Trudeau slashes Canada immigration target by 21% for 2025

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that Canada is pulling up the welcome mat on an open-door policy to immigrants.

The dramatic change will see Canada reduce the annual figure of permanent residents by 21% to 395,000 next year; 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027. The target was 500,000 in both 2025 and 2026.

Trudeau also announced that the number of international students, foreign workers and refugees, referred to as temporary residents, would be cut to 5% over three years, down from 7.2%.

The cuts followed a long-term tracker poll by the Environics Institute that showed 58% of Canadians thought there is too much immigration. The poll results were made public days before the immigration cuts were announced.

Trudeau admitted the government was too ambitious in its newcomer goals.

“In the tumultuous times as we emerged from the pandemic, between addressing labor needs and maintaining population growth, we didn't get the balance quite right," Trudeau said at a news conference. "With the plan we're announcing today, along with previously announced measures, we're making our immigration system work better."

Immigration Minister Marc Miller was more blunt.

“We have listened to Canadians,” he said in a statement Thursday, the Toronto Star reported.

Canada has experienced a jump of about 2 million in population, to 40 million from 38 million as of June 16, 2023, then reached 41 million by the end of 2023, according to Statistics Canada.

Critics said the growth has contributed to a severe housing shortage.