When Canada’s new Immigration Levels Plan is released, attention will immediately turn to one question: What are the numbers?
How many permanent residents? How many temporary residents? How does that compare with previous years?
Those numbers matter. But they are not the most important measure of whether Canada has a successful immigration strategy.
The real test is whether we have a coherent plan to translate immigration into greater prosperity, stronger communities and a more confident country.
That matters particularly in British Columbia, where immigration is intertwined with workforce needs, population growth, housing pressures and our capacity to welcome newcomers successfully.
The latest Environics Institute research on public opinion on immigration and refugees offers some encouraging signs of renewed openness toward immigration. But this follows a striking deterioration in opinion: the proportion of Canadians saying there was too much immigration doubled from 27% in 2022 to 58% in 2024. Attitudes are now moving somewhat back toward greater openness, although they remain more negative overall than before the shift that began in 2023.
The public conversation is not fixed. That makes this an opportunity for leadership, beyond the regular annual recalibration of targets.
Rebuilding a durable consensus requires taking Canadians’ concerns seriously. Housing, infrastructure, public services and the capacity of communities to absorb population growth matter. Immigration policy must respond to these realities while being transparent about the wider economic forces shaping them.
But rebuilding confidence cannot simply mean reducing numbers. It must also mean restoring purpose and rebuilding common ground. It must also mean ensuring clarity of vision and rebuilding of common ground.
Immigration has long been part of Canada’s national project. Newcomers start businesses, fill workforce needs, bring ideas, knowledge and skills, strengthen communities, and raise families whose futures become part of Canada’s future. The Business Council of Canada has similarly emphasized the importance of expanding Canada’s workforce capacity as part of strengthening our economic capacity.
That same lens should apply to the refugee and humanitarian commitments contained in the Levels Plan.
Refugee and humanitarian immigration is sometimes discussed as though it sits apart from Canada’s economic interests. That is a false distinction.
The UNHCR’s recent Refugees Are Good for Canada work is an important reminder that refugees contribute economically and socially to the communities they call home.
Canada’s commitment to protecting people fleeing persecution and conflict should stand firmly on its humanitarian foundations. But we should also recognize that refugees become workers, entrepreneurs, neighbours, volunteers and citizens.
Humanitarian leadership and economic contribution are not competing ideas. Canada benefits from both.
So what should we look for in the new plan?
The principles behind The Canada We Believe In, an initiative ISSofBC supports, offer a useful starting point: immigration should contribute to Canada’s prosperity, respond to community needs, maintain our humanitarian leadership, enable newcomers to succeed and earn public confidence through effective management and measurable results.
That also requires stability in the systems that turn immigration policy into successful integration.
Language learning, employment supports, skills recognition and community connections help newcomers put their talents to work and build belonging. Stability in Canada’s settlement system should not be seen simply as funding for settlement organizations. It is an investment in Canada’s capacity to deliver on its national goals.
When the new Levels Plan arrives, I hope Canadians and British Columbians will therefore look beyond the headline numbers.
Does it connect immigration to a clear economic and population strategy, including housing, infrastructure and labour-market needs?
Does it preserve Canada’s humanitarian leadership and recognize the contribution of refugees?
Does it give newcomers a genuine opportunity to contribute, succeed and belong?
And does it help restore trust by giving Canadians a clearer sense of what immigration is intended to achieve?
Immigration policy should not ultimately be a debate simply about “more” or “less.” It should be a debate about what Canada is trying to achieve and how immigration can help us get there.
The Immigration Levels Plan is about much more than how many people Canada welcomes. It is part of the blueprint for the Canada we are building together.
Jonathan Oldman
CEO, ISSofBC
