Question Period Note: CENTURY INITIATIVE

The Century Initiative and Canada’s immigrations levels

To be clear, the Century Initiative of increasing Canada’s population to 100 million people by 2100 is not a Government of Canada policy.
The Government of Canada develops an immigration levels plan to project how many newcomers we will welcome for the next three years. This plan is developed in consultation with provinces, territories, employers and many other stakeholders.
Our immigration levels plans take into account the fact that Canada needs more people, both to grow our economy and to create jobs.
Canada is also one of the most welcoming and desirable destinations for newcomers seeking a new life, whether they are vulnerable people seeking refuge or temporary residents interested in visiting family or studying here.
We recently completed a Strategic Immigration Review. We heard clearly that newcomers must be supported by proper infrastructure, like housing and health care, in order to succeed. We are committed to aligning immigration levels planning with planning for infrastructure, so that the right supports are in place.

Environics survey
• IRCC is aware of the change in sentiment around immigration, as reported in the results of Environics’ recent survey. We monitor third-party public opinion research conducted on topics of interest to the department.
• The Immigration Levels Plan outlines the yearly targets for each permanent immigration category. It should be noted that all newcomers—whether permanent or temporary immigrants—apply pressure to housing, public services and infrastructure.
• Decreasing immigration is not the solution to Canada’s housing pressures. Immigration is a shared federal-provincial responsibility and a significant proportion of admissions are a result of provincial selection authority.
• IRCC continues to work with federal partners, provinces and territories to address concerns related to capacity and available infrastructure.

• The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires that the immigration minister table the Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration, including the Immigration Levels Plan for the following year, by November 1, or within 30 sitting days if Parliament is not in session on November 1.
• Levels planning: By setting targets and planning ranges for each of the immigration categories, the Government of Canada establishes priorities among economic, social, and refugee objectives. Levels planning then enables the Department and its partners to allocate processing, security, and settlement resources accordingly.
• Levels consultations: IRCC conducts annual public opinion research on immigration, performs a series of consultations and engagement with provinces and territories as established by the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration, and also undertakes an annual online stakeholder survey.
• Stakeholder Survey: The department actively engages perspectives from a wide range of organizations, including input from NGOs, settlement/resettlement organizations, educational institutions, economic development organizations, industry/sector councils, Indigenous groups, regional or municipal government and academia. Of the of 4,780 stakeholder organizations invited by email to participate this year, IRCC received 633 completed responses. While the Century Initiative is invited to participate in the online stakeholder survey, it is the extent of their involvement and just one of many organizations whose perspectives are considered.
• Stakeholders have been historically invited to participate in Ministerial roundtables and town halls to discuss immigration levels, however, this year IRCC undertook a broad-based policy, research and engagement process, with the goal of gathering meaningful input toward a vision for the future of Canada’s immigration system.
• Public Attitudes: Results from the latest Focus Canada research by the Environics Institute show decreasing support for current immigration levels. The research provides evidence that this negative shift is primarily driven by concerns about immigration’s effects on the housing market and the country’s ability to properly settle so many newcomers.
o There is a sizeable negative shift in views about levels compared to 2022: 44% of Canadians (+17 since last year) now either strongly (23%) or somewhat (21%) agree ‘there is too much immigration to Canada’. A very slight majority (51%, down from 69%) either somewhat (25%) or strongly (26%) disagree.

None