Canada is struggling to integrate immigrants, according to the results of a new poll. While more than a quarter of respondents (27%) refused to or did not know how to answer a question about Canada poorly integrating newcomers, 49% told pollsters immigrants weren’t integrating into the country.
The poll, conducted by Léger for outlets Le Journal and TVA, saw negative views of integration rise to 59% among those polled in Quebec. A very small minority of Canadians (9%), meanwhile, would welcome more immigrants to the country.
On the other side of this, 30% of Canadians said the country should take in “far fewer immigrants,” notes the Journal de Montreal.
Immigration has become an increasingly contentious issue in the country as Canadians struggle with a cost of living crisis. Not only are immigration numbers at a record high, but Canada has issued a stunning number of international student visas, further straining resources.
When it comes to housing shortages, Canadians widely (79%) believe “immigration increases the housing shortage,” with another 65% believing the number of immigrants “increases delays in the health care system.”
Half of Canadians felt immigration was hurting the education system.
The survey comes as the Bloc Québécois plans to call on the Trudeau government to review immigration targets. The Liberals plan, tabled last fall, sets targets of welcoming 485,000 permanent residents in 2024, with that number continuing to rise to 500,000 in 2025 and 2026.
