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Canadian immigration consensus under threat, but not gone: Immigration minister

Canadian immigration consensus under threat, but not gone: Immigration minister

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada’s longstanding consensus on immigration is under threat, but not gone.

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Canada’s longstanding consensus on immigration is under threat, but not gone.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced plans to cut Canada’s immigration targets by 20 percent next year and acknowledged that his government has not struck a balance in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre accused the Liberals of trying to course-correct after destroying the national consensus on immigration that conservatives and liberals have held for 150 years.

He says attitudes toward immigrants have gotten worse because of policies over the past few years, as the Liberals have increased the number of permanent residents and the number of temporary residents has increased.

Miller says there are concerns about social cohesion and anti-immigrant sentiment in Canada, as they always have been, and the new targets won’t entirely assuage people’s fears.

He says the government needs to respond to Canadians who are concerned about the volume of newcomers, but he also hopes the people, provinces and institutions that have benefited from immigration will speak up.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on October 25, 2024.

Laura Osman, The Canadian Press