More than a third of Canadians believe immigration is having a positive impact on the country, according to a new poll. At the same time, the number holding a negative view of immigration nearly doubled to nearly 50% by 2022.
In an online survey of a representative national sample, only 34% of Canadians thought immigration had a mostly positive impact on Canada, down nine points from a similar survey conducted by the organization in July of last year. (Reuters)These are among the main findings of a survey released by the Vancouver-based Agency Research Company.
In an online survey of a representative national sample, only 34% of Canadians thought immigration had a mostly positive impact on Canada, down nine points from a similar survey conducted by the organization in July of last year.
Meanwhile, negative views rose by the same percentage, up nine points to 48%.
“In February 2022, only 26% of Canadians described immigration in a negative light,” Mario Canseco, president of the research co, said in a release, “with the proportion jumping to 48 percent in the first month of 2026.”
A majority of respondents from four provinces, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta, held unfavorable views of immigration. In other provinces, including British Columbia and Quebec, negativity was more muted.
While previous polls by other organizations had portrayed negative views of high levels of immigration into the country, the public mood appears to be leaning more towards an unfavorable view of immigration.
At the same time, the survey found that 42% of those sampled wanted “a reduction in the number of legal immigrants allowed to immigrate to Canada,” with more than three times as many in favor of increasing the intake of newcomers.
The survey was highlighted by former immigration minister Jason Kenney, who blamed the situation on policies adopted by former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government. In a post on X, Kenney said, “This is perhaps Justin Trudeau’s single biggest failure: turning the strongest pro-immigration consensus in the developed world on its head by destroying a once-model immigration system.”
But, he said, “blame must be shared with the open borders factions of both the business community and the political left, as well as several provincial governments” because they “demanded a massive increase in standards and a simultaneous reduction in standards.”
As immigration continues to dominate politics in Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government announced a series of measures in November to curb intake, notably reducing the number of international students and temporary workers coming to the country.
However, passion for immigration has taken over xenophobic outlets in Canada with outlets such as CBC News reporting that far-right groups have called for the “immigration” or mass deportation of ethnic minorities. Because Indians constitute the largest immigrant group and are a visible minority, they have become prime targets of anti-immigrant bias.
