Douglas Todd: Confidential government polling showed support for lower migration targets. But actual numbers are slippery for both permanent and temporary residents.

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The federal Liberals have been getting some good news from public opinion polls by emphasizing, for the first time in five decades, cutting migration targets.

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The government’s public relations effort was revealed in confidential emails obtained through a freedom of information request from Ottawa’s Privy Council Office, the powerful arm that advises the prime minister.

The emails state the findings of a series of telephone surveys conducted by the Privy Council Office late last year are “not publicly available — do not share outside government.”

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The surveys found Canadians were largely supportive of former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government declaration that it wanted to allow in only 395,000 permanent residents in 2025. That compared to 500,000 the year before.

In November, when Trudeau’s successor, Mark Carney, released his budget, the prime minister emphasized his intention to follow through with lower targets, saying they’re necessary to ease pressure on the country’s housing, infrastructure and health services.

Many commentators applauded the change in tone, including noted Canadian housing analyst John Pasalis.

“A major shift in Canada’s housing strategy is now much more explicit. The federal budget directly links immigration levels to housing affordability, a connection that was often downplayed in the policy debate,” said Pasalis.

“For years (the Liberal) argument was that population growth tripling in under a decade wasn’t the core issue. The issue was simply slow supply.”

The........

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