July 14, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling for sharp reductions in immigration levels, arguing that Canada’s system is overwhelmed and unable to effectively settle the record number of newcomers arriving each year. In recent remarks, Poilievre said Canada needs to impose what he called “very hard caps” on immigration to give the country time to recover and better support those who are already here.
Poilievre stressed that immigration is growing faster than Canada’s ability to accommodate it, leading to increased pressure on housing, jobs, and healthcare. He said the country should enter a period where more people are leaving than arriving, so essential systems can catch up. “Our immigration system is broken,” he said. “Newcomers can’t settle properly, and the country can’t keep up with this pace.”
Over the past few years, immigration to Canada has surged. Between 2020 and 2024, roughly 3.6 million people arrived — many of them international students and low-wage temporary workers. This rapid growth has contributed to a shortage of affordable housing, rising rent prices, long hospital wait times, and increasing youth unemployment. In 2022 and 2023 alone, Canada’s population grew by 2.5% and 3.1% respectively — more than double the historical average.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to reduce the proportion of non-permanent residents — including students and foreign workers — from around 7.5% of the population to 5% by 2027. This would represent a meaningful shift toward lower immigration rates. However, Poilievre believes more aggressive action is needed. He said the government must stop treating immigration as an “open-borders experiment” and start aligning policy with Canada’s actual capacity to integrate newcomers.
“Our immigration policy should be Canada-first,” he said. “We should invite the right people, in the right numbers, at the right time — in a way that puts Canadians and Canada first.” He argued that while immigration brings long-term benefits, mismanaged population growth hurts both new arrivals and Canadian citizens alike.
Poilievre’s call for immigration reform includes sharply limiting temporary foreign worker programs and student visa approvals, especially in the short term. His message comes amid growing concern over housing affordability and strained public services, particularly in major cities where the impacts of rapid population growth are most visible.
While critics of Poilievre’s stance argue that immigrants are vital to Canada’s economy and workforce, the Conservative leader insists the real issue is not immigration itself, but the speed and scale of it. For now, his position signals a clear shift toward a more restrained immigration strategy — one he says is necessary to “restore fairness and balance” for everyone living in Canada.
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