Trudeau announces massive drop in immigration targets, as Liberals make major pivot

By Nojoud Al Mallees and Laura Osman, The Canadian Press on October 24, 2024.

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the government is slashing immigration targets as he admits the government did not get the balance right following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government had targeted to bring in 500,000 new permanent residents in both 2025 and 2026.

Trudeau however now says the target next year will be 395,000 new permanent residents.

It will fall even lower to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.

The change comes after significant criticism of the Liberal government’s increases to immigration and the impact of strong population growth of housing affordability.

The government’s goal is also to reduce the number of temporary residents to five per cent of the population over the next three years, down from 7.2 per cent in July.

The federal government estimates this will mean the non-permanent resident population will decrease by 445,901 in 2025, 445,662 in 2026 and will increase modestly by 17,439 in 2027.

The moves come after years of rapid increase to the number of new permanent residents in Canada and a ballooning number of people coming to Canada on a temporary basis, which federal ministers have conceded put pressure on housing and affordability.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.

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