The majority of Canadians now believe that there is too much immigration into Canada, driven by a rise in economic concerns, over-population, the worry that the government is not screening immigrants properly, and an increase in crime.
According to a survey from Focus Canada, the rise in concern was most pronounced among Conservative supporters; the increase was mirrored, though less prevalent, among Liberal and NDP supporters.
When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office in 2015, only 48% of Conservative Party supporters thought there was too much immigration to Canada. The level has now risen to 80%. The concern among Liberal supporters rose from 33% in 2015 to 45% in 2024. NDP supporters saw the smallest rise, growing from 31% in 2015 to 36% in 2024.
Among all Canadians, 58% believe that the country accepts too many immigrants, a 14% rise since 2023, following a 17% increase the year prior, the most rapid change since Focus Canada began tracking this question in 1977.
“The latest findings suggest the balance of public opinion about the volume of immigration currently being admitted into the country has effectively flipped from being acceptable (if not valuable) to problematic,” reads the report.
Economic concerns have not been rising across the board.
In 2023, 38% of respondents felt that immigrants were placing pressure on housing prices and supply, which fell to 33% by 2024. However, the number of Canadians thinking that immigrants result in a weak economy and take jobs from other Canadians grew from 25% to 29% between the two years.
The survey did not seem to preface any questions by providing respondents with the level of immigration to Canada.
True North previously reported that approximately 2.2 million people were immigrating to Canada each year when accounting for temporary foreign workers, international students, illegal immigrants, and permanent residents.
“For the first time in a quarter century, a clear majority of Canadians say there is too much immigration, with this view strengthening considerably for the second consecutive year. This trend is evident across the population but is most significant in the Prairie provinces, while least so in Quebec,” reads the report.
The number of respondents who felt there were already too many people in Canada and immigration resulted in overpopulation rose from 19% to 25% between 2023 and 2024.
The Liberals announced in Oct. that immigration levels would be reduced by 135,000 between 2025 and 2027.
According to the survey, the number of Canadians who felt immigration was poorly managed by the government, resulting in a lack of screening, rose from 10% to 21% between 2023 and 2024.
Respondents were concerned that immigrants coming to Canada may not be assimilating properly.
“Along with rising concerns about immigration levels, an increasing number of Canadians are expressing doubts about who is being admitted to the country and how well they are integrating into Canadian society,” reads the report. “The public places most value on immigrants with specialized skills and those with a good education who settle permanently, and less on temporary foreign workers and international students.”
As of Sept. 2024, 57% of Canadians felt that immigrants were not accepting Canadian values, which has steadily risen since around 2020. However, this is not a new phenomenon, as 72% of Canadians felt that was in 1993 — the highest level since.
Between when Trudeau took office in 2015 and 2023, crime severity has increased by 14%. The total number of crimes committed has risen by 25%. The number of violent crimes saw a larger increase of 28%, while their severity increased by 32%.
“Not surprisingly, Canadians expressing concerns about the impact of immigration on crime are also more likely to believe there is too much immigration and that too many newcomers are not adopting Canadian values,” reads the report.
Over one in three Canadians feel that immigration is increasing the level of crime in Canada. The number of Canadians who felt this way increased by 12% between 2015 and 2024; however, this amount still falls below the peak of 47% in 1989.
The survey was conducted through telephone interviews with 2,016 Canadians ages 18 plus between September 9 and 23, 2024. It is considered accurate within 2.2 percentage points in 19 out of 20 samples.