Canadians are justifiably proud of our immigration system. It has made our economy the envy of the world, it’s how we’ve built strong, diverse communities, it’s how we’ve demonstrated that differences can and must be a source of strength, not a source of weakness for communities and society. Immigration is vital to our future, and as a federal government, we have to make sure that that pride, that faith in immigration, is not undermined. 

We’ve been through a hard time these past few years. COVID stopped everything. When we started to emerge from it, workers were in short supply, things we needed weren’t going to market and prices started going up. So we acted. We made sure that our businesses had workers, our economy got moving again, and we actually experienced the fastest jobs recovery after the pandemic in the G7. Now, it is time to make the adjustments to stabilize the immigration system that we need and get it working right for Canadians for right now. 

Today, we’re announcing that we will reduce the number of immigrants we bring in over the next three years, which will result in a pause in the population growth over the next two years.

Today, we’re announcing that we will reduce the number of immigrants we bring in over the next three years, which will result in a pause in population growth over the next two years. 

This builds on our previously announced measures to cap international student permits and reform the temporary foreign worker program, all of which we are implementing with a single aim: stabilize our population growth to give all levels of government time to catch up, time to make the necessary investments in healthcare, in housing, in social services to accommodate more people in the future. 

Our immigration system has always been responsible, and it has always been flexible. And so, we are acting today. Because in the tumultuous times as we emerge from the pandemic, between addressing labour needs and maintaining population growth, we didn’t get the balance quite right. With the plan we’re announcing today, along with previously announced measures, we’re making our immigration system work better.

The measures we have already put in place are working, and this new immigration plan will make a big difference. 

We need others to step up and do their part too. Far too many corporations have chosen to abuse our temporary measures employed in exploiting foreign workers while refusing to hire Canadians for a fair wage. All while under the watch of provinces, some colleges and universities are bringing in more international students than communities can accommodate, treating them as an expendable means to line their own pockets. That’s unacceptable and it needs to change. Businesses should no longer rely on cheap foreign labour. My message to them is that there is no better time to hire and invest in Canadian workers.

Our international student cap is dealing with exploitative colleges and universities, but all institutions need to take it upon themselves to be more responsible. And every step of the way, we need provinces and territories to work closely with us, too.

Every province and territory has to do its part, and that includes Quebec, of course. The measures announced today will continue to reduce temporary immigration in Quebec, but as you know, the Quebec government has its own permanent immigration targets and selects the majority of its temporary immigrants. It is therefore responsible for taking action in the areas it controls to contribute to our shared objectives of reducing temporary immigration and protecting the French language. In addition, with the plan announced today, we are also fostering the vitality of French across Canada by increasing our targets for Francophone immigration outside Quebec. 

Immigration is essential for Canada’s future, but it must be controlled, and it must be sustainable. With today’s annual immigration plan, that is precisely what we’re doing.