Carney Signals Potential 'Controlled Increase' in Immigration as System Stabilizes
Prime Minister Mark Carney indicated that Canada may begin a "controlled increase" in immigration now that the system is back under control, following recent efforts to reduce population spikes. This statement comes just over a month before the government's mandatory release of its three-year immigration levels plan.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has suggested that Canada may begin a "controlled increase" in immigration, stating that with the country’s immigration system back under control, the question is when to start growing the population again.
Carney made these remarks in an interview with the New York Times just over a month before the government is required by law to release its immigration levels plan for the next three years.
The last three federal immigration plans focused on reducing the number of people coming to the country after a rapid post-pandemic population spike. Specifically, the government set targets to reduce annual temporary arrivals, including short-term workers and students, to five per cent of the population after they cracked seven per cent in October 2024.
Despite Carney's comments, there are differing views on future policy. The C.D. Howe Institute’s immigration targets council recommends that the government continue to shrink the number of arrivals over the next three years. This council includes several top academics who study immigration policy, a former deputy minister, and former Alberta premier Jason Kenney.