Immigration plans unwise, downright wrong
Liberal immigration minister Ahmed Hussen’s recent announcement that his government would now announce three year rather than one year immigration levels, and increase those levels to unprecedented heights is both dangerous and deceptive. The plan to admit more than 300,000 new immigrants each year, escalating to 340,000 in 2020, means that over a million people will come to Canada in the short space of 36 months. This is unwise, not to say downright wrong, for many reasons.
First, immigration should be decided on a yearly basis, as the need permits. Even Pierre Trudeau recognized this, and employed a “tap on, tap off” policy towards immigration. Why his son, an increasingly radical politician with dubious financial connections and an obvious special interest agenda, cannot see this is mystifying.
Second, whether the average Canadian recognizes it or not, Canada is a nation headed for fiscal and political crisis. With ballooning personal and national debt, a monumental housing crisis, high relative and actual unemployment, an opioid crisis, illegal immigration problems, an overburdened social assistance structure and a frayed national identity, we can ill afford this many people coming to Canada.
Already, Trudeau and his government have been warned of an impending crisis over the inability to integrate this many newcomers into our nation. What is more, in a world where fewer and fewer elderly and underemployed Canadians have adequate pensions and personal funds, it makes no sense to bring this many people in. Existing jobs and opportunities are needed to help Canadians make ends meet.
It is all very well to repeat Trudeau’s “sunny ways” mantra, but the fact is that Canada cannot properly support these people, and that Canadians deserve reasonable and sensible immigration policies, not radical proposals designed to increase our population to 100 million in the shortest possible time. That way will only ensure instability and a doubtful and dangerous future.
Perry Foster
Duncan
