Yes, proposed cuts to planned future inflows are large. But those flows were historically high. The new targets are still above 2019 values

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By Don Drummond and Parisa Mahboubi

Immigration targets slashed! Drastic reduction in temporary residents. Canada to reduce new immigration by 21 per cent.

Headlines like these dominated the news after Ottawa announced it was reducing Canada’s intake of permanent residents by 21 per cent over the next three years, alongside new measures to bring the population of temporary immigrants into line with goals for it.

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But the story really depends on the angle.

Yes, Canada’s new targets are much lower than both recent inflows and the previous official targets of 500,000 new permanent residents in 2025 and 2026. And, yes, Ottawa also plans to reduce the population share of temporary residents to five per cent by early 2027, down from today’s historic high of more than seven per cent, a reduction that will cut their number by more than 30 per cent. But comparing these new targets to the recent exceptional influx produces a distorted picture.

As Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller recently acknowledged, the surge in non-residents had become “disconcerting,” leading to an immigration system that “got out of control.”........

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