike need access to affordable housing, food, and childcare, to name a few. We all benefit from good-quality education and strong communities that support us. Government investments in making life in Canada more affordable and accessible for all benefit us all. The best interests of newcomers and long-time residents are not competing but rather complementary.
