Canada’s population has reached a significant milestone, hitting 40 million on Friday, with immigration accounting for nearly all of last year’s growth. However, the ongoing housing crisis in Metro Vancouver, the Greater Toronto Area, and across the country has sparked a familiar argument: if Canada can’t house its existing residents, should it continue to welcome more immigrants?
The federal government has committed to admitting up to 500,000 newcomers annually by 2025. While many view immigration as a positive force, contributing to Canada’s economy and bringing cultural diversity, critics argue that the influx of immigrants exacerbates the housing shortage.
Immigration advocates and housing experts counter this argument, pointing out that blaming newcomers for the housing crisis is misplaced, according to a report by CBC News. They argue that immigrants often become scapegoats for broader societal and governmental failures, emphasizing that it is the federal government’s responsibility to ensure adequate infrastructure to support population growth.
Meheret Bisrat, the senior manager of community development at DiverseCity Community Resource Society, expresses frustration with the calls to limit immigration due to housing costs.
“It is disheartening to hear those kinds of comments because I feel like it lacks a bit of compassion and understanding of … the realities of new immigrants,” she told CBC News.
She notes that immigrants are among those most affected by the housing crisis, highlighting the challenges they face, such as the lack of references and credit history, as well as their vulnerability to exploitation due to limited knowledge of their rights.
“They don’t fully know their rights, and they’re taken advantage of,” she added.
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Bisrat emphasizes that newcomers contribute significantly to Canadian communities and that their exclusion would be detrimental. In November 2022, the federal government underscored the importance of newcomers in Canada’s economic recovery from the pandemic and its future prosperity.
The government projects that immigration will account for almost all of the country’s population growth by 2032, as well as the majority of labor force growth.
Andy Yan, the director of Simon Fraser University’s City Program, agrees that immigrants play a vital role in Canadian society but identifies a gap in government policies. Yan asserts that the federal government has not effectively linked immigration with the need for infrastructure funding.
“While we make the promise of the Canadian dream, we seem to be very willing to expose new immigrants to the Canadian housing nightmare,” he warned.
Yan also highlights the deeper issue of latent racism in Canadian society, which manifests as a reluctance to accept more newcomers. In Metro Vancouver, this has often been driven by fears of cultural inundation. Yan argues that such racism distracts from the fundamental problems in housing production and distribution.
“That racism avoids the deeper problems we have in terms of how we produce housing and for whom.”
While the influx of immigrants brings benefits to Canada, such as addressing labor shortages and contributing to innovation, it also highlights the urgent need for the government to prioritize housing infrastructure to accommodate population growth.
Blaming immigrants for the housing crisis overlooks the systemic failures and perpetuates discrimination against vulnerable communities. By ensuring adequate housing for all residents, Canada can better support newcomers and foster a more inclusive society.
Information for this story was found via CBC News, StatCan, and the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
