With Mark Carney stepping in as the new leader of Canada’s Liberal Party, some shifts in immigration policy are to be expected. But a closer look reveals that many of these “new” goals are simply attempts to patch up the very holes the government itself created in recent years.
Here are the key directions announced by the Liberals:
1. Stabilizing the Number of New Permanent Residents
What they promise: Keep annual PR admissions below 1% of Canada’s population starting in 2027.
Why (according to them): To ease pressure on housing and public services.
What’s really going on: It’s ironic that immigrants are now being blamed for “unsustainable growth,” while the real housing issues stem from deep-rooted local corruption. Municipalities delay building permits for years — processes that used to take 8 weeks now drag on for months or even years. And let’s not forget: this party has been in power for quite some time. The issue lies not in who is arriving, but in who is “managing.”
2. Reducing the Number of Temporary Residents
What they promise: Cut the share of temporary residents to under 5% of the population by 2027.
Why (according to them): To ease the burden on housing and public systems.
What’s really going on: Temporary workers and students do contribute to demand, but once again, the core issue isn’t them — it’s poor planning and infrastructure management. Immigrants didn’t cause the cracks in the system, they just revealed them.
3. Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside Quebec
What they promise: Reach 12% francophone immigration outside Quebec by 2029.
Why (according to them): To support French-speaking communities.
What’s really going on: A good idea on paper. But with foreign credential recognition (especially in medical and technical fields) moving at a snail’s pace, new francophone immigrants risk ending up as cab drivers and waitstaff instead of the professionals they trained to be.
4. Supporting Economic Immigration via the Global Skills Strategy
What they promise: Make it easier to bring global talent to Canada.
Why (according to them): To boost the economy and attract skilled workers.
What’s really going on: It’s especially touching to hear Canada trying to “lure” top global tech talent — when it doesn’t even rank in the top 5 destinations for IT professionals. Wages here are often 1.5 to 2 times lower than in the U.S., and the tax burden is higher. So most skilled tech workers will politely decline and head to the U.S. or Europe instead.
5. Improving Application Processing Through Digitization
What they promise: Speed up processing times with digital solutions and AI.
Why (according to them): To make the system more efficient.
What’s really going on: Sounds great in theory. In practice, automation without solid logic leads to a spike in random refusals. A typical “launch now, think later” approach — with real people suffering the consequences.
6. Strengthening Border Control and Fighting Fraud
What they promise: More resources for border security and stricter visa rules.
Why (according to them): To improve public safety.
What’s really going on: Another case of treating symptoms instead of causes. Lots of noise, few real solutions.
7. Continuing Cooperation with Quebec
What they promise: Respect Quebec’s special immigration status.
Why (according to them): Because they’re constitutionally required to.
What’s really going on: No surprises here — even the Liberals can’t repeal the Constitution. Yet.
Conclusion:
Yes, immigration has added to the load — but it didn’t create the crises.
Take healthcare: problems started long before now, especially during COVID-19 when the system was already cracking. Instead of real reforms, Liberals gave doctors mountains of paperwork and made it harder for foreign-trained professionals to get licensed. Result? More time filling forms than treating patients.
Housing crisis? Immigrants merely highlighted where the system is weak — they didn’t cause the weaknesses.
The new government’s proposals feel more like an attempt to find a scapegoat than to fix anything.
It all resembles patching potholes in Montreal:
Every year they promise, every year they repave — and every year it cracks again.
Oleksandra Melnykova, Immigration and Refugee Consultant in Canada.
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